BONNYVILLE - The height of the snow cleared from Walsh Field was easily a foot taller than the tallest Renegade player that competed in Alberta Football's peewee Provincial Championship game on Saturday afternoon.
As the Bonnyville Renegades and their opponents, the Red Deer Steelers, took to the gridiron to face off, thick snowflakes drifted on the field and the stands that were filled with spectators.
While the championship game did not result in the final outcome the host team had hoped for, the teams' performance was closely matched for the first three quarters. For the majority of Saturday's game, the score held at 12-6, with the Renegades playing from behind.
The action packed fourth quarter saw the Steelers earn three more touchdowns, a two-point safety and a one-point conversion. In the last quarter, the Renegades managed to take advantage of a kick-off to earn their second touchdown of the game.
As the buzzer sounded, the final score was 34-12 in favour of the Steelers.
With the 2022 season under their belts and a silver medal around their necks, the Renegades are already looking forward to the 2023 season.
Head Coach Colin Hanusz is excited to announce that the Renegades will see 23 out of 35 players returning to the U13 team next year.
"The other 12 are moving up to the Bandits," said Hanusz.
Preparing for a snowy championship game
Hosting an outdoor championship game after a week that brought over 10 cm of snow is no easy hurdle to overcome without the support of a community.
Leading up to Saturday's game Lyn Den Oilfield Contracting lent a hand by clearing the entire field. However, Mother Nature had other plans and an additional 3-5 cm of snow fell the morning of the provincial championship match.
Hanusz expressed the deepest gratitude to those who showed up early to make it possible for the Renegades to get on the mostly green gridiron on Saturday.
"I would like to thank Ryan Fox and Eric Laplante for bringing their bobcats to clear the snow Saturday morning, and all the parents that helped to shovel the sidewalks and the stands," said Hanusz.