There were many questions left unanswered after the YRHS Raiders’ 2014 football season was ended unceremoniously at the hands of the eventual 3A Provincial champion A.E. Peacock Tornadoes on Saturday, November 1 in Moose Jaw.
Of course many of them will never be answered. However one of them has been.
The question of ‘Where will Peter Kozushka be playing in 2015?’ now has a response.
And the correct response is officially: The University of Alberta.
“I first talked to the U of A about a year and a half ago,” mentioned the 6’7, 300-pound offensive lineman from Yorkton. “I met them at the Provincial tryouts and we just kept talking from there and then I signed.”
Signed is a nice way to put it. The powerful offensive lineman was offered a full athletic scholarship by the Golden Bears. In addition to the athletic scholarship, Kozushka, by virtue of his 92% high school average, will also be eligible to receive academic money as a part of an entrance scholarship.
While at the U of A, Kozushka will be a student-athlete, meaning his studies will most likely come first.
However the hulking lineman has yet to pick a major, instead he has narrowed it down to two different options. “Right now it’s a toss-up between engineering and education. I’m kind of in the middle but I’ll have it decided by the time I start,” mentioned Kozushka, continuing, “I like engineering a lot because it’s very math/science oriented and I like it a lot. It’s very fun.
“As for education, well I like kids, I like coaching so it just works perfectly for both.”
Of course the U of A wasn’t the only school interested in the services of one of Canada’s top ranked high school offensive linemen. Among the more prominent universities that expressed their interest in the talented football player were the University of Regina Rams and University of Saskatchewan Huskies.
So with the two home province universities interested, what exactly made Kozushka, a 100% Saskatchewan born and raised man, opt for the University of Alberta? “They showed interest from the beginning,” said Kozushka, mentioning that the Golden Bears’ early interest in him proved to him that they were serious about signing him. “Plus I really liked what they’re doing there at the university so it ended up just being the perfect fit for me.
“I mean as much as I love being from Saskatchewan, at the end of the day I had to do what’s right for me and the U of A was just a perfect fit.”
Another factor in Kozushka eventually choosing the Golden Bears over other possible suitors is the fact that his brother, former YRHS offensive lineman Michael Kozushka, is also a member of the Golden Bears having signed with the U of A following the 2013 YRHS season, and will be able to help Peter acclimatize to the city of Edmonton, as well as university life. “My brother’s been there for a year now,” offered the newest Golden Bear recruit. “I’m going to say he knows how Edmonton works so it’s great just having someone that I know there that can help me progress to university and help me with anything I might need help with.”
Such as winning the fourth Vanier Cup in Alberta Golden Bear history and first since 1980; something that Kozushka sees as a real possibility in years to come. “The future looks great and the Vanier Cup is a goal of our in the next two to three years.”