by KELLY FRIESEN
Journal editor
Tristan Hering represented the HCI Mohawks at the U18 Canada Cup over the past couple of weeks in Saskatoon.
The esteemed tournament is a showcase for the best high school football players across the country. University coaches and scouts follow the tourney closely in order to fill their cupboards full of young talent.
There were two Saskatchewan squads - Team White and Team Green - in the eight-club tourney. Hering cracked Saskatchewan-White, which was essentially the province's tier-2 team.
The tourney took its toll on Hering for good reason. Starting on July 6 and ending on July 12, he suited up in three games over a seven-day period.
"It was a grind to play that much football in that little amount of time," said Hering. "It takes a lot out of you to work that hard and to play against the top players in Canada."
On top of the heavy workload, Hering had to make several significant transitions to adjust to the tourney. Unlike the 9-man high school league he plays in, the tournament was a 12-man showcase. In addition, he was playing on the defensive line instead of his usual linebacker position.
"It was tough to transition to all of that," said Hering, who will be a Grade 12 student next school year. "I played defensive line very little in high school football; I usually played linebacker. And to add to it all it was 12-man and I was playing 9-man in high school. It was a completely different technique that I was used to and a lot more responsibility in this style."
All in all, Hering and the rest of his team held their own when considering the circumstances. After losing 27-7 to Quebec and beating Nova Scotia 26-14 in their first two games, they finished the tourney in sixth place following losing 24-10 to Manitoba in their final game.
"We were expecting to get destroyed," said Hering. "The Team White is like the second team, the guys who didn't make Team Green play on Team White. So we were told by scouts that we would lose 80-0 in the first game against Quebec because they were supposed to be the best team in the country. So based on that, I thought it went pretty well and our team did a pretty good job."
Ontario beat Saskatchewan-Green 27-19 to win the tournament. Quebec took third place after beating Alberta 22-19 in the bronze medal game.
Just like the tournament itself, the process of making the team was long and grueling. Hering had to go through several tryouts to represent his province.
"It was a long process to make the team," he said. "I first went to Saskatoon for a tryout and then there was a skills camp I had to go to. From there you went to a Rider Bowl in Regina. There were a lot of camps and stuff; it definitely took a lot of work."
From here, Hering hopes to play university or junior football in 2015 after he plays his last season of high school football with the Mohawks this year.
"I plan on going on to either university or junior football," he said. "I don't know really know which one yet. It depends what the offers are. I probably would get a better chance to play in junior ball, but obviously university would be a great opportunity."
