MOOSOMIN — It’s not very often that the third- and fourth-place teams meet in the championship finals, but that’s exactly where the Moosomin Generals and Swan Valley Tigers of the Rural Manitoba Football League found themselves on Nov. 3.
“We were looking back in the history books on that one, and we couldn’t find anything in the last 25 years that was anything other than a 1-2 kind of game,” said Generals’ president and general manager, Jason Schenn. “So it’s a pretty wild anomaly that occurred here.”
He described the Generals’ season as “middle of the road” overall, with the team ending up in fourth place in the standings.
“But we were able to take the first playoff game against Dauphin, the number one seed, and then go to Swan to play the number three seed, who also upset the number two for a 3-4, championship, which is pretty rare,” Schenn said.
The big game at the Swan Valley Regional Secondary School was a nail-biter, despite an early lead by visiting Moosomin. In the end, the Generals claimed their championship with a 31-28 final over the Tigers.
Commitment has been a major ingredient in the Generals’ winning season as Schenn pointed out that players from all over the region have made the miles to come and play.
“We have a few kids from Moosomin, but not a ton,” Schenn said, adding that players from Wapella, Whitewood, Wawota, Carlyle, and Redvers are represented in the Gernals’ lineup. “They come from all over the place where there aren’t football programs for them to participate in. So they make the long trip and the commitment to come in three times a week for practices and games and be part of our program.”
As is par for the course, the team will see some members depart through graduation, but there are some shining stars that will return next year to make 2025 an interesting season as well. One example Schenn mentioned was Grade 9 quarterback Nathan Buetler
“He had a tremendous first season as QB,” Schenn said. “Our QB last year was in Grade 12 and moved on, so we didn’t really have anybody in behind him in the Grade 9 to 11 group last year. So Nathan, coming up from our U15, he had to hop in and–baptism by fire, so to speak—responded. He did a lot of off-season training and really wanted to take on that role. He’s worked hard, and the hard work paid off for him.”
All that’s left now is the end-of-season banquet on Nov. 14, and planning when to have a championship ring ceremony.
Girls also make PGFL finals
In the Prairie Girls Football League, the Generals travelled to Melville on Nov. 2 to take on the Vipers. On the heels of a huge 56-6 at-home win against the Swan Valley Tigers on October. 25, the Generals were excited for a championship victory.
“Unfortunately, our girls weren’t able to get through and finish it,” said Schenn. “They spotted the competition about 20 points in the first quarter, and couldn’t get back all the way, losing that one 20-18.”
This year was a smaller group of girls taking to the field with 10 players, but it was a good season overall.
“Normally you like to have about 15 on a group like this for six a side,” Schenn said. “So they did well considering, but just fell a little bit short on that one.”
One huge impact on all youth sports was valuable time lost due to Covid, with ripple effects still felt today.
“A lot of kids stopped participating in things during Covid, and some didn’t come back to sport afterwards,” Schenn said. “It impacted our girls program pretty heavily. I don’t know what the girls did or what they are doing now, but the ones that stuck around, they’re athletes and it’s been good to have them around, but we’d sure like to see more girls coming out in the future. We need that 14 or 15 to make it a viable program for them, and I know it was positive for all the kids that have been a part of it.”
Generals in unique situation
Since inception in 2011, the Generals have been operating as a club team, therefore not a part of the Saskatchewan High School Athletics Association like many schools in the province are.
“We were fortunate to be able to get into the Rural Manitoba Football League, where it’s a combination of school programs and club programs, which has been a great situation for us,” Schenn explained.
With a team comprised of players hailing from around the region, connections are easily made between teens that might otherwise not be on the same team.
“When they all come to the program here, then they all become part of one team,” said Schenn. “That has been one of the most rewarding parts of it all, is that you see these kids who wouldn’t otherwise cross paths, or maybe they’re competitors on hockey teams and things like that.
“But, they show up and they play the game together and become pretty tight knit groups, and that’s always cool,” Schenn continued. “When you look down the road and it’s not just all about the kids that you grew up with and that you’d known since Kindergarten, you get a little bit of exposure to the greater world and working with others from different places, with different perspectives.”
