With a Rocky View football title under their belt, the Cochrane Cobras are now preparing to defend their provincial tier 3 championship and are taking aim at setting another high school football record.

On Oct. 27, the Cobras held the Springbank Phoenix to two points in the first half to chalk up a 35-2 win to once again claim the Rocky View Sports divisional football title.

The Cobras defence came up big to keep the Phoenix out of scoring position throughout most of the game. The offence continues to score most of their points in the second half. The Cobras did have the opportunity to pile on more points in the dying seconds after another solid run by Chase Hunt. The snap was just a few yards off the goal line, but with nothing to prove, Rob McNab, co-head coach and offensive coordinator, called for the team to run out the clock and take a knee.

The victory was special for Cobras quarterback Xavier Vaillancourt in his first year as number one.  Last year he played in a backup capacity, although he had plenty of field time to display his aerial aptitude.

That field experience and the opportunity to become familiar with the fundamentals of the playbook came in handy this season, says Vaillancourt. He remains impressed with the depth of the Cobras' bench.

"I think the team has done really well. Everyone has been stepping up with the injuries we've had," says Vaillancourt.

"Definitely losing Dawson Laye and Gladue for awhile hurt, but we found a way to win."

McNab says the Cobras continue to have a slow start in their games. He also remains concerned about costly penalties.

"We've got to rid of that slow start, but in the end, we battled back."

Still, having Vaillancourt in the lineup to lead while many key offensive starters are on the mend makes a huge difference. He combines arm and leg strength with his football IQ.

"With Xavier, you have 100 per cent confidence at any time he's going to make the big play."

Spotlight on Chase Hunt

He may only be in his first season with the Cochrane Cobras, but rookie Chase Hunt continues to be a standout on the Cobras offence and has become one of their “go-to” guys after tailback Ethan Noble went down for the season with a serious leg injury.

The grade 10 student was previously a star for the Cochrane Lions. In his last season in bantams, he was named MVP in Division 3 championship game of the Calgary Bantam Football, where he ran in three touchdowns in a 48-30 victory.

Quarterback most of the season with the Lions, Hunt made a seamless switch to running back after breaking a finger late in the season. He earned the nickname "Centaur" during the championship game.

McNab believes the future is bright for the young player, who has also seen some field time as backup quarterback.

"He's going to be something special down the road," says McNab. "We're using him right now and you'll see him on the field a lot more in the future."

Looking for Fifth Consecutive Provincial Title

The Cobras could become the first high school football team to win five-consecutive provincial titles. It follows in the footsteps of setting a new high school record of winning 40 consecutive games before losing an exhibition game to the tier one St. Francis Browns.

If they have their way, though, the number four ranked Cardston Cougars will cut the playoff run short for the Cobras. The Cougars will be Cochrane on Nov. 10 for the provincial playoff game.

The Cobras know full well what's ahead of them.

"It's the same old, same old: the Cardston-Cochrane battle," says McNab. "They're really good. I saw them play last night and they're very talented. They're very much like us. They run around, they throw the ball a little bit. They're really well coach."

The Cougars are smaller in stature but McNab says don't let that fool you.

"I don't think that's going to be much of a problem for them; they play a lot bigger than they are."

“Cardston is going to very good, Brooks is going to be good and Holy Rosary is going to be good,” co-head coach/ defensive coordinator Bruce O’Neil told CochraneNow.com a few weeks ago. “It’s not going to be easy. Those teams will push you.”

Quarterback Vaillancourt has seen some film on the Cougars in the early stages of his preparation for the game.

"It's going to be a big game for us. They're small and fast so we're going to have to get sharp and be ready to go."

All three top contenders from southern Alberta, Cochrane, Cardston and Brooks, have byes this weekend.

In the north, Lloydminister Holy Rosary Raiders remain the top team in tier 3. It's the same team the Cobras have met in the last three provincial finals.

Both the Cobras and Cougars have won four consecutive provincial championships, although the Cougars won in tier II play. Cardston was also the last team to win the tier III provincial title before the Cobras' latest run. The Cobras also had a four straight provincial championships from 2002 to 2005.

On the 'B' Side

In the 'B' playoffs, the Bow Valley Bobcats lost to the W.H.Croxford Cavaliers. 14-0, on Oct. 27. The week previous the Bobcats won their first game of the playoffs 28-13, against the Chestermere Lakers.

The round-robin wraps up with the Cavaliers and Lakers squaring off on Saturday in Airdrie.

2018 RVS Divisional Football champions - Cochrane Cobras