Two local high school football players had a special opportunity to play in Texas with the South Sask. Selects U16 football team.
Full back Kolby Dyck and running back Levi Pick recently participated in a tournament in San Antonio that involved some hard hitting action.
The South Sask. Selects team was formed in late November and had been practising every other week leading up to the tournament in San Antonio.
The two local boys had success with the team as they won all of their games and were the overall champions, as they outscored their opponents 124-8 in three games.
They played Mexico as a warmup game before the tournament and defeated them 36-0. The first game of the actual tournament was against the Red Raider Chiefs, and the South Sask. Selects defeated them 40-0.
After that game they advanced to the final of the four-team tournament against Mexico.
Mexico would score eight points in the first quarter, but the South Sask. Selects defeated them 48-8.
Dyck and Pick both enjoyed the culture of playing football in Texas, noting religion was very important in the state.
“We all get together, both teams, and after the games, no matter what the score is, we got together and prayed,” said Dyck.
Both players had the same favourite moment during one of the games, when Pick scored a 50- plus-yard touchdown, with Dyck contributing a block.
Throughout the tournament Dyck said that he mostly played the slot back position, but in a couple of plays in the fourth quarter of the final, he was put at fullback, which he played during the ECS Elecs season.
“I just followed his block, he popped a linebacker right in front of me, I broke off and right before I hit the end zone I trucked a kid to get in,” Pick said.
During their next offensive possession in the quarter Dyck continued to make blocks for Pick.
“He was just popping kids in front of me, popping this linebacker, and popping the safety,” Pick said. “It was the last time we were going to play together, so we wanted to go off with a bang.”
Even though both payers have been playing football since the inception of EMF, Pick still had some nerves during his first play of the first game in San Antonio.
“I actually botched the kick return. I was so nervous, I don’t know why, it was one of my first times on the field and I didn’t know what to expect,” said Pick. “I didn’t know if they were going to hit super hard.”
Even though the opposing team played at a fast, competitive pace he was able to score a touchdown a couple of plays after the kickoff return.
Both players came up through the Estevan Minor football system as the program helped both athletes get to where they are today in their football careers.
“It was just from all the football that I’ve played, just coming up throughout the years, starting out with the minor league puma team and just making it all the way up through the Elecs, sticking with football,” Dyck said.
“In minor football, a lot of people always over look our records, but we have probably one of the hardest working kids out there,” Pick said.
“And playing on the Minors, Chargers, and Steelers and now high school, I kind of progressively got better throughout those years, from the coaching I got and all the hard work that I put in.”
Dyck, who is graduating high school this year, said that he is going to still pursue football by trying out for the Regina Thunder of the Canadian Junior Football League. And playing for the South Sask. Selects team and the experience in Texas has helped him prepare for the tryouts that are in the spring.
“It should help a lot, just the experience in playing, plus some of the coaches from the Regina Thunder actually helped coach part of the 12U and 14U and 16U teams, so they already have kind of seen me,” he said.
He also said leading up to the tryouts he is going to attend some practices the Thunder are having.
One of the aspects that Dyck enjoyed about playing football in Texas was how the rules differ from the Canadian league, which includes playing four downs instead of three.
“It was interesting. I kind of like the four down system. It just gives you that extra bit to just to try to push it and get that 10 yards,” said Dyck.
Pick, who is in Grade 11 and has one more year of high school football eligibility, agrees that his experience with the Sask. Selects will help him for the season this fall.
“There are a lot of things that I picked up like a lot of new moves I could use in a game,” said Pick.
The different skills he learned were how to dip his shoulder when running and several other techniques of how to leave the holes when he is making his move to get down field.
Pick also enjoyed the intensity of the games and how every team was competitive, taking the sport as seriously as he does.
“They hit harder, they’re way faster, so that’s the type of things you got to expect down there,” Pick said. “That’s the type of football I like to play, competitive football, and not only is it more fun, but it’s better for me to develop as a player.”
