The Titans have travelled a long road to be at provincials, but rest assured Ardrossan has as well.
    The Titans are on the field under the Friday night lights in Lethbridge in the Alberta Bowl. Their road to the provincial championship was made a little easier last week when St. Timothy’s of Cochrane opted to forfeit the semifinal. Nonetheless, the Titans are more than hyped for the game.
    “It is exciting, it is a rare opportunity when you get to play for provincial gold, it is not the way we wanted to get to the game but we’ll take it just the same,” said coach Ken Fournier. “If anything, these guys are increasing their focus. The level of their focus at practice is amazing we’re able to just keep moving forward.”
    He isn’t surprised that it is Ardrossan on the other end of the field after they beat the West Central Rebels of Rocky Mountain House 21-15.
    “West Central High is a really good team - they put up a really good fight against them,” said Fournier. 
    Coach Fournier said the Titans need to get ready to defend a strong passing team with a quick quarterback.
    “We have seen some good passing teams but it looks like this team’s playbook is based on the pass,” said Fournier. “We should be able to adapt to whatever we see.”
    “When you toss the ball in the air, three things can happen and two of them are bad. So if you are where you are supposed to be, if a team want to throw against us it’s okay,” said Fournier, adding they also need to be aware that Ardrossan can also move the ball on the ground.
    “They don’t have the big running backs we’ve seen all year, but they have quick skilled running backs, they are a really skilled offence.”
    He said the key is keeping the ball out of Ardrossan’s hands.
    “It is about controlling the ball. When you play against teams like this, to shut them out is a pretty rare thing. They are going to move the ball and make big plays,” said Fournier. “We just have to control the ball on our end.”
    The Titans have not been to the provincial finals since 2007 where they lost to Sylvan Lake.
 Ardrossan is no stranger to the big game, either.
    “In the football world in Alberta, this is a pretty big game, because the Ardrossan Bisons have been lurking around that provincial game five or six times. This is a great opportunity for them, and they have worked hard to get to where they are, and so have we,” said Fournier. “Coming off a season where we thought we were going to be middle of the pack and rebuilding, and then to see the addition of a couple of players and coaches, we have been able to take off. The team has come together and is fighting.” 

    The Titans are one step closer to the provincial finals after routing Willow Creek in front of a chilly but ecstatic crowd at DVSS field Saturday.
     The Titans, coming off a convincing league championship win, were into the provincial quarterfinals against the perennially strong Claresholm team. The Titans dominated with a 38-20 win.
    “We didn’t lose the ball, and we capitalized on their mistakes,” said head coach Ken Fournier.
    More than capitalizing on mistakes, the defense forced Willow Creek into errors.
    “Our defense forced three fumbles and took the ball out of the air twice,” said Fournier.
    Braden Scriven ran in the first touchdown for the Titans, and Spencer Fournier had four. The name of the game however was defence.
“For our defense, it was one of the most physical games they have played,” said Fournier, adding Dale Poulsen had a strong game for the team.
    This now puts the Titans up against St. Timothy’s Thunder of Cochrane for the southern final and provincial semifinal. Fournier said they do not know much about the St. Timothy’s squad. They do not play in our league, however they earned their spot there with a provincial #10 ranking and a win over High River.
    “I don’t think they will be a push over, but we’re not the underdogs here,” said Fournier. “We know a little bit about them but not a whole lot.”
    “We will prepare for the type of offense they have. For scouting purposes, it is not going to be to our advantage, but if they haven’t scouted us, and don’t know what kind of offense or defense we have, it is going to be difficult for them to practice in just a short week.”
    If the Titans are successful this weekend they will face either Ardrossen, who are ranked # 2, or the West Central Rebels #6, who upset the #1 ranked Holy Rosary Rebels.
Ardrossen has a program that ranks high every year.
    “They have a really good program, they always have athletes and a really fast team. They are competitive,” said Fournier.
    Before they get to that point, the Titans will be battling The Thunder this Saturday at the DVSS field at 1 p.m.