Comets advance to 5A title game with big win over rival LCI

Posted on November 21, 2024 by admin

By Garrett Simmons
Westwind Weekly News

In a rematch of southern Alberta football powerhouses, the Raymond Comets once again got the better of the Lethbridge Collegiate Institute Rams.

Just like the first meeting between the two teams, this one wasn’t close either, as Raymond punched its ticket to the 5A provincial championship with a 37-14 win.

The lopsided victory was all Comets right from the start, as Raymond got on the board early in the first quarter after the Rams took a safety after LCI’s first offensive possession stalled deep in Rams territory.

 LCI did move the ball into Raymond territory on the next offensive drive but on the third and seven from the Raymond 42, the Rams faked a quick kick and elected to pass. A Raymond interception set the Comets up at the 47.

On the ensuing drive, Seth Harding’s 13-yard run set the Comets up on the LCI two. One play later, Harding took a pitch and hit paydirt to put Raymond up 9-0.

Another Comets interception, this time by James Baldry, gave the Comets the ball at LCI’s 53. A massive run by QB Talen Ralph set Raymond up at the 30, and another scramble put the ball on the 12.

A Baldry run put the Comets in business at the LCI three and from there, Harding ran in another TD, as the route was on.

Raymond widened the lead in the second quarter to 22-0, as Ralph scored on a four-yard scramble into the endzone, set up by a 15-yard penalty on LCI, which took a Comets field goal off the board a play earlier.

A spectacular touchdown catch by Gunner Nelson, with only 37.4 seconds left in the half, made it 29-0.

Raymond added a single on a third-quarter punt to make it 30-0, before LCI got on the board late in the quarter with a TD run, as the lead was cut to 30-8, thanks to a two-point conversion.

The score stayed that way until Baldry raced into the endzone for a fourth-quarter score on a long TD run to make it 37-8.

The Rams put a touchdown on the board late in the fourth to make the final 37-14.

Now, Raymond will prepare for another rematch, this time against the Harry Ainlay Titans, in the Alberta School’s Athletic Association 5A championship next weekend in Grande Prairie.

Ainlay is the only team to beat the Comets this year on Canadian soil, as the Edmonton powerhouse beat Raymond early in the year. The Titans come into the championship on an absolute hot streak, as Ainlay crushed Earnest Manning 63-8 in the other semifinal.