Comets special teams keys big win over Medicine Hat High

Posted on October 29, 2026 by admin

By Garrett Simmons
Westwind Weekly News

For most of the first half, Friday night’s home game against Medicine Hat High looked like it was going to be a real battle.

The visitors took a 3-0 over the vaunted Raymond Comets, via a 22-yard field goal with 6:33 left in the first quarter.

A Raymond fumble later in the quarter, on a bad snap on the third-and-short play in Hat territory, could have spelled a tough night for the home side.

But thanks to the Comets defence and special teams units, the momentum swung in a few decisive minutes in the second quarter, as Raymond went on to cruise to a 44-3 victory.

It all started with an 18-yard shovel pass to Thomas Walburger, which set the Comets up on Medicine Hat’s one-yard line. Walburger punched it in from there to stake his team to a 7-3 lead with 45.5 seconds left in the first.

Both teams battled to a stalemate in the second quarter until Raymond quarterback Jace Ralph hit Caleb Arcus on a big passing play, to set up a short TD run from Khyrum Boehme. That made it 14-3 with 4:39 on the clock.

But it was Raymond’s special teams that broke the game wide open, as Hat High fumbled the ensuing kickoff, which led to a 22-yard touchdown reception from Ralph to Joe Wilde, to extend the lead to 21-3 with 3:21 remaining.

The Comets blocked a Hat High punt on the next drive, which led to a Wilde five-yard touchdown catch, with only 47 seconds left in the half.

But that was just the start of a disastrous sequence for the visitors.

Cache Beazer took an interception to the house on the next Hat High possession, to make it 35-3 with 38.1 seconds on the clock.

On the last play of the half, Raymond put an exclamation point on things with a blocked punt, which popped into the waiting arms of a Comets defenders, who ran it back to a major.

The 42-3 score at the half was essentially all of the damage done, as Raymond added a safety late in the fourth quarter to make the final 44-3.

This week, Raymond will renew its rivalry with Lethbridge Collegiate Institute, as the two teams will square off Friday at 6 p.m. in Raymond.

Last time out, the Comets earned a tight 7-6 win over the Rams.