Two Yorkton Regional High School football players were looking to make their school proud over the weekend.
Gr. 12 students Daniel Brenner and Dalton Bakke are officially long done their high school football days but both expressed interest in joining the tryouts for the Saskatchewan High Schools Athletics Association Senior Bowl football game.
Bakke said the game is the high school version of the NFL's pro bowl, in which the best players in the province go head-to-head in the battle of the high school seniors.
Teams will be Team North vs. Team South.
Both Bakke and Brenner say they have a pretty good chance at making the game.
Both had good first tryouts and both were invited to return to the Queen City to complete the second round of tryouts.
"One hundred and twenty went to the first one," recalls Bakke of the initial go. "We just signed up for it," he added. "It's intense."
"We learned a lot about how systems work," he said.
There were two components to the tryout, part of it was on the actual turf, the other involved heavy weight training, he noted.
On a personal skill level, he told the paper that he started to fit right in there amongst the competition.
"I don't fee like I'm behind," he told the paper.
Neither does his high school coach, Roby Sharpe, by the sounds of it.
"Dalton is probably one of the best players in the province."
He is competing to play outside linebacker.
Both Bakke and Brenner were preparing to leave Yorkton shortly after a brief sit-down interview in the football office at the Yorkton Regional High School.
"It's the best of the best (out there)," adds Raider teammate and close friend Brenner. "It's going to be rough." Sharpe said Brenner should do just fine too.
"His work ethic is phenomenal."
The two will be competing in four practices in a time span of just under two days but both said that they are definitely ready for whatever comes their way.
"I would love to make the final team," said Bakke, adding that there is going to be "lots of scouts" on hand watching them play.
In terms of pressure, he says there is "definitely on me" adding that nobody is making him drive to Regina in order to work his way onto the team.
Both should be notified early this week of their status for the game.
The SHSAA 2011 Senior Bowl is scheduled for May 24.
