A 40-30 victory over the Red Deer Steelers on Nov. 14 saw the Bonnyville Renegades capture their first ever Tier III Provincial Championship.
“We came out and did what we had done all year,” said Renegades head coach Kevin Sartain. “It feels fantastic.”
Ducan Critch, Bonnyville's go-to running back marched in back-to-back touchdowns early to put the Renegades up 16-0 early.
Touchdowns by Titus Fagnan and Kevin Wooldrige added to Bonnyville's lead and had the home team up 28-0 with minutes left in the first half.
“We came out and we played positional football,” said Sartain. “We don't have the raw talent that we might have had last year…that raw speed to the outside and ability to make cuts. What we do have with these kids and this Renegades team is positional talent. They are the best positional football team in the province.”
The Renegades ran all over their competition in the Wheatland Football League during their regular season and carried their dominant play into the postseason.
The local peewee squad posted an 8-1 record during the 2015 campaign, including a hard fought 18-12 victory over the Lloydminster Colts to capture their second straight league title.
“It's an unbelievable feeling,” said Sartain. “We, as coaches couldn't be happier or prouder.”
Last year the Renegades marched their way to provincials only to get outmatched by Sylvan Lake, losing 54-0.
This year Sartain and his staff were determined to get the team back to the provincial Championship and pick up a different result.
“You just saw the maturity level in these kids throughout the season, it was amazing,” said Sartain, adding that player confidence rose steadily throughout the season.
He added, “I get inside my players heads, inside their hearts and make them want to play for me and I make the thought of losing just unacceptable and if we do lose but we gave it our all we're okay with that, that happens.”
Next year will be Sartain's last in charge of the Renegades before possibly making the jump to coaching the bantam squad.
