Under the bright lights of Calgary’s McMahon Stadium, three Jasperites earned the title of all stars.
Jake Delorme, Morgan Poirier and Martin Kreiner of the Jasper Glaciers six-a-side football team joined the best players from across Northern Alberta to create the North All Stars team for a winner takes all match against the best players from the South.
“It was unreal,” said 17-year-old Delorme.
Things got off to a shakey start for the North squad, with the first half ending with a score of 24-16 in favour of the South.
But, in the second half, everything changed; they came back to take the prize with a score of 60–34.
“It wasn’t just a win, it was a comeback,” said Kreiner, 18. “Going into the second half we were down by more than a touchdown.
“So it didn’t seem very optimistic. But we just got things rolling in the second half.”
Delorme said the turnaround point was in the tunnel, as the team made its way back onto the field.
“We were getting rilled up—getting all stoked. It turned the game around.”
That energy translated onto the field almost immediately, with a 102-yard touchdown on the first play of the second half.
“He caught it on the eight yard line and ran it all the way back,” said Kreiner of one of his teammates.
Although modest, Jasper’s athletes admitted that they each played an important role in the game.
Each could even pick out a specific play or accomplishment they were proud of.
For Delorme, it was a massive block.
“It was awesome,” said Poirier with a laugh.
For 16-year-old Poirier, it was his 100 per cent snap record and for Kreiner it was his first big catch of the game.
As a collective, they were all proud of how they played with their new teammates—guys who they’ve had little time to practice with, but quickly learned to trust.
“A lot of those players—playing against them is no fun at all, but playing with them is so awesome,” said Kreiner, noting that they’re all incredibly talented.
“To quote one of our coaches, on a normal football team you have a few players that you have to work around, not necessarily with, but on an all star team you trust everybody,” said Kreiner.
“I think overall one of the best parts of the weekend was having all of these coaches and talented players together, we learned a lot.”
“We also made a lot of friends,” said Delorme. “I’m still talking to all the guys on our team.”
To play in the all star game, Jasper’s players were hand selected by their coach for a tryout in Edmonton and they all successfully secured a spot on the team.
Delorme was selected to play tightend, the same position as Kreiner, while Poirier was centre.
Jasper has had a six-a-side football team since 2012, and last year finished at the top of the western division, winning five out of six of its regular season games.
In the playoffs, the Jasper Glaciers served the Buck Mountain Mustangs a 52–14 defeat in the quarterfinals, but struggled to best the Rimbey Spartans in the semi-finals, losing with a score of 55-24.
In the all star game, Jasper’s players competed with the best players from 16 teams across the province. Making up the North squad were players from the west and central divisions, while the South squad was a compilation of players from the east and south divisions.
Football season begins again in September.
Nicole Veerman
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