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By Ryan Lambert

John Paul II Football Playoffs

John Paul II Crusaders football team falls 41-32 in provincial quarter finals

Oct 28, 2025 | 2:40 PM

The John Paul II Crusaders football season has come to an end after falling 41-32 to the Melville Cobras in Melville. The Crusaders did hold a lead for a significant portion of the game, but the Cobras were able to get a come from behind victory to move onto the semifinals against Lumsden.

The Crusaders got an early touchdown from Antonio Dudas, who scored on a rush up the middle five plays into the game. They got a two-point conversion, but Melville answered back with a touchdown of their own.

Ryder Kozlowski got a couple of scores in the first half, but the Cobras answered on one of the ensuing drives. The Crusaders converted two-point conversions on all three touchdowns while the Cobras failed to convert their attempts. The team got a rouge on a kickoff in the first half and went into halftime up 25-12.

They were only able to get one touchdown throughout the second half from Kage Koch. The Crusaders had many of their starters playing offence and defence, and they started to get quite fatigued through the game which ended up quite costly.

The Cobras rallied through the second half, scoring three straight touchdowns in the fourth quarter and finished with a 41-32 win.

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Throughout the game, the Crusaders maintained a 1-2 possession lead until the third quarter. Near the end of the third, the Cobras started to find their groove and took over in the fourth quarter, eventually taking the 41-32 victory.

Despite the loss, this was the best season the Crusaders had in years. They had the opportunity to host a playoff game for the first time in seven years, and their players gained valuable experience on the football field.

Crusaders head coach Nick Strain credited many of their Grade 12s to their success, as well as several community coaches from Battlefords Minor Football who helped throughout the year.

Strain said losing some of their Grade 12s next year will hurt, but he is happy with how they helped get the younger players prepared for the future.

The team has nine Grade 12s graduating with the rest of the team presumably returning as they look forward to next season.

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Ryan.Lambert@pattisonmedia.com