High school Comets set to take on two top Edmonton teams

Posted on August 21, 2025 by admin

By Garrett Simmons
Westwind Weekly News 

The Raymond Comets high school football team will get to enjoy some home cooking for the first two weeks of the 2025 season.

Weeks one and two will see Raymond battle two big-city schools, as the team begins its bid to return to the Football Alberta 5A championship game once again.

Last season, the Comets made it all the way to final week of the season, before the Harry Ainlay Titans upset Raymond 37-14 to win the provincial championship.

With that loss likely still in their minds, the Comets are looking for a little revenge, as Raymond will host Ainlay on Friday at 5 p.m. in the season opener.

“They are a top team in Alberta, so it will be a tremendous challenge,” said Comets head coach Connor Ralph. “We lost to them in the final last year.”

Before that loss in the season’s penultimate contest, Raymond was on a roll, as the Comets beat up on Calgary’s Notre Dame Pride by an impressive score of 52-14 in the 5A quarterfinals. In the semis, Raymond scored a 37-14 win over the Lethbridge Collegiate Institute Rams.

This season, the journey back to the top kicked off on Saturday with the first day of practice.

According to the head coach, the 2025 version of the Comets will have a different look.

“We have bigger team than normal but lost a number of key pieces and will have to have players step up,” said Ralph.

It won’t take long to find out which players will become key pieces, as after the Ainlay contest this week, Raymond will take on another huge school, Ross Sheppard.

“It will be a tough start,” said Ralph, as the Comets decided to open the year with games against two powerhouses, as Ross Sheppard ended last season ranked No. 9 in the 5A category.

As usual, Raymond’s big test down south will come in the form of LCI, a team that made a strong playoff run last year after ending the season in the No. 6 spot in the 5A rankings.

“The Rams will be a tough opponent as always but we don’t play them until almost November, so we both have some time to find ourselves.”