It was a tremendous weekend for both the Ponoka Bantam Broncs and the Peewees, as both teams now advance to the finals.
"It was the most defensive game I've ever seen in 10 years of coaching bantam football," said head coach Todd Lewis of the Bantam showdown against the Drumheller Titans.
"Nine-a-side is typically a higher scoring variant of football, compared to usual 12-a-side, so the fact the final score was 2-0 is staggering. Tyler Hawkings was a stalwart - he was in the right position every play, and seemed to play with a relentless motor.
"Ty Quast also had some outstanding plays, including a long run down the sideline that nearly broke for a touchdown."
As to the Peewees, Lewis pointed to a number of highlights for the game against Red Deer.
"Colt Crosier had some outstanding runs on offence, including a 40-plus yard inside run where he blew past the Red Deer defence," said Lewis.
"On Broncs' defence, Colt read the Red Deer formation and jumped a screen pass - he ran it into the end zone for a 'pick 6' (an interception that results in a TD)."
Lewis noted Beck Fiveland was also outstanding on defence, recording numerous tackles.
"And not only a large quantity of tackles, but great quality, too. He was always low and kept his feet driving. It's very exciting to see in any player, let alone a peewee."
Reflecting on the season, Lewis emphasized how the program measures its success mainly by character development in the players.
And that circles back to the Bantam's performance this past weekend.
"Having such a close game can easily break the focus and/or spirit of an athlete," he explained. "Our bantams stayed resilient for four entire quarters and never gave up on each other. I saw numerous examples of a bronc becoming discouraged or frustrated, just to have a teammate pat them on the back and help refocus them.
"It's easy to be a great teammate when things are going perfect and easy; it's not when things are tense and hard. These hard times reveal one's character, and our bantams proved they have strong character, minds, and hearts as well as love for each other," he added.
"And just like the bantams, my favourite part of the season for our peewees was an example of resilience and refusal to quit. We took a real beating against the Red Deer Servus Bucks on Oct.19th," he said.
"The peewees then had a choice - they could feel sorry for themselves and place blame outwards or they could address our failings and takes steps to improve. They chose the latter. The results of that choice were shown on Saturday when they kicked off against the other Red Deer team (the one who beat them 42-39 on Oct. 12).
"When times get tough, it's often easiest to just quit and give up. Not these kids. They are tenacious and never say die."
Adding to a remarkable weekend for Lewis was the landing of a special honour during the Ponoka Chamber of Commerce business awards on Oct. 25.
"It was the Community Service Group of the Year Award. We were nominated not only for providing an opportunity for kids to play football in Ponoka, but also for the numerous volunteering opportunities our program organizes as well."
Lewis said the association strives to create volunteer opportunities for players for a few key reasons - it's an excellent team building experience, for starters.
"Players have real chances to hang out and develop bonds. At practice, our tempo is high, and it doesn't leave a lot of time for talk," he said.
"And not only are players hanging out, they're spending time together while dong something positive and productive that benefits their community and others. That's something our players take pride in."
Volunteering also gives the players and the program in general a chance to give back to the Ponoka community, he said.
"There are dozens of businesses that sponsor our program, tons of volunteers that donate their time and effort, and many others that support football," he said.
"If we weren't in this community and didn't have these Ponoka businesses, organizations, and individuals supporting us, our program couldn't exist. With that in mind, walking dogs at Old McDonald Kennels or cleaning trash in the spring is a very small way for us to give back to a community that we owe so much towards."
For Lewis, football provides young people with plenty beyond the chance to hone their skills on the field.
"We have had dozens of Ponoka area kids come through the program, all of whom show tremendous growth during their time with the team. Not only in terms of football skills and athleticism, but in their character and spirit. Football creates concrete opportunities for kids to practice all the traits they are taught at home and at school.
"Further, sport allows kids to see these values in a more-concrete and tangible way than they would have otherwise. For example: broncs who practice their skills at practice, at home and in their free time will grow and improve. As a result, they are stronger players who succeed more on the field, see more game time, and play with greater capability.
"Seeing broncs leave the program with improved independence, confidence, and self-worth is what our program is most proud of."
Lewis said another area the program focuses on is that of accountability.
"We hold our players and staff to an extremely high standard. Will we make mistakes and fall short? Of course. But instead of shrugging our shoulders or making excuses or blaming someone else, we take accountability and fix our mistakes, and, as a result, grow as people. Broncs have completely bought in to this concept. Instead of accountability being a chore, it is viewed by players as a chance to grow."
"For example, the expectation for our player shed is that each player has his/her gear zipped up in their bag, and neatly hung in their stall," he explained.
"When a player forgets to zip up, put their helmet in the bag, or clean up trash, we count that as one accountability for each instance. These add up and the final number is how many sprints, bear-crawls, or other position-specific conditioning we will do during the Accountability Period."
Lewis said instead of this conditioning being a chore, players go into the period with great enthusiasm.
"Their enthusiasm and spirit not only improves the quality of their exercise, but helps reaffirm that holding oneself accountable is essential to our growth. That's something we should get excited about."
