The Lacombe Bantam Raiders finished their season with a bronze medal win on Saturday, November 2nd on the road in Drumheller.

The Drumheller Titans gave the Raiders ample challenge and the game was tied 6-6 in the first half. From there it was a bit of an uphill battle for the Raiders who came out on top 22-14.

“We did well. We stuck to the fundamentals. We were patient we persevered. We knew that by the end of the game we would still have some gas left by the end of the game because of the cardiovascular aspects of our practices,” said Head Coach, Fred Knip.

In the fourth quarter, the Raiders quickly discovered that they could put all their running drills at practice to use by limiting the number of team huddles that they had and ultimately tiring out the Titans.

“For the fourth quarter, we probably had no huddle and it just tuckered the other team out. They called a timeout a couple of times just to get a breather and to set their defense. They didn’t know how to stop our no-huddle. So that was very exciting,” said Knip.

The team had many trials and triumphs defeating Hunting Hills Lightning to kick off the season but then went through a bit of a mid-season slump. The Coach had been using running as a punishment for some of the discipline problems on the team, but the long practices of running drills paid off for the team.

“I’ve used discipline for an excuse but the method of the madness was simply run, run, and run. By the time the game came around they were still able to go up and down the field quicker than the opposition and that’s what happened,” said Knip.

The coach hopes that the team leaves the season understanding the importance of the team atmosphere and working together.

“We’re one team. It’s not the offense against the defense. It’s not the quarterback against the running back. We’re all one team and we’re family. Together as a family, we work together, we break together, we win together.”

As the season ends, about 16 players will remain on the team 11 players will move on to join the Lacombe Composite High School Rams, football team. Knip is excited to see what the Lacombe Pee Wee Explosions will bring to the field next season and is happy to move forward with players staying behind.