The Wildcats winning ways have come to an end, and with them the season; but what a season it was.
After remaining undefeated through league championships, the Stettler Wildcats headed north to Lloydminster on Nov. 12 to take on the Holy Rosary Raiders on their own turf to take part in provincial semi-final play.
While the Wildcats came out on the wrong side of the game, the team made the Raiders work for it in the 17-0 final.
“It was not the way we hoped for our season to end but at the end of the day, we had an outstanding season!” said head coach Norbert Baharally.
“The 17-0 loss was not a real indicator as to how close the game really was. This game could have gone either way but we just did not get any breaks when we needed them and Holy Rosary got some breaks and capitalized on them.”
According to Baharally, the Wildcats played hard from the opening kickoff right through the final whistle, doing everything they could and leaving everything they had on the field.
“To be able to win a league championship and go undefeated at the same time is quite an accomplishment,” said Baharally.
“What’s even more impressive is the fact that we did it by winning against all bigger schools than us … We could not have had the success we did this season without our players, their supportive families and a community that is so willing to give and help our program.”
While the team will lose some players this year to graduation, Baharally is hopeful that solid core of younger players will return to the team next season “and be ready to defend their title.”
Even with the loss in provincial play, the Wildcats remain Central-Alberta League Champions.
