The Cochrane Cobras are meeting an old nemesis in the Tier III Provincial Championship this Friday after downing the Cardston Cougars, 21-7, here on the SLS Legacy Sports Field, Nov. 18.

It's the Holy Rosary Raiders, of Lloydminster, they will be once again match up against in their bid to retain the Provincial crown.

The Cobras defense shone in their southern final game against the Cougars on home turf as time and time again they stifled the drive of the skilled Cougars square. The defense had five takeaways, including one in the end zone and one on the 20-yard line, to keep the Cougars off the scoreboard. That was important for a Cobras offense that struggled in the first half and found some of its form in the second on a gusty day.

The Cobras took a 3-0 lead on a field goal with 3:30 remaining in the first quarter and scored a major run in by Jackson McLean early in the second to take a hard-fought 10-0 lead after the Cougars ran into penalty problems. Broken coverage saw the Cougars make it 10-7 with just 25 seconds remaining in the half. That proved to be the Cougars only points in the game.

Following a scoreless third quarter, a second field goal by Katelyn Thompson put the Cobras ahead 13-7. A single just before the three-minute warning gave the Cobras an important seven-point separation. Winding down the clock the Cobras bulldozed the ball down the field and caught the Cougars offguard when quarterback Brett Conlon connectied with wide-open Dawson Laye in the end zone for a touchdown with 1:43 remaining in play. It was also Laye who intercepted a last-ditch Hail Mary by Cougars quarterback Ty Schaffer that allowed the Cobras to burn off the last few seconds of play.

There's no lack of respect for the Cougars by the Cobras coaching staff and rightful so after last year's slim 49-42 win. Besides film, they watched four of th Cougars' games to help devise a plan, explains Brcue O'Neill, the Cobras' defensive coordinator and co-head coach.

"We played a great football team," says O'Neill. "They have a lot of good athletes and are well coached. We knew they threw the ball well, so we had to come up with different coverage, and we knew they had some really good runners. We did a lot of work to prepare for those guys."

Offensive coordinator Ron McNab agrees the defense was the key to the win.

"We knew we were in trouble because they don't get scored on a lot, but our defence just stepped up," says McNab. "I'm so proud of them because it's usually about the offense because we score so much. Our defense did a fantastic job today."

The determination of the entire team makes McNab impressed with what has been accomplished so far as they prepare for the final matchup.

"You know it's hard to repeat. I don't care what they say, so to go back to the championship game for a fourth consecutive time is really special, especially for this group of kids. This probably isn't the most talented group that we've had, and they will attest to that, but they have such good leadership and they're so gutsy. They just do what we tell them and obviously you can see the outcome of it."

The Cobras have faced the Raiders several times in the Provincial Championship. In fact, the Cobras went through both the Cougars and Raiders to climb the ladder and grab the provincial title in both 2015 and 2016. Last year, both games were decided by less than 10 points, an amount the Cobras are used to scoring in the opening minutes of their regular season play in the Rocky View Sports Conference.

The Cobras have won the tier 3 provincial championship 12 times in since 1986 and have won the last three consecutive years. They also won the tier II championship in both 1996 and 1998.

The championship game is being held in the MEGlobal Athletic Park in Lacombe under the Friday night lights. Kickoff is 7 p.m.