The Yorkton Regional High School Raiders football team was just one play short of the provincial championship last weekend.听
The Raiders faced the North Battleford Comprehensive High School Vikings football team for the 3A provincial title. The Vikings came out with the 14-7 win after a close and well-fought game.
For the Raiders, it was their only loss of the season.听
鈥淭hey were a good football team. Were they better than we are? On that day, I guess they were,鈥� offered Raiders head coach Roby Sharpe.听
The Vikings were able to get on the board first, scoring late in the first quarter. The score would sit at 7-0 going into half time. In the third quarter, the Vikings capitalized again to push their lead to 14-0. It wasn鈥檛 until late in the fourth quarter that the Raiders got on the board, when Brady Popowich scored to bring the score to 14-7, where it would end.
Sharpe said the Vikings team seemed better suited for the conditions they played in 鈥� snow, slush, wind and freezing temperatures. For the Raiders, who thrived off of their ability to throw the ball all season, those conditions impacted their ability to play their game.听
鈥淸The Vikings] were built to play football in Saskatchewan in November,鈥� said Sharpe. 鈥淭heir system was better than ours was for the conditions.鈥�
Sharpe said if the two teams had played ten games against each other, he feels they each would have won five - it was that close of a match up.
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That鈥檚 a wrap
And with that, the high school football season comes to an end. Sharpe said he, along with his coaching staff and players, will have to adjust to having free time again. He said they鈥檝e practiced almost every day since the season started.
鈥淚t breaks your heart,鈥� said Sharpe. 鈥淚t鈥檚 sad because we work with these guys when they鈥檙e little kids, and then they walk out the door as men. We鈥檙e saying goodbye to some of these guys. We just spent 300 hours with them in two months, now it鈥檚 over.鈥澨�
During the off-season, the players will hit the gym and keep in shape for next season. Sharpe said thankfully, they鈥檙e only losing 12 graduating players this year.
鈥淲e have a nice enough set up here. We won鈥檛 have too many rebuilding years. We should have 12-15 guys going out every season, and 12-15 coming in from the junior team every season,鈥� explained Sharpe.
The coach said he鈥檚 confident that the team will be strong again next year, and will see another chance to claim the title.听
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Community support
While the Raiders put forth an incredible effort on the field all season long, the support that they received off the field was just as important. The successful season couldn鈥檛 have happened without the support of the entire community of Yorkton.听
鈥淭he way our town has rallied around the kids was unbelievable,鈥� said Sharpe. 鈥淲e want to thank the community for all the support.鈥澨�
Whether it was a donation of pizza during the team鈥檚 film nights, Gatorades for the team to drink during the games, a pep rally at Dairy Queen, and everything else that was graciously donated, the entire Raiders team and staff are thankful for every bit of help and support they received along the way.听
As they preached all season long: it takes a village.
