The Central Alberta Buccaneers, dejected after a 30-26 championship loss at Calgary's McMahon Stadium, shake hands with their longtime rival Calgary Wolfpack post-game. (rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

not meant to be

Bucs lose Alberta Football League championship in heartbreaking fashion

Aug 25, 2019 | 7:00 AM

CALGARY -The football gods were not in the Central Alberta Buccaneers’ favour on Saturday at McMahon Stadium where the club was looking to clinch its first title since entering the Alberta Football League in 2002.

The Bucs took on rival Calgary Wolfpack, a team they split the season series with, losing by a final score of 30-26.

“There is a ton of work that goes on behind the scenes and in the community, especially in Lacombe,” said Bucs coach Gary LaGrange post-game when asked about the team’s heart and soul.

“They do a ton of charity work trying to get the Buccaneers name out there, and they planned on going to nationals. They were really pushing and thought it was going to be their year.”

Saturday’s first quarter was largely uneventful, neither team putting up any points.

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It stayed the same for the first 6:05 of the second quarter until Calgary conceded a safety making it 2-0 Bucs.

Under three minutes to go, and Calgary poised to take the lead, the dependable Axsivier Lawrence picked off a pass and took it 110 yards to the house. With the two-point convert, it was 10-0.

To the final minute of the half, and Calgary finally got on the scoreboard with a 15-yard score to make it 10-7.

On the ensuing drive, the Bucs missed a field goal, only for a flag to allow them to retake it, then fake it, but the pass to the endzone was ultimately for not.

The Bucs had an inauspicious start to the second half, their kickoff going 10 yards at best. However, on the next play, Calgary fumbled and the Bucs recovered.

Moments later, Ben Hnatiuk reeled it in for an 18-yard score, restoring the 10-point cushion to 17-7. Another safety shortly thereafter padded the lead to 19-7.

In a wacky fourth quarter, Calgary first scored a touchdown and converted for two points to make it 19-15. Another TD gave them their first lead of the game at 22-19.

About a minute on the clock, and Central Alberta in a do or die third down situation, Tylor Johannesson came down with a TD to put the visitors back up 26-22.

But the aforementioned football gods had other plans. With 30 seconds remaining, the Wolfpack concluded another great drive with a touchdown, plus two points (which they had two cracks at thanks to a flag) to go up 30-26.

With that, the Calgary Wolfpack held on to become the 2019 Alberta Football League champions.

“Our boys fought the whole game. There were some unfortunate penalties that cost us big late in the fourth, and if we could have those back, I think it’d be a totally different outcome,” said Bucs OL Vince Roth post-game.

“It’s tough to put into words. For a guy like myself with a wife and three kids at home, a full-time job, and to be away at football for what amounts to four days a week — you put a lot into it. It’s your entire summer. You want to be those guys celebrating, so to come this close and not quite make it, it sucks.”

With 16 seconds left in the game, the Bucs’ Hnatiuk carried the ball prior to absorbing a hard tackle. Hnatiuk laid motionless for about 20 minutes until an ambulance could arrive, and was then put onto a stretcher and into a neck brace before going to hospital.

Coach LaGrange offered an update on-field saying Hnatiuk wasn’t in much discomfort, but was lacking feeling on one side. An update from the team late Saturday evening said Hnatiuk had suffered a pinched nerve in his back, but that he was home and should be okay.

Meantime, the Calgary Wolfpack were in full celebration mode after winning the Jeff Holton Memorial Trophy. Now 13-time AFL champ Darryl Leason, who’s been in the league since 1999, spoke to how close the game was and the effort put forth by their opponents.

“The Bucs were unfortunate. It was the team that had the ball last that was going to win this game,” said Leason. “They played hard right to the end, they had some injuries down the stretch which probably affected their play-calling at the end, but our guys battled hard, we wanted it and we did the little things that we needed to do.”

Bucs starting QB Jarrett Burzuk was also forced out of the game in the second half with a knee injury.

The Wolfpack will now play in the national championship game.