Josh 'Nano' Moreira won the Student of Distinction award in October.
"This is the first time they ever awarded it," points out Roby Sharpe, students activity advisor at the Regional High School. It was awarded based on the student's leadership in the school.
It turned out that the award was more than a fitting recognition for the 19-year-old Moreira.
Several weeks later on Nov. 26, he was awarded again, this time by the football team.
According to the YRHS football coach, nobody has ever accomplished this ever before.
Moreira is thought to be the first YRHS football player to win an award despite not having played a single down over the course of the entire football season
"I would sayyeah," insisted Sharpe, who is also head football coach of the senior football program at the Yorkton Regional High School (YRHS).
The 19-year-old football player, who could play both the offence and special teams, was all set to start back in August which is when high school football teams start preparing for the upcoming season.
Then, the school receives a telephone call from the Saskatchewan High Schools Athletics Association (SHSAA) explaining the 19-year-old was ineligible to play football in this, his final year with the Regional.
"I was down you know? I was upset. I didn't want to do anything (at that point)," Moreira told the paper.
Some kids would have probably quit right there, not this one.
Coach Sharpe said it was because of Nano's attitude that he and the rest of the senior football team's coaching decided that he might be able to fill another role with the squad.
Fast forward to the team's annual football celebration banquet (held Nov. 26).
They awarded that player who couldn't play, Sharpe points out.
Despite Nano not being able to put on cleats all season long, that did not seem to stop the kid who shares his nickname with an iPod, from being with the team.
"He volunteered to (help) coach," Sharpe insisted. "And he became the special teams coach. He didn't want to leave."
That decision led to one of the coolest experiences he's probably ever had on a football field.
It was Friday night, Sept. 9, when the team played in their first-ever night home game.
The YRHS and the Martin Collegiate Monarchs under the lights.
Interestingly enough, it was the special teams unit that struck for the game's opening touchdown. Everything went right for the Raiders that night.
"Even though I couldn't play, I'll never forget that game. I had some tears in my eyes. It was almost a movie" says Moreira.
The team advanced to the post season. They went down in the first round. Moreira didn't take it too hard.
"The season went pretty good," he said, before adding that the future of the season looks "pretty sweet".
Practices were pretty good. We did pretty good for the amount of guys we had."
Among Moreira's other interests are mixed martial arts. He's planning to apply to university later in the school year.
Moreira was awarded for his work with the Rudy Award.
It is a trophy named after the walk-on student at the University of Notre Dame who kept working at it and wound up playing a down with the Fighting Irish as they beat Georgia Tech.
Rudy sacked the Yellow Jackets quarterback and was carried off the field by his teammates.
