It鈥檚 been quite the prolonged football season for Sacred Heart Saints star Shane Varjassy.
The 6鈥�1鈥�, 165-pound linebacker not only led the Saints all season long, he was also named to the nine-man Team 麻豆传媒AV Senior Bowl roster for the 2015 Senior Bowl at Regina鈥檚 Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field.
Now Varjassy, 18, will add another credential to his already impressive football resume as he has been selected to take part in the 2015 Saskota Bowl, an annual football game where the top nine-man football players from Saskatchewan take on the top nine-man football players from North Dakota. 鈥淚 am absolutely excited to represent Saskatchewan in the Saskota Bowl. This will be my first opportunity to represent my province on the football field and I am looking forward to it,鈥� Varjassy told Yorkton This Week in an email earlier this week, adding that there was no specific tryout process when it came to making the Saskota Bowl roster. 鈥淭he coaches for Team Saskatchewan watched the Senior Bowl between the nine-man North and 麻豆传媒AV teams, and then combined the best players from both teams to create the Saskota Bowl roster.
鈥淏efore we played in the Senior Bowl we were informed that the coaches for Team Saskatchewan would be watching the game to determine who they would be taking to the Saskota Bowl, which added a little bit of extra motivation and a few weeks after the Senior Bowl I was told that I had made the team.鈥�
But Varjassy was initially unsure as to whether or not he had made the Saskota Bowl roster. He knew he played well at the Senior Bowl, however so did others who played the same position as he did. 鈥淚 was happy with how I played in the Senior Bowl, and confident that I had played a great game, but I also knew that my some of my teammates on team 麻豆传媒AV who played the same position as me had also played well, and that some of the linebackers on team North were also strong players,鈥� offered Varjassy, adding that he figured he had a 鈥渟olid chance to make the Saskota Bowl鈥� but that 鈥渘othing was certain鈥�.
Now, however, it is certain that Varjassy will be playing in one, final high school game before he hangs up his football cleats at the high school level.
Although now he believes he may also have an opportunity to play football at a post-secondary level. 鈥淧laying football beyond the high school level was never a goal for me until this year,鈥� said the seven year football veteran. 鈥淣o team has expressed any interest in me, but I have taken the initiative to speak to Coach Towriss (Brian Towriss, U of S Huskies), the head coach of the Huskies football program.
鈥淏ecause of that, this fall I will be taping the Huskies鈥� football practices and will be allowed to attend their meetings. Then next January I can start working out with the team and then I will be able to try out for the Huskies next spring.鈥�
However Varjassy knows that a try out does not mean a guaranteed spot on the roster. Although if he doesn鈥檛 make it on the team, he still feels he鈥檒l be involved in football, even if it鈥檚 not in a player role. 鈥渋f that does not work out I hope to remain involved in football from an off-the-field perspective.鈥�
Varjassy will look to help Team Saskatchewan repeat as Saskota Bowl champions, with Saskatchewan defeating North Dakota 42-34 last year. The game will be streamed live on Thursday, July 9 starting at 1:00p.m. Saskatchewan time. Links are available at http://www.northstar.k12.nd.us/webcasts.
