And once they were underway, there was no stopping them.
Javin Boynton returned to the line-up and scored on a 75-yard touchdown run on the first play of the game, Cole Breitkreuz had three majors in the first quarter and the Cyclones went on to a 53-13 victory over the Swift Current Colts at Gutheridge Field.
“This game was truly all about the seniors getting an opportunity,” said Cyclones head coach Colin Belsher. “It wasn’t the game we want to be in, but it’s still a game and it was a worthy opponent in Swift Current. I thought we had a great gameplan and having Javin back in the game, he’s been hurt and banged up, but to get him in and playing at that level gave us a boost.
“But in the end, it was great to see the Grade 12s get on the field and see the Grade 12s have some success. It’s always a sad time of the year, you work with these kids for four years straight and you hope to see them have success and move on and be successful at the next level or in whatever they do.”
The contest was well in hand by the end of the first half. Boynton had 139 yards rushing and two majors, Breitkreuz seven catches for 142 yards and three touchdowns -- including a pick six -- and Central led 45-0 before the teams hit the break. Mason Payne (28-yard run) and Sam Barth (27-yard run) had their other first-half majors.
The fast start to the game and brilliant first quarter made all the difference in Breitkreuz’s eyes.
“That gives our team a lot of confidence, especially on offence,” he said. “Once you get a play like (Boynton’s run) and start rolling, we can’t be stopped… big credit goes to the offensive line for opening up holes and blocking for us receivers to let us be able to catch those balls. And credit to the coaches too, for helping us be able to succeed on and off the field.”
Belsher lauded his senior receiver and his fellow Grade 12s for stepping up in the final game of their high school careers.
“When you have a great leader in Cole and a guy like (quarterback) Wil Ansell under centre, it brings a lot of confidence to the guys and I think Javin is a product of that, seeing the confidence in these older guys and helping them along the way,” Belsher said. “He’s a special talent and having the ability to score early like that took some of the pressure off the rest of them and let everyone go out and have fun and just do their thing.”
The Cyclones had a single major in the second half, that on a Kaedyn Banilevic 27-yard catch, and added a safety to close out their offence.
“It was amazing, coming out here and playing this last game with the seniors and the other guys, I can’t express how much it means, words can’t express how great it is,” Breitkreuz said. “Being a senior on this team is incredible, and leading those guys, it’s one of the greatest things I’ll ever take away and one of the greatest things in life.”
Ansell finished the game 15-for-25 passing for 269 yards and three majors.
Ty Zinger had an 11-yard touchdown run and Ryder Smith a 62-yard pass-and-run major in the second half for Swift Current.
The game saw a special event before the contest as members of SkyDive South Sask parachuted onto Gutheridge Field with the Canadian flag prior to kick-off.
The three teams who didn’t finish in the top four were in action in a special jamboree style event under the lights and pouring rain at MacDonald Field on Friday night.
The Vanier Vikings went undefeated in their two mini-games, defeating the Peacock Tornadoes 22-6 and Estevan Elecs 18-6, while the Tornadoes defeated Estevan 20-6 in the other contest.
In the league championship game in Weyburn on Saturday afternoon, the Eagles capped off an unbeaten season with a 21-7 win over the Yorkton Raiders. Weyburn will now represent the 5A Rural League in the provincial semifinal against the Saskatoon champion next weekend.
