ST. PAUL – In the provincial Tier IV final, the St. Paul Lions achieved a historic victory, securing their first-ever provincial title with a decisive 41-0 win over the defending champions, the Drumheller Titans, on Nov. 25.
From the kickoff, the Lions displayed their desire for the championship. The first half passed in a blur as the Lions swiftly put points on the board. Touchdown after touchdown, the Lions became a relentless force.
Zachary Quinton (#9) scored the Lions’ first touchdown three minutes into the game. And with two minutes remaining off the clock, Quinton rushed 62 yards down the field for another touchdown, plus a convert by Ryan Songer (#8), ending the first quarter with a 14-0 lead.
In the second quarter, the Lions marched down the field, with Jeanathan Cheremshynski (#7) scoring three times for the Lions, plus two successful converts by Songer. By halftime, the Lions held a 35-0 lead.
Moving into the third quarter, both teams prevented each other from scoring.
But in the fourth quarter, Songer brought in the Lions’ final touchdown, with the St. Paul football team ultimately claiming their first provincial championship with a decisive 41-0 victory.
Throughout the game, the Lions showed complete domination and control over the field, including limiting the Titans’ ability to gain yards and first downs.
The Lions secured an impressive 25 first downs, displaying their ability to consistently move the ball and maintain possession. In contrast, the Lions’ defenses limited the Titans to three downs.
The Lions also gained a total of 433 yards throughout the game, compared to the Titans finishing with a total of 46 yards.
Quinton possessed the ball 13 times and averaged 11 yards per carry, gaining 143 yards in total for the team. Songer, on the other hand, carried 16 times, averaging 6.3 yards per carry, and gained a total of 101 yards for the team.
In 40 seasons, the Lions have never won a provincial championship before. This season is also the Lions’ fourth appearance in the finals in the last five seasons. Last year, they lost to the Titans 22-21.
This year also marks the second time both St. Paul football teams – the Bengals and the Lions – win the Wheatland Football Championship in the same year since 2017, and the first time in history that both have won the provincial championship in the same year.
Lions head coach Mark Tichkowsky said that by having a strong bantam program, “It just leads to the high school program just getting better and better each year.”
He also thanked the community and the fans for their continued support, as well as the coaching team. “I like to send out kudos to our coaching staff who prepared well over the last few weeks... and our defensive coordinator, John Lumby.”
Without a strong offence putting on points, and a strong defense to keep the other team from scoring, there would not have been a victory, says the coach.
