The Lindsay Thurber Raiders senior football team is primed to compete for a Central Alberta High School Football League title.
With 20 Grade 12 players on the roster, the Raiders will field a veteran group ahead of the start of the season next week.
All of their Grade 12 players have played since their Grade 10 season with 10 of them starting since then including the quarterback. The coaching staff is optimistic about what their team can accomplish this year.
The rest of the team will feature a mixture of 25 Grade 10s and 11s.
"Two years ago we really struggled and last year we were able to improve our record and tie for second," said head coach Ole Stearns on Tuesday.
"You always have to remember that Hunting Hills is in our league and they're always the team to beat. We're hoping to be right up there with them and the rest of the league. It's a competitive league and this is probably our toughest schedule."
This season Camrose re-entered the league for the first time since 2021 and Stearns expects them to be a talented group although they won't know for sure until they see them play.
With the addition of Camrose, the league will now feature seven teams including the Lacombe Rams, Notre Dame Cougars, H.J. Cody Lakers, Hunting Hills Lightning, and the Stettler Wildcats.
The Raiders expect to be strong both offensively and defensively simply because they have multiple veteran players on both sides of the ball.
"Our expectations are that we show up every single game. Like last year we had a lot of Grade 11s starting and this year they're Grade 12s now," he said.
"They're ready. They've been through the wringer for the last couple of years. They're ready to be the big guys this year. They're set and they know what it takes to play."
Stearns added that the team wouldn't be where it is today without its coaching staff of 14 people and additional support staff. He said the greatest thing about them is they all work as one unit.
The Raiders will host the first game of the season on Thursday, Sept. 5 against the Lacombe Rams at Setters Place.
"Lacombe is big, tough, and they always hit hard. I expect nothing less than that and we're just going to go out there and give it our best and see what happens."
The following week they'll play Notre Dame on Sept. 13, Hunting Hills on Sept. 20, H.J. Cody on Sept. 27, Camrose on Oct. 4, and Stettler on Oct. 11 before playoffs begin.
This week The Advocate will also preview the Notre Dame Cougars and Hunting Hills Lightning teams before the start of the season.
