The Bow Valley Bobcats came out like uncut diamonds in their first regular season game of the Rocky View high school football league but by the end of the night they had a little sparkle.

Matched against the Croxford Cavaliers, the game saw multiple turnovers and bobbles and in between there were some solid defensive plays by both teams. Both were struggling to find some rhythm and each reached deep into the red zone. By the end it was the Bobcats who clawed out a 7-4 win to kick off their 2017 season, Sept. 14.

The Cavalier had a scant 2-0 lead at the half and it remained that way until Bobcat quarterback Austin Javorsky ran in the ball early in the fourth quarter to score the only major of the night. The Cavs defence bought into a Javorsky fake to a runningback so he could go around the corner and into the end zone with only one defender in pursuit.

There might have been multiple turning points before, but this is the one that fired up the squad. The defence was stingier, some passing plays started to connect and there were some solid runs that didn't result in points but kept the Cavliers in their own zone for the balance of the game. That includes a hard fought 30-yard pull down field by powerhouse Connor Pointen, who was ably assisted by two blockers while he literally dragged along defenders clung to his waist to stubbornly gain yards.

Going into the dying seconds, the score was 7-2 and the Bobcats gave up a safety to gain field position. Their kick off squad contained the run, then Charles Belenager picked off a Hail Mary bomb and steamrolled his way up field to burn off the clock.

Bobcats quarterback Javorsky was happy with the win.

"The first half we didn't have much of a passing game going on, but the second half we spread it out more."

Co-head coach Cam Cote says finding that intensity is a good starting point.

"You could feel the energy grow through the game. I told them at halftime they should be proud of the advancement they made. We didn't have our best game in that exhibition, but we came together and we really felt we were half a step behind but we were very close. When we came out in the second half you could feel the energy grow and you could see plays starting to come together."

"It's a good start, but more important than the win, we're coming together. Everyone is starting to understand their assignments and we're starting to get some energy."

Defensive coordinator Dean Lang says there were mistakes on both sides, but that's high school football. The important thing was finding heart.

"From when we played Rundle we had to play better and we knew that. The boys came to play and a lot of guys were trying some new positions. I was very impressed. They had heart and that's the biggest thing we're trying to teach; heart and intensity."

"Our guys rose to the occasion and I'm very proud of them and we can build on that and go forward."

The Bobcats are on the road Sept. 19 to face the George McDougall Mustangs.

Meanwhile, the crosstown Cochrane Cobras have a bye this week and have used the time to play an exhibition game in Vernon, B.C. then head to Seattle, WA to watch some NFL and college ball. Their home opener is Sept. 23 against the Cavaliers at the SLS Legacy Sports Field. Kick off is 12 noon.