A second half of the season surge of experience has the Foothills Falcons firing on all cylinders.
Foothills, the No. 10 ranked team among Tier I schools, continued its strong run of form with a convincing 21-7 triumph over the Catholic Central Cougars in high school football action in Lethbridge on Oct. 15.
“It was nice that we came out offensively right away and went for a drive and scored, we really moved the ball well and that was great to see,” said Falcons head coach Nathan St. Dennis.
“We had talked about from the last game to this game a big deal was penalties holding us back from doing what we’re doing and we had a much better game from that aspect.
“We didn’t make those mistakes that would end up costing big plays.”
The Falcons got touchdowns from Emerson Liepert on a quarterback sneak, Derek Boisvert on a 15-yard run and on a Caleb Baker reception.
“And defensively we had to adjust a bit here and there, but overall had a pretty good game,” the coach added. “They had a couple good athletes and the boys started getting more comfortable and started flowing to the ball and getting in there.”
Boisvert, a physical tailback, has formed an effective duo of Grade 11 runners alongside Jamison Kloster.
“Football is new to Derek in high school and he definitely has the work ethic, the attitude and everything, it’s just a matter of getting more snaps,” St. Dennis said. “We’re starting to see that as we transition to the second half of the season, he’s much more comfortable. He’s a strong kid, fast kid and now he’s staring to see the field a little bit better.
“(Kloster) was injured for that first half of the season and he’s another great Grade 11 runningback, he’s getting a bit of work at the h-back, full back role.”
After a tough stretch in the opening month, the Falcons have rallied for three consecutive victories.
For the head coach, it’s a matter of the team getting more comfortable every week.
“We talk so much about how we practice and how that transitions into games on the weekend and I think that’s starting to show for the boys,” St. Dennis said. “You’re getting that confidence and more comfortable with it. You have a large group of kids that are good athletes, but they’re not kids that grew up playing football since they were eight, nine years old.
“We knew it would be getting through a bunch of football, getting them comfortable seeing a bunch of things. It’s been awesome to see and I’m expecting it to continue on from there.”
The Falcons hit the road once again this weekend for a return trip to Lethbridge against the No. 7 ranked L.C.I. Rams on Oct. 21.
Foothills, now 5-2 on the season, is home to Raymond to close its regular season on Oct. 28.
“They’re always a great football team, it’s pretty consistent every year that L.C.I. is going to be a good team,” St. Dennis said. “It’s exciting for us to go down there and play them and it will be a good experience for the guys.
“We really want to roll in with the confidence that we had before and have a great game against a really good football team.”
