KIMBERLEY TEAMS SWEEP KOOTENAY BOWL

CRANBROOK - As 14 teams whittled down to just two champions, it was Kimberley who left celebrating as 2026 Spring Kootenay Bowl winners.

The Kootenay Football League wrapped up it's 2026 Spring season with a competitive playoff format to earn the Kootenay Bowl title. A last minute venue change saw the 14 teams from throughout the East and West Kootenays compete at Cranbrook's Parkland Middle School.

A perfect mix of sunshine and light rain throughout the day kept the near 130 players smiling and competing hard all day long with overtimes, last minute scores, highlight reel catches abound, awards, and that championship trophy!

In the end, the Kimberley Orange Broncos won the junior title over their local teammates, Kimberley Blue. While on the senior fields, it was Kimberley outlasting the Nelson 49ers to earn a third-straight title senior title.

JUNIOR

On the junior side, the nine competing teams were split into three pools for round robin play to begin the day.

The Fernie Bills (2-0) topped Pool A over Cranbrook Seahawks Green (1-1) and Nelson 49ers Red (0-2). Pool B was taken by Kimberley Orange (2-0) over Nelson Gold (1-1) and Cranbrook Blue (0-2). Kimberley Blue went 2-0 to best Pool C ahead of Trail Steelers (1-1) and Sparwood Panthers (0-2).

Teams were reseeded into playoff pools with first-place finishers in Pool 1, second-places in Pool 2 and third-places in Pool 3.

Tightly contested games in Pool 1 between the winners saw Kimberley Orange book a ticket to the final at 2-0. Kimberley Blue headed to the semifinal finishing second, while Fernie finished the playoff pool third leading to a spot in the B Final.

Pool 2 teams battled for first-place and a spot in the championship final. Cranbrook Green emerged from the group after going 2-0, while Nelson Gold secured a place in the B Final at 1-1 with Trail rounding out the group and moving to the C Final.

In Pool 3 teams competed for top spot in the group and a place in the C Final. Nelson Red used a late touchdown in the last game to go 2-0 and continue their day.

Nelson Red would continue its winning streak with a C Final victory over Trail. Nelson Gold eeked out an overtime win against Fernie in the B Final.

A 12-6 win for Kimberley Blue over Cranbrook Green in the championship semifinal set up an all-Kimberley title game.

The two Kimberley squads met earlier in the day in the playoff pools with Orange taking an 8-6 victory. Neither team relented in the final with the game coming down the final moments. Kimberley Orange got a late stop to hold on to a tight 14-12 win, and the Kootenay Bowl title.

SENIOR

A five-team draw on the senior side saw teams compete in a straight round-robin format to narrow down a final three playoff teams.

The Kimberley Broncos played their best football of the season on Sunday, securing a 5-0 record, and first place in the round-robin.

Hosts, Cranbrook (1-3) saw their day end in the round-robin after three close losses to Nelson, Kimberley and Sparwood. Trail (0-4) marked its return to the league this spring with a solid showing and progress throughout the season.

Sparwood and Nelson both finished the round-robin with 2-1 records and turned their final scheduled game against one another into the semifinal as the teams had already secured second and third seeds.

Both teams displayed exceptional skill in the semifinal. Nelson jumped out to an early lead and held on to advance to the championship game against Kimberley.

In the final, a late score by the Broncos kept them ahead 14-6. Still within a touchdown and two-point conversion, the 49ers continued to battle, but couldn't find the endzone in time as Kimberley celebrated their championship victory.

For Kimberley, it was the third-straight Kootenay Bowl title after also winning in the fall and spring of 2025.

Next up for the KFL....Fall 2026!

---

2025 Srping Kootenay Bowl Outstanding Player Awards:

JUNIOR:

Easton Pelley - Kimberley Orange

Chance Hanson - Kimberley Blue

SENIOR:

Tye Zukowski - Nelson

Nolan Veilleux - Kimberley

---

The Kootenay Football League, in partnership with NFL FLAG, was launched by the Rocky Mountain Rams Football Association (Cranbrook) in the fall of 2022 with a four-team league. NFL Flag is a fast paced 5-on-5 format played on smaller fields, with plenty of action for all players, More information on the KFL and Rams Football can be found at kootenayfootball.ca