Rams and Griffins set to clash in provincial quarter-final game

By Justin Seward - Lethbridge Herald on November 12, 2022.

The LCI Rams and Ernest Manning Griffins will battle on the gridiron for a second consecutive season in the playoffs, during the Alberta Schools’ Athletic Association’s Tier I Brian Fryer Division football provincial quarter-final action this afternoon in Calgary.

The Rams will go in as the sixth seed and the Griffins are the third seed.

“We’ve got Ernest Manning coming up, they’re the Calgary city champs this year, and we’ve been fortunate to have some tape on them and watch them,” said Rams head coach Patrick Leahy.

“They’re a really good football program. They’ve got some really dynamic skilled players; their quarterback plays excellent and they’ve got a really sound defence. So it’s going to be a real tough match up for us.”

Leahy is happy with how the Rams’ preparation has gone.

“I think our overall physicality has improved,” he said.

“I think our execution has improved, attention to detail and I think just kind of our overall Football IQ. And that’s kind of the mark of a younger team that I think is starting to kind of find its own way. We relied pretty heavily on our senior class last year and we’ve got a lot of young kids playing in spots this year that I think we’re just really starting to kind of get familiar with.”

A majority of the team is comprises of Grade 10 and 11s, who are starters already.

“This is the kind of experience that we need those kids to have moving forward,” said Leahy.

“So when we start up again next year, they know what to expect, they know what the standard is and how to meet it.”

Kick-off is today at 2:30 p.m. at Calgary’s Shouldice Park.

Harry Ainlay is awaiting the quarter- final game winner between Salisbury and Notre Dame for the other semi-final.

The winner of this game will play the winner of the Raymond and St. Francis game on Nov. 19.

All the tier finals will be played in Calgary on Nov. 25-26.