ST. PAUL – The St. Paul Lions opened their 2024 football season with a 42-0 victory over the Lacombe Rams in an exhibition match at home on Aug. 28, in preparation for the 2025 Wheatland Football League season.
Lions head coach Mark Tichkowsky said he was happy with the team’s performance. "Our players came to play . . . and were able to capitalize on a few plays on both offense and defense.”
“Of course, we can always to be better, but overall . . . all our players being able to play in the game was nice,” said Tichkowsky. “Both our vets and rookies all got to play, so that’s a real positive for us.”
Asked how many returning players will be playing this year, Tichkowsky said there are about 40 players in the roster this year, which is pretty evenly distributed across all three high school grades.
"So, we’re not too heavy in one area or another,” he said.
The Lions will not be playing at home again until October, but leading up to the upcoming season, Tichkowsky said he is feeling positive about the team’s prospects. "If we stay healthy, we should have a good run.”
The coach also commended the Rams for the exhibition game. “They played their hearts out and were really classy,” he said. “I think their coach was happy at the end of it, just knowing that they have a little bit of work to do before their season starts [in central Alberta.]”
