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Lakers claim victory over Wildcats to reach finals

The HJ Cody Lakers football team claimed a 56-24 victory over Stettler Wildcats last Thursday, sending them to the Central Alberta rural

The HJ Cody Lakers football team claimed a 56-24 victory over Stettler Wildcats last Thursday, sending them to the Central Alberta rural league final.

Although game preparation time was shorter than usual, everything on the field was executed according to plan, said coach Jeremy Braitenback.

“We’ve been getting better as the year has gone on,” he said. “We’ve invested a lot of time and effort starting back in August, and it’s starting to come together. I think we’re playing our best football right now.”

Braitenback added his players are prepared to go all the way to provincial finals this year, just as they did last year.

But success on the field isn’t the only thing the team’s coaches see in their players.

“Were proud of a lot of things,” Braitenback said. “It’s the fact that they are good students and good people as well. There’s a persona often associated with football players as being big fat jerks, but that’s not the case.”

He added his players are easy to work with, and have been dedicated in practice every day. They’ve also been backed this season by tremendous support.

“We’ve had great support from our fans and community this year, and I want to thank everyone for that, and remind them that the season isn’t over yet,” he said.

Fans will have the chance to offer further support during the rural final against Camrose Saturday (Nov. 1). The game, which will be played in Camrose, kicks off at 1 p.m.