Foothills Eagles look to takeoff on three fronts at Summer Games

The Foothills Eagles have flocked to three groups looking to soar above on the gridiron. 

The football competition at the 2023 Alberta Summer Games in Okotoks will see 11 local stars compete with the best of the province on three regional teams in the Calgary Metro Colts, Calgary Metro Dinos and Calgary Metro Stampeders. 

“It’s the biggest sport with a group of about 40 on our team and the logistics of handling that is quite a bit,” said Tim Henderson, Bantam Eagles coach and head coach of the Metro Dinos. “But for the players, since they’ve already been able to work together, play together and now they get to spend three days together, they’re able to watch other sports going on and they can gel as a group. 

“And just create awesome memories for the future.” 

The Metro Stampeders team features Diamond Valley lineman Hayden Hampton, an accomplished powerlifter on top of his exploits on the gridiron. 

The Metro Dinos have a strong Okotoks contingent with Eagles players Daniel Bowers, Warner Danard, Lincoln Stewart and Elliott Kaun. 

Stewart, a runningback, will also be the flag bearer for Zone 3 for the opening ceremony of the Summer Games. 

“Lincoln Stewart, since I’ve had him has always been one of our top leaders on the Foothills Eagles,” Henderson said. “And we’ve seen it as we go through our first game and our practices with the Dinos, he’s risen to the top amongst our players. 

“Daniel and Warner are young players, they have another year of Bantam football, we’ve been able to find a place for them on our team. And Elliott Kaun, he’s always been a hard worker and will play whatever position you ask him to play. He played spring football with the Colts and played really well as a linebacker and that’s where he’s filling in for us.” 

The three rosters were selected in a draft following a 180-athlete tryout with coaches from the three respective teams getting a chance to pick players with the goal of creating a level playing field. 

“We’ve ended up with some pretty good Okotoks players and I think what that goes to say is there’s a lot of really good athletes in Okotoks,” said Okotokian John Price, head coach of the Calgary Metro Colts. “The results have shown, you look what’s happened with HTA the last three years, going to three provincials in a row, we did at the Comp the previous three years. 

“Okotoks has been quite strong and I think that’s the development of the (Eagles) minor program through Atom, Peewee and Bantam.” 

The Metro Colts feature Eagles standouts Bowen Gottselig, Tyco St. Dennis, Wyatt Koopman, Colton Friesen, Nate Barclay and Preston Selk. 

“I’m new to a lot of them and heard a lot about them from chatter through coaching staffs over the last couple of years,” Price said. “What I find individually about them is they’re pretty good-spirited players. They’re highly competitive, they get along, they play with a bit of a chip on their shoulders."

Price has considerable history with the Games as both an athlete and coach. 

The Okotoks Hall of Fame inductee for his contributions as a sports builder, first tasted the Games a soccer player in 1987 with the competition held in Strathcona County.  

He later coached the 2014 Games held in Airdrie with son Payton part of the football competition and daughter Liv in track and field. 

“Some of those players in the Summer Games are playing in pro sport now,” Price said. “I got a little bit of an opportunity to meet them as kids and players on the field before they make it to the professional leagues.” 

Unique to the football competition, the first round of fixtures occur before the Games. 

Earlier in the spring, the Stampeders bested the Colts and South Knights got the better of the Dinos. 

On July 19, the Colts and Dinos will meet in the semifinal round with the Knights and Stampeders going toe-to-toe with both fixtures at Calgary’s Shouldice Park and the northern contingent playing out of Commonwealth Stadium. 

The seventh-place, fifth-place and bronze medal matches will be held at Foothills Composite field in Okotoks on July 22 at 9 a.m., 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. The gold medal game is July 23 at 9 a.m. 

“Heading into high school is tough for a lot of our Grade 9s because both high schools here in Okotoks are pretty strong,” Henderson said. “So to crack those lineups they’ve got to put a little more work in and be part of these kind of events. 

“What’s great about these kids making the Alberta Summer Games here is it opens the door to future Football Alberta tournaments and they get put on the radar.” 

For more information on the event, visit 2023asg.com.