The Westlock Thunderbirds ended their Wheatland Football League season with a 34-8 loss to the Bonnyville Voyageurs last Saturday afternoon, but the match ended on a real high note.
The Voyageurs came out strong in the first quarter, quickly racking up three touchdowns and getting a fourth in the second.
After some play adjustments, however, the Thunderbirds outscored their opponents 8-7 in the second half.
“That’s the best way to end a season with a loss — if you still feel it was a good day of football,” coach Jon Kramer said Sunday.
Furthermore, the 34-8 loss was an improvement from their last match against the Voyageurs — a Sept. 27 exhibition game that ended 31-0 in favour of Bonnyville.
This wraps up the season for the T-Birds, a season that has been one of the best in the club’s recent history. Kramer said he’s happy with the attitude and effort he’s seen all season.
“I think by all accounts, it was the best season we’ve had both statistically and record-wise,” Kramer said. “Even the hustle the guys put up. Every practice, even in the end when it was starting to get cold, they were working hard.”
The team will lose about 10 Grade 12 students, but there are many hard-working and talented players to take their place and step into some leadership roles next season, which is something Kramer said he’s looking forward to.
One of the things that made this season better than previous seasons was the division of the league into two tiers, which was essentially done based on whether the club had a feeder program. Westlock played in Tier 2 this year, making for many more competitive matches overall.
“It was good for everybody involved,” he said. “All the games we had were games we went in knowing they were games we had a good shot at winning as long as we worked hard and executed our plays, whereas that hasn’t always been the case in the past.”
Looking into the future of the club, Kramer said he’s pleased to note a bantam club in Barrhead is set to get underway, which hopefully will act as kind of a feeder program for the Thunderbirds.
“That’s really our hope is that we’d have some of our Westlock kids going there as well as some of their kids coming here so when we get them in T-Bird football, they’ve already had three years of experience,” he said. “That’s why teams like Bonnyville are really so polished. That makes a big difference.”
Kramer said he expects to continue on as a coach next season, and expects many of the other coaching staff to continue as well, but noted there will be a hole in the roster as offensive-line coordinator Keenan Mahoney will not return. He said he would also like to see a few more coaches in other areas, as it really enhances what can be done at practice.
If anyone is interested in getting involved with the club, either as a player or as a coach, they can contact Kramer at 780-349-3857.
