Instead of a playdown schedule like past years, the top two teams advanced to the gold medal game this past Saturday, which saw the Weyburn Eagles win their first league title with a win over Yorkton in the final.
The Central Cyclones, meanwhile, went on to win a third-fourth place game over the Swift Current Colts.
And the remaining three teams? Well, they arguably had the most fun of all -- a series of jamboree-style games under the Friday Night Lights at MacDonald Athletic Field, with a steady rain making things all the more entertaining, even if things were a touch cool out.
In the end, the Vanier Vikings went undefeated in their two mini-games, defeating the Peacock Tornadoes 22-6 and Estevan Elecs 18-6, while the Tornadoes downed Estevan 20-6 in the other contest.
“It was a fun way to end the year, even though we ended up with that crazy weather, the kids aren’t going to forget that one, for sure,” said Tornadoes coach Bert Redstone. “The rain fell steady the whole night under the lights, and it made it look so strange out there, almost surreal, and the kids were totally into it… And what a great venue, having a chance to play under the lights like that is always fun.”
Interestingly enough, the majority of the regular season was the exact opposite weather-wise, with most weekends featuring gorgeous early-fall temperatures and comfortable playing conditions. Hence, Friday’s battles were a good foul-weather test.
“Those kinds of games are a good experience, because when you get to playoff football, that’s the kind of weather you’re going to be playing in,” Redstone said. “A gameplan in September is sure a lot different than a gameplan in late October and early November, so it was great for everybody to learn.”
Eye-Opening Experience
With the Tornadoes, much of the season has been about just that: gaining all the experience they can on the job. That included the team’s corps of youngsters, all of whom took the field in full-on game conditions during the jamboree.
It was an eye-opening experience for the young crew, but a good one to boot.
“The young guys play all the time in practice, but it’s a different animal when you’re out there against another team,” Redstone said. “They played hard, maybe they were shocked at the intensity level when you’re out there for an actual game, so it was a great learning experience for them.”
The game against Vanier offered a special test, as the Ryan Gottselig-coached crew threw all sorts of wrinkles at the Tornadoes and were rewarded for their variety.
“Good for them, (quarterback Leti Miko) is so dynamic and obviously Ryan is a good coach and got them ready,” Redstone said. “We kind of talked to our kids earlier in the week and said ‘they’re going to run some reverses, they’re going to have some trick plays’ and sure enough they did, they caught us on a few counters that were unsuspected. So credit to them.”
Redstone had sympathy for the Elecs given their travel situation, but was also impressed with how Estevan was more than willing to be a part of it all even with the strange conditions.
“What a tough situation, driving down and then playing a game in the rain and getting done late and riding home wet and dirty,” Redstone said ruefully. “But all the teams in the league were awesome this year, they just wanted to kids to be able to play and it didn’t matter what time or when, they just wanted the experience and credit to them for a fun night and great season.”
Now, it’s a look to the future. The Tornadoes were especially young in their skill positions this season, but Redstone was quick to point out how his Grade 12 veterans and leadership group created an impressive sense of ‘team’ throughout the campaign.
“This was one of the best leadership groups that I’ve ever seen,” Redstone said. “Our captain group was awesome and the Grade 12s were working their butts off, showing the younger kids how to go.
“And I’ve never seen a team that was so bonded. I don’t know if it was the layoff, but they were so excited to be out there every day, in my career it was the easiest coaching job when it comes to personality management. What a breath of fresh air to have a group like that after so much time off.”
While football season has come to an end locally, the Weyburn Eagles still have business to attend to. They’ll represent the Rural 5A league at home against the Saskatoon champs this weekend, with the winner of that contest advancing to play the Regina champions on Nov. 13.
