Wow, what a finish. The Colts battled the Lindsay Thurber Raiders on Saturday at Great Chief Park in Red Deer and came away 13-0 victors and Tier II Provincial Champions.

The game was played in a bitterly cold -18deg which seemed colder in the wind. The Colts opened the scoring early in the second quarter with a Hunter Guenard to Parker Waldren 35 yard touchdown pass.  The lead would hold until the final three minutes of the game when Evan Sayyvetsy ran a reverse 55 yards for the touchdown which put the game away for the Colts.

“We worked hard on that play all week” said Head Coach Terry Swanney, “there is nothing like a good reverse to give the defence fits, Coach Lyth called it at the perfect time, we executed the blocking up front, and Evan delivered a clutch play for his team”.

The reverse calls for a fake toss to Mason Johnson going right with Evan taking the ball back to the left, the Raider defence “bit” on the fake to the right and Evan was off to the races coming off key blocks by Tyler Brady and Parker Waldren.

The Colts played most of the game on the wrong end of a field position battle,  which saw most of their plays coming from deep in their own end.  Once again the Colts defence showed the resiliency and determination to get the job done.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the boys this week” said Defensive Coordinator Greg Warnock, “we faced an undefeated team that scored over 40 points per game. On our bus ride up to Red Deer, we talked about a shut out and that’s exactly what we delivered. That kind of accomplishment is just plain amazing. Our defence played the majority of the game in our own end of the field and we still managed to keep their offense from scoring”.

“Kudos too to the Raiders who played a solid game especially on defence” added Coach Swanney, “they wanted that trophy and played hard for it.  My admiration and respect goes out to that team and their coaches for the game they played and the sportsmanship they exhibited”.

“It was a very special way to end a great season, concludes Coach Warnock, “we knew that our offense was going to put up some points at the end of the game to give us that little bit of breathing room. That is all we needed to secure this monumental victory”.

A monumental victory that destiny seemed to ordain.  Forty years ago in their inaugural season the Colts Bantams won the city and provincial championship.  Forty years later, wearing the same jerseys, they are once again city and provincial champions.

Hunter Guenard tossed 3 touchdown passes and the Colts Bantams earned a berth in the 2011 Tier II provincial championship game with a 34-7 road win in Medicine Hat.  Nathan MacDonald caught 2 touchdowns, Parker Waldren, Mason Johnson and Nathan Monteith all chipped in one score each for the Colts as they rolled over the home town Hawks.  “The Hawks coaches were obviously all over our film” said Head Coach Terry Swanney. “They schemed to shut down our inside run game and they did a very good job of that.  Fortunately for us, Coach Lyth has other weapons at his disposal and Hunter Guenard delivered a tremendous game for his team today”.

Dead-locked at 0-0 after the first quarter, the Colts attack went vertical and Hunter Guenard literally filled the air with footballs.  “He has a very strong arm” added Coach Swanney, “and the o-line did a tremendous job of pass-pro allowing Parker Waldren, Declan O’Flaherty and Nathan MacDonald to get open.  The aforementioned receivers all stepped up and delivered clutch plays springing the Colts to a 21-0 half-time lead.  Nathan Monteith ran back a short punt on the first series of the second half and at 28-0 the Colts never looked back.

“Our defence continues to impose their will on our opponents” beamed Defensive Coordinator Greg Warnock. “That was a complete game by our entire unit. We pressured their backfield from the opening play.  Every member of this defence contributed to our success”.

The Hawks were a physically impressive team but seemed to wear down under the brunt of the Colts defensive onslaught.  “We had some small adjustments inserted for them which they couldn’t seem to handle” added Coach Warnock. “It’s exciting to once again be challenging for a Provincial title”.

“We understand the challenge we face in Red Deer versus Lindsay Thurber” concludes Coach Swanney, “the exhibition game we played against them in September showed them to be a very good football team, a team we respect”.

The Colts travel to Red Deer, Saturday to play at Great Chief park @ 3pm.  It promises to be an exciting weekend for all Colts players and families as the 2011 season winds to its inevitable conclusion.

The 2011 Bantam Colts will celebrate their 40^th anniversary in style as they defeat the Bulldogs 28-20 to capture the Tier II city championship.  Led by Mason
Johnson’s 4 touchdowns and a ferocious defence which for the better part of the
day shut down one of the most prolific offences in the city, the Colts captured
their second straight city championship (2010 Div III title) and their third
title in 5 years (2008 Tier II cities).

“The boys played with a lot of emotion today” said Head Coach Terry Swanney, “their ability to overcome adversity and their focus was the key to this historic win”.

Behind some tremendous offensive line play, Mason Johnson scored 3 times in the first half to stake the Colts to a 20-0 half-time lead.  “I told the kids at half-time that the Bulldogs would score on us”, said Offensive Coordinator Ryan Lyth, “I warned them that that the Bulldogs would not give up and their offence was just too good to shut out so be ready for a wild finish”.

And a nail-biter it was.  3 consecutive Bulldog touchdowns in the third
quarter and early fourth quarter set the stage for the wild nail-biting finish
forecasted by Coach Lyth.  After the Colts defence stiffened and held the Bulldogs
again in the fourth, Mason Johnson capped off the final Colts drive with a 5
yard touchdown plunge to put the Colts ahead to stay with less than 3 minutes
to go in the game.

The Colts stout, determined defence, which has been the
hallmark of this Colts team all year, held the Bulldogs for a final time and
the Colts would celebrate their championship.  “This team really deserved this win”, concluded Coach Swanney, “their determination and work ethic were off the charts.  The bond that these boys feel towards one another is special and is one that will last a long, long time”.

The Colts now move on to the Tier II regional semi-final in Medicine
Hat next Saturday vs the Medicine Hat Hawks to contest for a berth in the Provincial Tier II championship.

The Colts Bantams lost their Tier 1 bid 38-0 to the Cowboys at Hellard Field on Saturday.  After an impressive opening drive which culminated in a Cowboy interception, the Colts offense struggled to get anything going against a determined Cowboys defence.

The Colts now drop to the Tier 2 playoffs along with the Bulldogs, Cyclones and Falcons.

The Falcons played an impressive game with the undefeated Mavericks and actually tied 48-48 before the game was protested by the Mavericks for the Falcons use of a two-way player.  The protest was upheld and the game will be officially recorded as a forfeit.

The Colts will now begin their Tier 2 quest against the Cyclones next Saturday at 9am at Hellard Field, Shouldice Park.

There really is nothing quite like a crisp, cold October morning at Shouldice Park.  The leaves turning on the hill, the field full of frosty dew, the warmth of that Tim’s cup in hand and of course, the anticipation of a football game.  That’s just how it was Saturday morning as the Okotoks Eagles faced off with the South Calgary Colts.  The Colts came out on top 14-8 in a defensive
battle which foreshadows a tight, edgy playoff-type game.  “These two teams match up real well right now” said Head Coach Terry Swanney.  “It
was a fun game to coach and I think the players share that sentiment”.

The Eagles opened up the scoring with a first possession touchdown staking them to an early 8-0 lead.  The Colts offense rallied and would even the score 8-8 on a Mason Johnson major and an Ernesto Flaviano two point convert.  That score would hold up until late in the second quarter when Colts quarterback Hunter Guenard threw a touchdown pass to Declan O’Flaherty, putting the Colts in front to stay 14-8 at the half.

“This was a great way for us to finish the regular season added Defensive Coordinator extraordinaire Greg Warnock. “We played a pretty physical game this week which was nice to see going into the playoffs. Once again, Nathan Monteith led the charge for us
causing several turnovers by his sheer will to make plays. We are going to need a complete team effort this week drawing the Cowboys in the first round. This is a very well coached and skilled team in all three phases”.

“It seems almost surreal the way this season blew by” lamented Coach Swanney.  “Its playoff time and now the real football begins”.

The Colts (6-2) open the 2011 playoffs next Saturday at 9am at Hellard Field versus the Cowboys (7-1).

Welcome back to the win
column.  After losing two in a row, the
Colts Bantams roared back with a 30-14 win over the Cochrane Lions at Encana
Field.  Mason Johnson capped off a fifty
yard drive with a touchdown run from the five and Nathan Monteith, continuing
his dominating play, picked off the Lions quarterback twice, romping 35 yards
for a score to put the Colts up 14-0 in the second quarter.

“Nathan is a presence on the
field” said Head Coach Terry Swanney, “he has to be accounted for or you are
taking your chances”.

The Lions would roar back and
tie the score 14-14 which would hold up into the fourth quarter.  “It was a nail-biter for sure” added Coach
Swanney “we were able to take over physically in the fourth and control the
line of scrimmage.  I don’t often mention
individuals on the o-line because we are a unit but Elliott Faller really
distinguished himself with a fine game blocking on the left side”.

Second half touchdowns by Wyatt
Wright and Mason Johnson’s second of the day would prove the margin of victory.

“We challenged the defense to
prove that we believe in each other and our

systems after being exposed the past two weeks” said Defensive coordinator Greg
Warnock.

“The boys played sound physical
and technical defense. We missed two tackles to give the Lions

their only offensive score.  After that
play, I can only point to great,

inspired defensive play. We had 4 interceptions this afternoon….we asked

the boys to give our offensive the ball today and that’s exactly what they

did. Derek Mauceri played a great game with a key interception and he

returned two kick offs gaining us some good positive yards. Evan Savytskyy also
had a

great pick that he almost took to the house. Nathan Monteith was a beast

with some great hits.  It was a great day
to be a defensive coach.  Very proud
indeed”.

The Colts will now conclude
the 2011 regular season versus the Eagles next Saturday at 9am at Shouldice Park, Hellard Field.