The Westlock Thunderbirds are moving on to the second round of the Wheatland Football League Consolation Championship playoffs.
The T-Birds scored an improbable 13-8 road victory over the Vegreville Vortex Saturday to gain a berth into consolation semifinal.
“This was a really intense game,” said coach Jon Kramer. “There was quite a lot of back and forth.”
The T-Birds scored a touchdown in the first quarter to take a 7-0 lead and upped their advantage to 13-0 heading into the half-time break.
It was all the offence the club would need as the Vortex were only able to score a touchdown, with a two-point convert, in the fourth quarter.
“It was real close, but not as close as we thought. As coaches, we knew they had been improving throughout the season, and we have too, but it was a real close game for both teams.”
This wasn’t Vegreville’s first loss to Westlock. Earlier in the season, Vegreville lost the exhibition game in Westlock.
Despite that win, last Saturday’s game was only the second victory for the T-Birds in the 2016 season.
“We’re really proud of this bunch,” Kramer said. “We had a real young team this year, about two-thirds were brand new to football, and their commitment and their work ethic throughout the year has really improved.
“We lost quite a few games this year by a lot of points, but they didn’t check out. They showed up every practice and worked hard and trusted the process.
“As coaches, we kept telling them, ‘Trust the process and just keep putting in the effort, and results will come.’
“We’re really proud of how they stuck together this year and worked hard, and now the results are coming from trusting each other and trusting the process.”
Indeed, the process has paid off as the Thunderbirds will host the WFL consolation semifinal in Westlock this Saturday, Oct. 22, at 1 p.m.
Due to poor weather and the postponement of several games over the weekend, the opponent has yet to be determined, although Kramer said they’ll face either Cold Lake or St. Paul.
