High School football is back in full force.
The Yorkton Regional Raiders 12-man football program got things under way on Friday with an exhibition game versus the Vincent Massey Trojans (out of Winnipeg).
Due to the size of their school, Vincent Massey came into the exhibition game with more players and experience.
Raiders Head Coach Roby Sharpe explains, "It would be like us playing a Division up in Regina, playing these guys."
With experience and a larger prospective student body to draw from, the Trojans piled up on the YRHS Raiders 32-0.
Despite the result, there were a lot of bright spots for the Raiders. Especially playing against a team of Vincent Massey's calibre.
"There were a lot of bright spots, there's no doubt about it. We made a lot of mistakes but that's what this games for, obviously," Sharpe was quick to point out.
That being said, the YRHS squad is still hopeful that some more athletes come out to play.
"We hung in there and we played tough. We're still down some bodies. School hasn't started yet, we still need a few more guys out," Sharpe indicates.
The game was a somewhat frustrating debut for new offensive coordinator Jason Boyda. However, with only four practices under their belts, the Raiders offensive attack is bound to improve under the experience and tutelage of the well-respected coach.
"We've only had four practices," Sharpe emphasizes, noting that his team of talented youngsters is full of potential.
The play of new Raiders QB Jake Prybylski was a particular bright spot, as the QB took home the "Helmet" award after the game for the toughness he showed in the face of a relentless Trojan attack.
Another point of emphasis was how well the defence played in the face of adversity.
"I honestly think our defence played reasonably well to be honest," Sharpe concludes.
With good young players, Sharpe's hope for his team is to improve every week in anticipation of the playoffs -- where anything can happen.
The Junior Raiders were also in action this past weekend in their first league game.
The Raiders dropped a 24-12 decision to the Regina Renegades at Century Field, a season opener that was made difficult due to the lack of any exhibition games to work out the kinks.
As Coach Scott Wallis indicates, the team had some successes despite a lack of preparation time.
"We came into the game with only 19 people and we knew nothing about the opponents so we were actually quite happy with how we went," he details, "Even though we lost the game, we did win the second half, 12-3, so that was a little bit of a moral victory."
Although the turnout was a little low for the first game, Wallis expects the numbers to grow once school gets into full swing and word spreads.
"I'm guessing that our numbers will be up quite a bit here in the next week."
Last but certainly not least, the Sacred Heart Saints nine-man senior team were also in action.
The Saints senior squad traveled to Esterhazy for an exhibition tune-up last Saturday.
The Saints won decisively 46-2 against the Esterhazy Warriors.
However, Head Coach Trent Senger says that the score does not tell the whole story.
"The score isn't really indicative of how big and how physical Esterhazy is. So it was good for us. Our kids learned a lot about how physical football can be," Senger recalls.
The game was an important one for Senger and his stuff to evaluate his players and where they belong.
"We got a chance to look at all our players," he says.
With the Saints players all getting equal playing time, Senger was pleased that he can now make a more informed decision when it comes to roster spots.
A win is still a win, preseason or not. Senger was happy with how the Saints performed in the audition for the regular season.
"It was good for us. We were happy with how our boys did and it showed (that) we've got a lot of work to do."
The Saints kick off their season this Thursday in Melville.
The school's home opener will be on September 11 when they play host to Kamsack.
Senger's Saints enter the year with high expectations.
"Our goal this year is to finish second in the league. That might be a little lofty but we've slowly progressed..." the Head Coach points out.
