Receiver Dawson Gladue and defensive back Benjamin Dobson, of the Cochrane Cobras, are heading to the Football Canada Cup this summer after being among 40 selected from a final camp of 130 players last weekend.

They'll be heading to Kingston ON, July 5 to 13, to play in the storied Richardson Stadium at Queens University for the national championship. 

Cobras coach Rob McNab believes both players will add punch to the Alberta team and have proven their abilities with the CHS team.

"Dawson Gladue is going to be a highly recruited kid just because he's so athletic and very football intelligent. He just does the right things all the time and he has a great set of hands."

Gladue, 17, has played football in Cochrane since atoms with the Cochrane Lions. In peewees he made the switch the running back, then slotback to become a receiver. The grade 11 student is a multi-sport athlete who also does track, soccer, ultimate frisbee and basketball at high school.

Gladue believes his effort on the field helped him make the team. He plans to apply that same work ethic in preparation for the nationals.

"I think working hard on every play and making sure I ran good routes, used my hands and played aggressively helped me get selected"

"I was super excited. I get to play over the summer so I can keep getting better."

Last year he played for the U17 Alberta team that participated in the Pacific Challenge in Hawaii.

Dobson may only be 15 and in grade 10, but that didn't hold him back from making the U18 team and foregoing the U17 team.

"He's got good speed and he loves football, so good for him," says McNab. "He stood out at camp and he's a tough kid. He's going to get nothing but better because he has two years of high school left. This is a great experience for him."

Benjamin Dobson was competing against 26 other players to crack the roster as one of Team Alberta's defensive backs.

Twenty-seven defensive backs were in the running at the final camp and Dobson is one of the youngest selected.

He initially played for the Cochrane Lions bantam team before joining the Cobras program.

Like Gladue, Dobson will continue his training in preparation for the cup.

"I'm just going to keep working out, training hard, getting bigger, stronger, faster, and making sure I know all the plays for July."

Before making the final camp, the Cochrane players attended an Edmonton camp in January that attracted 380 players.

Besides competing for gold, the Football Canada Cup is a major recruitment vehicle for USports programs as well as an evaluation stop for the junior national team.

Last year, Saskatchewan downed Alberta in the championship game, 31-26. Eight provincial teams compete for the cup.