(rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

champs

Lightning rumble to city football title over Lacombe Rams

Nov 2, 2019 | 9:15 PM

The Hunting Hills Lightning won their eighth city high school football title in ten years Saturday night.

The Lightning and Lacombe Composite Rams battled at Setters Place in Red Deer under rainy and mild conditions to an unflattering 31-0 final. The score was not entirely indicative of the effort Lacombe put forth, however.

The first half was tight and moving along at a breakneck pace when Hunting Hills’ Joe Hunt plunged into the endzone for the first score of the game midway through the second quarter.

(rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

With 37 seconds left in the half, the Lightning struck again on a 15-yard run, once again by Hunt. It was 14-0 headed to the break.

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In the second half, it continued to be a battle for every inch, and points were once again hard to come by. When they did come, it was Hunting Hills adding to their lead with a field goal midway through the third quarter.

Hunting Hills poured it on more in the fourth as Lacombe gambled attempting to get back in the game; Joe Hunt again took it to the house with 6:28 on the clock, and at 24-0, the deal was pretty well sealed.

Then guess who… Hunt scored one last time in the dying minutes and the game ended 31-0.

A late bright spot for Lacombe was a 62-yard run from Cody Melnychuk, but their foray into the redzone with under a minute remaining was snuffed out by the Lightning defense.

“It was a tough battle, and credit to Lacombe. Their record in the regular season is not the team that they are. They played real well,” said Lighning coach Kyle Sedgwick. “It was a game of momentum swings in the first half. I’m very proud of the guys, this never gets old because it’s not easy; every year it gets harder and harder.”

Sedgwick also noted the adversity his team faced this season, losing two grade 12 linemen in Kyle Rees (centre/defensive tackle) and Joe Hedlund (left tackle/defensive end) to identical injuries. Rees after three games, and Hedlund playing rugby this summer each tore their ACL and miniscus.

Kyle Rees and Joe Hedlund both suffered serious knee injuries this season. (rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

“The injury was not expected at all, but for sure (it feels good to win),” said Rees post-game, talking about being a part of the team on or off the field. Following a 9-12 month recovery, Rees does hope to play again, and did have interest from the University of Manitoba. Hedlund shared his teammate’s feelings.

Rams coach Brian Ross acknowledged Hunting Hills’ exceptional pass defense and preparation, but also praised his own players.

“The kids who were the real deal players for us all year were real deal players for us tonight,” he said. “It showed. The real athletes show up when the going gets tough.”

Ross noted eight players on the team will graduate this year.

Next up for Hunting Hills is their first game on the road to the provincial championship. The regional semi-final goes Nov. 9 against Bert Church High School out of Airdrie. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. at Setters Place.