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Stettler Wildcats hold on for narrow victory in last home game of season

The next game for the team will be in the finals at Sylvan Lake on Oct. 31
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Stettler Wildcat Callum Levers tries to protect the ball from Lacombe Rams defense. Kevin J. Sabo photo

By Kevin J. Sabo

For the Independent

In the final home game of the season, the William E. Hay Wildcats held off the Lacombe Rams in a tight win.

The Oct. 22 game took place under the lights at the William E. Hay Secondary School football field on a cool evening, however, the chilly temperatures did not dissuade the fans from coming out and supporting their teams. Fans from both teams were well represented.

Kicking off just after 7 p.m., the Lacombe Rams won the coin toss, and opted to receive.

The first half of the game was played very defensively by both teams, with both gaining and losing little in the way of territory throughout.

The only scoring to occur in the first half of the game was a pair of field goals, one a side.

The Wildcats struck first, with Callum Levers scoring three points at 8:05 in the first quarter. The Rams retaliated at 2:46 in the second quarter with a field goal scored by Josh Johnson, leaving the game tied at three a side.

The hometown Wildcats came out swinging after the half-time intermission, with the team scoring a pair of back-to-back touchdowns and a conversion.

The first touchdown was scored by Carter Kranzler, with a conversion scored by Callum Levers at the 2:15 mark of the third quarter. The Wildcats struck again just under two minutes later, at the 3:58 mark in the third quarter, with another touchdown, this time by Reid Shirley.

Unfortunately, the team was unable to capitalize on the conversion. The score at the end of the third quarter was 16 to three.

Lacombe cranked up the offense in the fourth quarter.

Between the increased offense, and the Wildcats drawing a series of successive penalties resulting in lost yards, hemming them into their own zone, the Rams managed a touchdown and a conversion at the 11:20 mark of the fourth. The touchdown was scored by Devin Allarie, and the conversion was scored by Josh Johnson.

However, in spite of the increased pressure put on the Wildcats by the Rams, the Wildcats’ defence remained solid, not allowing Lacombe any more scoring opportunities.

When the final buzzer sounded, the Wildcats walked off the field with their heads held high, with a close victory of 16 to 10.

This win brings the Wildcats record for the season to four wins and three losses. The Wildcats have defeated Wetaskiwin, Sir Winston Churchill-Lethbridge, Ponoka, and Lacombe, while losing to Leduc, Chinook, and Sylvan Lake. The next game for the team will in the finals at Sylvan Lake on Oct. 31.

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Lacombe Ram Scott Magee runs with the ball while fending off Wildcat defender Tyson Brower. Kevin J. Sabo photo
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Stettler Wildcat Hieran Sherman runs the ball during the team’s 16-10 victory over the Lacombe Rams on Oct. 20. Kevin J. Sabo photo
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Lacombe Ram Gabe Szatkowski tackles Stettler ball carrier Carter Kranzler during the Wildcats 16-10 victory on Oct. 22. Kevin. J. Sabo photo
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Stettler Wildcat Luke Bainbridge tackles a Lacombe Ram player during the Wildcats 16-10 win on Oct. 22. Kevin J. Sabo photo