A pair of YRHS Raiders will be representing Saskatchewan at the 2015 Football Canada Cup in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, from July 13-19.
Offensive lineman Noah Zerr (6’7”, 285-lbs) and linebacker/defensive lineman/fullback Caleb Bymak (6’1”, 200-lbs) both impressed the Football Saskatchewan U18 coaching staff enough to earn a spot on the provincial team, which will be looking to move one spot higher in the standings after a narrow 27-19 loss to Ontario in last year’s final that saw the team finish second.
“I’m just really honoured and excited for the opportunity to represent my town, my school and my province again,” offered Zerr, who played in last year’s tournament as a member of the second place Team Saskatchewan Green. “I’m overly excited and really looking forward to it because now I kind of know what to expect.”
Zerr also believes his previous experience at this event will not only help him out, but it will also help his YRHS teammate out. “I played on this team last year as well so I’ll be looking out for Caleb a little bit and telling him what’s up and what to expect because I’m excited for him to be there as well.”
Bymak, too, says he is honoured to be one of the few players throughout the province to be selected to the team and believes that a good showing at the Football Canada Cup will be beneficial to him in the long run. “It’s definitely a great opportunity for me as far as football goes, especially for people like myself with an interest in playing football after high school,” mentioned Bymak, continuing, “the Football Canada Cup is the premier amateur football tournament in Canada. Getting the honour to represent Saskatchewan is a pretty big deal, especially at that kind of an event and as far as people wanting to play university or post-secondary football, it’s definitely the main opportunity to get a chance to showcase yourself in front of scouts and people like that so that’s pretty exciting.”
Playing in front of the scouts is something that Zerr – who is one of the top recruits of the 2016 graduating class - is also looking forward to. “I’m very excited to play in front of the scouts and I’m glad that they’ll be watching but it’s also a lot of pressure going in and knowing that they’re there and that if you have a bad performance in front of them it might follow you around or hurt your chances at scholarships,” said Zerr, adding that although everyone is aware the scouts are there, once the game is under way the thought of them doesn’t even cross the mind. “Once the game starts there isn’t much focus on the scouts.
“You’re more worried about the game and getting the job done.”
And that job, says Zerr, is simple: redemption. “We lost in the final last year to Ontario, so that’s something we want to change this year,” said Zerr, continuing, “Every time you want to go for that gold medal.
“We definitely have a little bit of a chip on our shoulder from last year and we’re looking forward to getting another chance at the gold medal this year.”
Team Saskatchewan opens the tournament up on Monday, July 13 against the seventh seed New Brunswick at 1:00p.m. ET (11:00a.m. Sask). From there their schedule is determined by whether they win or lose.
The games will be live streamed and can be seen by going to www.footballcanada.com on game day.
