Two members of the YRHS Raiders’ senior football team –defensive lineman/linebacker/running back Caleb Bymak and offensive lineman Noah Zerr – recently returned from the 2015 Football Canada Cup in Saint-Jean-sur-Richeleau, Quebec, where they helped Team Saskatchewan win a bronze medal with a 22-9 victory over Team Alberta in the third place game.
“I know going into it we were maybe looking at finishing a little bit better, but bronze is still good,” mentioned Bymak in an interview last week, continuing, “With bronze at least you’re ending on a win so you’re leaving on a high note and it’s nice to bring back some hardware.”
And while bronze wasn’t the medal they were hoping to return with, Zerr, a two time Football Canada Cup veteran, agreed with Bymak. “I’m really proud of our team and what we accomplished,” offered the 6’7”, 285-pound Zerr. “Ending the tournament with a win instead of a loss feels a lot better and it made the last couple of nights together more happy and cheerful than last year, where we lost to Ontario in the final.”
Overall both Zerr and Bymak felt that the experience in Quebec was something that will benefit them in the long run, should they both want to continue football after their upcoming 2015 season. “It was definitely a great experience and I’m glad I was able to do it,” said Bymak, adding that although he didn’t play that much, when he did he felt he impressed. “I think I did good with the opportunities that I got.
“I had the opportunity to make some plays and I had a big role on special teams so I got some opportunities to make some tackles and it was good.”
Meanwhile Zerr, who played in last year’s tournament in Saskatoon, said that the opportunity to get top end coaching again was invaluable. “To get that level of coaching again and playing against that calibre of players for the second time was good and it’s great to have that experience under your belt,” said Zerr. “Plus it’s a great stage for showing people what you can do and what your abilities are.
“You definitely get a lot more eyes on you there than you would if you were just playing for your high school.”
The two Raiders also feel that their time in Quebec as members of Team Saskatchewan will also benefit not just themselves, but their entire 2015 Raider team. “This tournament allowed us to see how football is played at a national level,” offered Bymak. “I think we’ll be able to help the rest of the guys out this year with what we know now and because of that it should be a good season for the Raiders.”
In addition to the 22-9 win over Alberta, Zerr, Bymak and Team Saskatchewan also defeated New Brunswick 53-2 before falling to eventual gold medallist Team Quebec Blue 17-10.
