Wow! This has been a HUGE week for Parkland Football! It actually started the week before, with both our midget teams earning the privilege of playing in the league finals. As a result we had quite a large contingent of Parkland Football fans in attendance this Sunday, to cheer on our teams in back-to-back championship games.
In the first game, the Bandits came up a bit short against the West Edmonton Raiders in the Tier II Championship. It looks like there is still some work ahead for the Bandit players - many of them just preparing to start high school football. But let's not forget how far the Bandits have come in just one year. Last year it was a moral victory when we managed to score points against our opposition. This year we went all the way to the finals and were competing for the league championship! The Old Blogger is so proud of the Bandit players and their coaches. Well done guys! (And Sierra too!) Let me say it again - we've taken a huge step forward this year.
The second game on Sunday was the Tier I championship and it turned out to be a THRILLA. The Parkland Outlaws completed their undefeated 2007 season, winning their game against the Rams in overtime, to claim the trophy for the first time ever! (More on this very exciting game in a later Blog post.)
After the events of the weekend things just continued to get better. Our "Tailgate Party" in support of the West District sports fields in Spruce Grove was a huge success. I think we had well over 100 people there - may have been closer to 200. There will be more on this in a separate Blog post, but I'll tell you right now if you haven't heard - City Council has voted unanimously to PROCEED WITH CONSTRUCTION ASAP! That's right - Spruce Grove is getting the premiere sports fields!
What a week! The Old Blogger is "grinnin' like a pig eating strawberries"!
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Vote For Ryan! Spamocracy in Action!
On the subject of "Votes" (see my previous post about West District Sports Park - VERY IMPORTANT!!!) - here's another vote that we can actually have some fun with. Over on the official "Rider Nation" web site they are conducting an online poll to see which Riders draft pick the fans are most excited about. This is a great opportunity for Parkland Football fans to participate in the "Spam-Ocratic" process. Get on over to Riderville and vote for Ryan Karhut. Right now the top ranked guy in their poll has 143 votes. Ryan has 18 votes. Let's all make sure Ryan gets some respect in Riderville! Click on the Rider Nation link above and vote today!
For Parkland Football fans who don't know Ryan - check my two previous posts here and here.
For Parkland Football fans who don't know Ryan - check my two previous posts here and here.
MONDAY, MAY14th VOTE in SPRUCE GROVE!
A TAILGATE PARTY TO SUPPORT WESTPARK/ JUBILEE PARK WILL BE HELD MONDAY MAY 14TH AT 6:00PM OUTSIDE THE CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS. (THAT'S ACROSS FROM THE RCMP BLDG)
THE VOTE ON THE PARK IS TO TAKE PLACE AT 7:00PM!
I know you are all busy but this is THE day! Cancel practice, reschedule the game, skip your meeting, empty the TLC, bring your family, friends, grandparents, bring your grown up kids and their kids. IF we allow a plebiscite to delay the construction, then there must be a vote (which we will win handily), then the contractors re-tender, (the lowest bidder was over a MILLION dollars under the next lowest bid, so the 12 million - well that number is going up) and then it will be fall, the 5.7 million in grants expires in 2007....
DON'T ALLOW APPROVAL TO BE DELAYED!!
THIS IS OUR CHANCE TO ACTUALLY BE HEARD,
IF YOU MISS THIS YOU LET DOWN EVERYONE!
As you already know a petition has been circulated to try and delay the approval of the new sports field. They may have the signatures needed to try and force a vote. Let's prove it's a waste of time by getting out MONDAY NIGHT at 6:00PM and make this vote the one that counts!
PUT SIGNS ON YOUR LAWN/ FORWARD THIS TO YOUR EMAIL CONTACTS/ POST LETTERS/ TELL FRIENDS/ BRING YOUR FAMILIES!
KIDS - MAKE THIS HAPPEN, GET SO MANY PEOPLE OUT THEY HAVE TO CLOSE THE STREET! MAKE THIS THE BIGGEST THING IN SPRUCE GROVE HISTORY!
(Submitted to the Parkland Football Blog by Doug K. Thanks Doug!)
THE VOTE ON THE PARK IS TO TAKE PLACE AT 7:00PM!
I know you are all busy but this is THE day! Cancel practice, reschedule the game, skip your meeting, empty the TLC, bring your family, friends, grandparents, bring your grown up kids and their kids. IF we allow a plebiscite to delay the construction, then there must be a vote (which we will win handily), then the contractors re-tender, (the lowest bidder was over a MILLION dollars under the next lowest bid, so the 12 million - well that number is going up) and then it will be fall, the 5.7 million in grants expires in 2007....
DON'T ALLOW APPROVAL TO BE DELAYED!!
THIS IS OUR CHANCE TO ACTUALLY BE HEARD,
IF YOU MISS THIS YOU LET DOWN EVERYONE!
As you already know a petition has been circulated to try and delay the approval of the new sports field. They may have the signatures needed to try and force a vote. Let's prove it's a waste of time by getting out MONDAY NIGHT at 6:00PM and make this vote the one that counts!
PUT SIGNS ON YOUR LAWN/ FORWARD THIS TO YOUR EMAIL CONTACTS/ POST LETTERS/ TELL FRIENDS/ BRING YOUR FAMILIES!
KIDS - MAKE THIS HAPPEN, GET SO MANY PEOPLE OUT THEY HAVE TO CLOSE THE STREET! MAKE THIS THE BIGGEST THING IN SPRUCE GROVE HISTORY!
(Submitted to the Parkland Football Blog by Doug K. Thanks Doug!)
Sunday, May 6, 2007
Tier I Semi Final: Outlaws vs. Ravens
Entertaining? Yes, I'd say that game was entertaining!
The Ft. McMurray Ravens are big, and strong, and - considering their size - surprisingly fast. And trick plays? They ran some stuff that the Old Blogger has never seen before - some of those plays probably don't even have names! In the end, the Parkland Outlaws came out on top, and our guys never really did look like they were in serious trouble, although the Ravens kept it close until the last few minutes. We definitely needed our "A Game" against this team.
There were a lot of amazing plays, and one of my favorites didn't even count for anything, but it was a jaw dropper. It was a play where Garrett was being chased down by a swarm of McMurray players. It looked like a jail break as four of the big defenders broke through, just as Garrett was dropping back and looking for a receiver. He escaped the rush by outrunning the first of the Ravens, then he made a sick juke move, and another one missed. Another Raven defender appeared to have him wrapped up for a big loss but he spun away and escaped toward the sidelines. And then he spotted Colton 25 yards down the field, and fired the ball to one of his favorite receivers. The ref seemed to blow the whistle just as the ball was arriving, probably because it was angling out of bounds, and I mean it was waaaaaaay out of bounds. No way anyone was going to catch that pass. Except, from where I sat, it really looked like Colton kept his feet in-bounds and he definitely did catch the ball. I don't know how he did it, but I swear he did! Of course it was waved off - incomplete. And that's when it got a bit weird. Nobody bitched at the refs about the call! Colton just sat there on the sideline for a few seconds, with his feet still in the field of play and the ball in his hands. I heard a couple of parents in the stands who said that it should have been ruled a catch - they too thought the ref had blown the call. But I didn't hear anybody screaming abuse at the officials and it was absolutely beautiful. Colton got up and flipped the ball to the ref. Garrett ran up and congratulated Colton on a great catch. And the Outlaws went back to the huddle.
And there were other plays, and these ones did count...
There was the run that Kevin made off tackle - 80 yards for our first touchdown, on the Outlaws second offensive series of the game.
There was the TD that Devo scored near the end of the first half. He took a pass from Garrett and then turned on the afterburners - even Parkland fans were a little shocked at the speed. I'm sure the Ravens were asking themselves "What just happened there?".
Of course, there was the play that is sort of becoming a favorite - at least with Parkland Football fans. Our offense ran it on the last play of the first half. Brayden was involved even though he didn't touch the ball. If you were there, you know the play I mean. ;-)
Joey had a huge game on defense and on special teams - he was all over the field making those bone rattling tackles.
Kirk also stepped up huge for the Outlaws defence.
And really, the entire Outlaws defence had a solid game. They pretty well iced the win when, late in the fourth quarter, they stripped the ball and forced a turnover on the Ravens four yard line. That led to the Outlaws third touchdown.
Outstanding effort Outlaws. Great win. And kudos to the Parkland players, coaches and fans. In the Old Blogger's opinion, you guys showed a ton of class.
Midget Tier I Semi Final Result: Parkland Outlaws 20 - Ft. McMurray Ravens 7.
The Ft. McMurray Ravens are big, and strong, and - considering their size - surprisingly fast. And trick plays? They ran some stuff that the Old Blogger has never seen before - some of those plays probably don't even have names! In the end, the Parkland Outlaws came out on top, and our guys never really did look like they were in serious trouble, although the Ravens kept it close until the last few minutes. We definitely needed our "A Game" against this team.
There were a lot of amazing plays, and one of my favorites didn't even count for anything, but it was a jaw dropper. It was a play where Garrett was being chased down by a swarm of McMurray players. It looked like a jail break as four of the big defenders broke through, just as Garrett was dropping back and looking for a receiver. He escaped the rush by outrunning the first of the Ravens, then he made a sick juke move, and another one missed. Another Raven defender appeared to have him wrapped up for a big loss but he spun away and escaped toward the sidelines. And then he spotted Colton 25 yards down the field, and fired the ball to one of his favorite receivers. The ref seemed to blow the whistle just as the ball was arriving, probably because it was angling out of bounds, and I mean it was waaaaaaay out of bounds. No way anyone was going to catch that pass. Except, from where I sat, it really looked like Colton kept his feet in-bounds and he definitely did catch the ball. I don't know how he did it, but I swear he did! Of course it was waved off - incomplete. And that's when it got a bit weird. Nobody bitched at the refs about the call! Colton just sat there on the sideline for a few seconds, with his feet still in the field of play and the ball in his hands. I heard a couple of parents in the stands who said that it should have been ruled a catch - they too thought the ref had blown the call. But I didn't hear anybody screaming abuse at the officials and it was absolutely beautiful. Colton got up and flipped the ball to the ref. Garrett ran up and congratulated Colton on a great catch. And the Outlaws went back to the huddle.
And there were other plays, and these ones did count...
There was the run that Kevin made off tackle - 80 yards for our first touchdown, on the Outlaws second offensive series of the game.
There was the TD that Devo scored near the end of the first half. He took a pass from Garrett and then turned on the afterburners - even Parkland fans were a little shocked at the speed. I'm sure the Ravens were asking themselves "What just happened there?".
Of course, there was the play that is sort of becoming a favorite - at least with Parkland Football fans. Our offense ran it on the last play of the first half. Brayden was involved even though he didn't touch the ball. If you were there, you know the play I mean. ;-)
Joey had a huge game on defense and on special teams - he was all over the field making those bone rattling tackles.
Kirk also stepped up huge for the Outlaws defence.
And really, the entire Outlaws defence had a solid game. They pretty well iced the win when, late in the fourth quarter, they stripped the ball and forced a turnover on the Ravens four yard line. That led to the Outlaws third touchdown.
Outstanding effort Outlaws. Great win. And kudos to the Parkland players, coaches and fans. In the Old Blogger's opinion, you guys showed a ton of class.
Midget Tier I Semi Final Result: Parkland Outlaws 20 - Ft. McMurray Ravens 7.
Saturday, May 5, 2007
Playoff Game Schedule: May 5th and 6th
There may be some confusion about game schedules for this weekend, due to a change that happened on Monday.
First of all - the monthly schedule for May that your son or daughter brought home last week was printed just before the CDMFA made their last minute change to the playoff schedule. That's nobody's fault really. The CDMFA had to change the schedule, but nobody knew that until the very last day of the regular season when the Fort McMurray Ravens finished in fourth place. It just didn't make sense for the Ravens to play an 8:00pm game on Sunday, then drive all night to get back to McMurray on Monday morning. All players who attended one of the practices this week would have been told of this change.
And here's one final reminder - just to try and clarify things...
The official playoff schedule has been posted on the CDMFA web site (click here to see it).
Since the Outlaws are playing today, Saturday May 5th at 6:00 pm, all Outlaws players and coaches should meet at the SGCHS Predators Shack at 2:00pm SATURDAY! (We're meeting a bit early on Saturday so that the coaches and players can run through some plays at the practice field.)
Bandits are playing Sunday, May 6th, at 8:00pm. Bandits players and coaches will want to be at the shack NO LATER THAN 6:00 pm SUNDAY!
All games are at Clarke Park. (That's Clarke Park in Edmonton, not the one in Montgomery Alabama.)
Let's all get out there and cheer on our teams. It's gonna be great!
First of all - the monthly schedule for May that your son or daughter brought home last week was printed just before the CDMFA made their last minute change to the playoff schedule. That's nobody's fault really. The CDMFA had to change the schedule, but nobody knew that until the very last day of the regular season when the Fort McMurray Ravens finished in fourth place. It just didn't make sense for the Ravens to play an 8:00pm game on Sunday, then drive all night to get back to McMurray on Monday morning. All players who attended one of the practices this week would have been told of this change.
And here's one final reminder - just to try and clarify things...
The official playoff schedule has been posted on the CDMFA web site (click here to see it).
Since the Outlaws are playing today, Saturday May 5th at 6:00 pm, all Outlaws players and coaches should meet at the SGCHS Predators Shack at 2:00pm SATURDAY! (We're meeting a bit early on Saturday so that the coaches and players can run through some plays at the practice field.)
Bandits are playing Sunday, May 6th, at 8:00pm. Bandits players and coaches will want to be at the shack NO LATER THAN 6:00 pm SUNDAY!
All games are at Clarke Park. (That's Clarke Park in Edmonton, not the one in Montgomery Alabama.)
Let's all get out there and cheer on our teams. It's gonna be great!
Friday, May 4, 2007
Parkland Football Maps
Received a comment to one of my earlier posts. One of our Blog Readers had a problem with the Parkland Football Maps. Apparently, if you click on the Maps link and search for Clarke Park, Google will jump to Clarke Park in Montgomery Alabama! Do not drive to Montgomery Alabama if you want to watch Parkland Football!
To avoid the problem, use the predefined links in the Parkland Football Maps, rather than a search. Links are located along the left hand side of the "maps" window.
Of course, this problem will be 50% solved when Spruce Grove builds the new fields and all our Home Games will be at HOME!
To avoid the problem, use the predefined links in the Parkland Football Maps, rather than a search. Links are located along the left hand side of the "maps" window.
Of course, this problem will be 50% solved when Spruce Grove builds the new fields and all our Home Games will be at HOME!
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
From the "Where Are They Now?" File... Ryan Karhut
The CFL held their 2007 college draft today. I just got the news that Ryan Karhut was drafted. (Check my previous post for a quick review of Ryan's connections to Parkland Football.)
And guess what! Ryan is going to the old Blawg Dawg's favourite team in the whole wide world, that's what! (Favourite PROFESSIONAL team, that is.)
http://www.riderville.com/modules.php?name=News&file=news_dispatches&f_subcat=press_releases&archive=1&sid1=8380
This is a very good day for Parkland Football and for the Old Blawger. Way to go Ryan!
And guess what! Ryan is going to the old Blawg Dawg's favourite team in the whole wide world, that's what! (Favourite PROFESSIONAL team, that is.)
http://www.riderville.com/modules.php?name=News&file=news_dispatches&f_subcat=press_releases&archive=1&sid1=8380
This is a very good day for Parkland Football and for the Old Blawger. Way to go Ryan!
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Rally at Spruce Grove City Hall May 14th
Don't forget! This is VERY IMPORTANT for our city and in particular for all Parkland Football fans and football players. (Present and future!)
Folks were at the Spruce Grove IGA on Saturday collecting signatures on a petition to STOP the construction on our new sports fields. City Council will be voting on May 14th, whether or not to proceed with construction.
If you are reading this, then I'm guessing you would care about this issue and you NEED TO BE THERE on the 14th, to Rally In Support Of The Sports Fields. Bring your whole family if possible and get your friends and neighbors to come. There are not enough people reading the Parkland Football Blog to make an impact at the rally - we need to be there in force!
Once again, we are at a critical point here. This city has an opportunity that may not come again for a long time. Our city councillors need to see that there is support for the new fields.
Folks were at the Spruce Grove IGA on Saturday collecting signatures on a petition to STOP the construction on our new sports fields. City Council will be voting on May 14th, whether or not to proceed with construction.
If you are reading this, then I'm guessing you would care about this issue and you NEED TO BE THERE on the 14th, to Rally In Support Of The Sports Fields. Bring your whole family if possible and get your friends and neighbors to come. There are not enough people reading the Parkland Football Blog to make an impact at the rally - we need to be there in force!
Once again, we are at a critical point here. This city has an opportunity that may not come again for a long time. Our city councillors need to see that there is support for the new fields.
Schedule For May
The Parkland Football Calendar has been updated with events for May. Note that the schedules which were handed out to players last week have already changed. (I've heard that CDMFA has switched some of the Tier I playoff games to Saturday.)
Players will be notified of the changes at practice this week. You can also check the Parkland Football Calendar at any time to see current scheduling information.
Players will be notified of the changes at practice this week. You can also check the Parkland Football Calendar at any time to see current scheduling information.
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