After nearly winning their first league championship in almost twenty years last season it was hard to think that the Yorkton Regional High School Raiders football program's summer could possibly top their on field success last fall, but after Dalton Fichtner landed a roster spot with the University of Regina Rams for next fall and Layne Hull committed to the CJFL's Okanagan Sun, two of the Raiders returning players made some big steps in their careers outside of Raider uniforms as well, surviving a grueling process to be named one of the best high school players in the province making Team Saskatchewan for this years Canadian U-18 Championships in the Atlantic this summer.
Grey McKen, who alongside Hull was one of the Raiders top linebackers in the best defense in the league last season cracked the final roster alongside Peter Kozushka whose big presence on the offensive line was a huge reason that Raiders running backs Zack Kais and Tyson Haas had so much success in 2012.
The two players began their journey to making the team months ago as the two began going to Saskatchewan Football camps, first making the Roughrider Bowl team after local ID camps and than continuing with tryouts after that, soldiering through drives to tryouts and practices where an off day was not an option as the best football players in the province were all eager to get a huge opportunity to showcase their skills on the national stage for respective colleges/universities and junior programs at the annual summer tournament.
"It was a longer process than many would expect," mentions McKen and Kozushka. "You would go to an ID camp, than take a week or so off, then go to another camp and trying to impress the coaches each time in a competitive atmosphere was tough, but it was also good training for what is going to come this summer and in the fall when we suit up for the Raiders."
Despite both being underclassmen in 2012, it was easy to see why the two made the elite Saskatchewan U-18 squad watching their play with the Raiders last season. Both players spend long hours in the weight room and have frames that despite being a season away from getting ready for the next level, are physically mature enough to make that jump due to hard work. That hard work put in for their school is something they both credit as a major reason they survived the tryout camps and impressed the coaches.
"Having great coaches in Yorkton definitely prepared us for making the team as they motivate us to work in season and during winter workouts and it showed that it pays off during the camps," mentions the pair.
As far as expectations go, McKen and Kozushka both hope to be key players for the 40 man U-18 squad when they travel to Moncton, New Brunswick this summer, but even if the snaps don't come their way, they will still do whatever it takes to bring their home province national bragging rights at the Football Canada Cup, a tournament where football crazy Saskatchewan is always a favorite and former Raider RJ Skinner lifted a trophy not many years ago. "We both want to just do whatever it takes to help us grow as football players as well as to win," says the close teammate duo.
"Obviously we want and expect to play, but if that doesn't happen then I guess we both will have to work harder to impress the coaches but we both feel that we have a good chance to be key players on the team after camp."
The experience for the two, while being great for their development as football players and getting noticed by post-secondary programs across the country will also be a huge win for the Raiders going into a 2013 season where they are hoping to be provincial championship contenders after losing just six players from last year's league runner up team that just ran out of steam at the end of the road losing in the MJHSFL Champ-ionship Game.
Getting two of their star players reps all summer against the province, and the country's elite players only bodes well for the Raiders who are counting on McKen and Kozushka to run havoc on opponents come the fall with another year of experience under their belt.
McKen and Kozushka both feel the same way about a lot of things, and they are aware the opportunity also is one that will be huge for giving their team the chance to contend next year. "Playing against the best only makes you better and that is what we want to do, so this opportunity is huge for us as players and hopefully it carries over to winning titles," closes McKen.
Two of Yorkton's brightest stars in the minor football program will be looking to put the province and the country on notice this summer.
Given their play for the YRHS, it is only a matter of time.
