ESTEVAN - Young athletes from Penta Completions Estevan Minor Football excelled at national competitions this month.
Hailey Tangjerd and Hannah Mercer from the Estevan Kinette Club U18 Viragos female football team were part of Team Saskatchewan that won silver at the U18 National Female Championship in Regina. Saskatchewan went 4-0 in the round robin but lost to Alberta in the final.
Dorian Sifton, meanwhile, won gold in the under-16 Football Canada National Championship in Langley, B.C. Saskatchewan defeated B.C. 22-10 in the final.
Tangjerd, who was a linebacker on the team, was encouraged to try out by her coaches in Estevan. She was happy with how she played in the tournament, and while they didn’t get gold, she thought they played great.
“I still really enjoyed our team and made a lot of memories,” she said.
Being part of Saskatchewan was a great opportunity for Tangjerd. She has been playing football for three years, and this allowed her to further her skills and learn a lot about the sport.
And it will help her as she coaches the Estevan Power Dodge Cudas U11 football team.
“It will definitely help our own girls’ team, just with knowing a lot more,” she said.
And she was able to make new friends, not just from Saskatchewan, but throughout the country. Other than Mercer, Tangjerd knew just a few of the players before the tournament.
“A lot of them have become some of my closest friends,” she said.
Mercer, who has been playing for two years, was also thrilled with the experience. She expects it will also help with her continued development as a player.
“It’s going to help me and Hailey both so much. We learned so many new techniques and just even drills to get you there,” said Mercer. “We had meetings about mindset, and everything that they did to prepare us for all of those games is just going to help us in so many ways, not just in football but in life.”
It helped her realize that she can play at that level, and she’s glad to know there is a future for young women in football beyond the minor football level. She’s going into Grade 12 and her last year with the Viragos.
Mercer was a centre on the team, and she was pleased with the job she did blocking the opposition’s defensive players, especially when the opponent was a larger player.
“We’re all very happy, very proud of ourselves. It was quite the opportunity and we handled it very well.”
And now she has a whole new team of friends after nationals.
Sifton, who was a slotback on the team, has been a part of minor football in Estevan since he was eligible in 2015. He will be joining the Estevan Comprehensive School Elecs football team this fall.
“I did well for the opportunities that I was given to just do what I could do. I blocked well, I made some tackles and I did all right,” said Sifton.
In the final, Saskatchewan’s defence was “on point,” he said. They kept forcing turnovers and helped the offence have good opportunities.
“I’d say we had some pretty good playmakers on offence. We had some touchdowns thrown, some good runs by our running backs,” said Sifton.
Sifton predicted the experience will help because he faced some great competition in the tournament, but he noted he also faces some great competition in the Moose Jaw high school league.
Sifton went through extensive tryouts to be part of the team. There were a couple rounds for the south Saskatchewan athletes, and then a team from the south played their counterparts from northern Saskatchewan. Team Saskatchewan was then decided.
He knew a few of the players before the tournament, but he obviously knows them much better now, and he’s pleased to have made some new friends.
