ST. PAUL – The St. Paul Lions faced tough competition and lost against the Holy Rosary Raiders during the Wheatland Football League finals on Nov. 4 in Lloydminster.
It has been a number of years since the Lions fought in the WHL championship finals. The last time, they also faced the Raiders and lost. However, the Lions last won the championship back in 2013, after defeating Holy Rosary.
Head Coach Mark Tichkowsky said that the team played well defensively in the first half but struggled offensively on Friday night. In the second half, the Lions managed to close the gap 20-7, then “the wheels kind of fell off, and [Holy Rosary] was able to score a couple more on us.”
The final score was 37-7.
“They know the game quite well,” he said, saying the Raiders are a well-coached team and come from a school filled with athletes. “We’re a small school going up against a number one ranked, Tier III team like Holy Rosary.”
The St. Paul team falls in the Tier IV category, with a smaller population to draw athletes from.
“So, it's one of those things where we were hoping and trying our best to win the league championship, but it wasn't meant to be last night,” said Tichkowsky, speaking on Saturday.
However, the Lions’ season is still not over, as they move on to the 2022 Alberta Schools Athletic Association’s (ASAA) High School Provincials in the Tier IV category.
The Lions will be hosting the higher-ranked Sexsmith Sabres on Nov. 12. The Sabres lost to Tier II school St. Joseph’s Celtics during the Mighty Peace Football League championship.
“Sexsmith is a well-coached team, and they’ve been doing quite well up in the Mighty Peace league,” said Tichkowsky.
After this year’s season wraps up, 12 St. Paul Lions players will be wrapping up their high school football careers, and Tichkowsky hopes more athletes will come out and fill the Lions’ ranks next year.
