A pair of Sherwood Park football players are representing the province at the Canada Cup in Edmonton this week.
Owen MacNeil and Carson Hartmann were both able to make the cut for Team Alberta for the event. It was an honour that both of them are grateful for.
"I was excited, before I did U16 and U17," said Hartmann. "Last year I tried out for U18 and sadly didn't make it so I feel like this time around was my chance to shine."
"The moment I found out, I went and told my family," said MacNeil. "I tried out last year and made the western showcase which was super good experience and prepared me for coming in and playing U18."
The Canada Cup is a national competition that pits the best U18 football players from each province against each other. This year's tournament features the following eight provinces:
- Alberta
- British Columbia
- Saskatchewan
- Manitoba
- Ontario
- Quebec
- New Brunswick
- Prince Edward Island
The two players are used to being rivals on the gridiron, with MacNeil playing for Bev Facey and Hartmann suiting up for Salisbury during the high school season.
The transition to being teammates wasn't all that difficult for the pair.
"There is not too much a rivalry anymore now that we are on the same team, we get along," said Hartmann. "Of course, when we get back on the field during the season, we will be rivals."
It's a different game than what both are used to in the high school setting. Hartmann says the amount of skill on the field at one time is noticeable.
"It was more competition and more skill than a regular high school game," said Hartmann.
The preparation ahead of each game is also vastly different.
"You're with your team in high school every day, but it's only an hour of prepping for teams where here it's like four hours of constantly being in meeting rooms talking about how we are going to do this and that," sad MacNeil.
"It's a lot more preparation and a lot more hands-on."
It's been a successful start for the boys, as Team Alberta came out with a 35-10 victory over P.E.I in their opening game on Monday. Unfortunately, they were unable to defeat Quebec, losing 42-10 to advance to the bronze medal game.
The opportunity to represent their hometown of Sherwood Park on the national stage is not lost on either Hartmann or MacNeil.
"Sherwood Park isn't a big name like Toronto, Edmonton, or Calgary so it feels good to be able to represent our small town and making a name for ourselves," said Hartmann.
"When you see people from your community coming out and supporting the whole province it shows how much football is a part of Sherwood Park's culture," added MacNeil.
Hartmann and MacNeil will be back on Saturday against Ontario with a bronze medal on the line.