Kodiaks football team begins work for upcoming season

The Creighton Kodiaks football team is less than two weeks away from starting the season, another one in a stronger, southern-based league.

The Kodiaks will play this year in the Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association 2A conference four, the only northern Saskatchewan team to take part in the conference. Preparations for the year have already gotten started, even if the team’s typical field at the Oval of Dreams in Creighton isn’t fully ready for play yet - the team opened training camp last week at the Creighton Community School field instead.

“We’re here and we’re already off and running. There’s no doubt about that,” said Kodiaks head coach Ryan Karakochuk.

This season represents the 10-year anniversary of the Kodiaks’ first season in 2014, even if it isn’t the team’s 10th season - COVID-19 meant the cancellation of the 2020 season. The team this year is large, both in stature and in numbers. Karakochuk has been impressed with the turnout, which far outnumbers some of the program’s early years where the number of players was in the high teens.

“We’ve had roughly 34 players come out - that’s the first and foremost positive thing. You never know from year-to-year, people are going to leave or quit, but for all intents and purposes, everyone’s back and football strong,” he said.

“That’s a positive for us as coaches, knowing that the kids like playing and they’re enthusiastic and they’re coming back.”

Last season, the Kodiaks played in a five-team league and finished fourth with a 1-4 record and a loss in their sole playoff game. The season was punctuated by the Kodiaks getting their first win ever against an opponent from outside northern Saskatchewan. That game, a 40-12 win over Rosthern in the team’s home opener, was the club’s only victory.

Sadly for the Kodiaks, Rosthern, a team that was made up of players from two area schools, will not play in the 2A league this year - instead, the team will split into two 1A programs, leaving the Kodiaks in a four-team league.

Each team will play a six-game regular season schedule, facing every other team twice - one game at home, one away. That will pit the Kodiaks in the unenviable position of a full season played against teams they’ve never won against with more established programs.

“I’m expecting us to take a stride from last year,” said Karakochuk.

“We’re obviously ranked last in our conference due to the tradition of those other schools - that’s how it should be right now. That’s now for us to prove that we can play with the big teams. We know we can play with them - that’s the good news. It’s now taking that next step in the third and fourth quarter, being able to play with them and finish off games.”

The Kodiaks will open their season in Shellbrook Sept. 5. The first football game in Creighton this year will take place Sept. 12 at the Oval of Dreams, with the Kodiaks playing hosts to rivals Wakaw - Karakochuk said that is the game players have circled on their calendars, considering Wakaw has beaten Creighton in several playoff and regular season games over the years.

This year’s Kodiaks team will be one of the oldest in program history, with as many as 19 Grade 12 players from last year’s squad able to return. Four players from last year’s team graduated, but several of the team’s top players are still on the field. Quarterback Josh Trumbley is able to return, as are starting running back Payton Pelletier, defensive player of the year Kwinton Lycan and fellow award winners Ashton Berdon, Daniel Beaton, Rogan Hlady, Ethan Lavis and Kaleb Lycan.

On top of that massive graduating group is a large group of Grade 9 players coming in - Karakochuk estimates about 14 Grade 9 players have joined the team this year. While the team had a small Grade 10 group in training camp, Karakochuk is optimistic his group will show progress from last year.

“I’m very optimistic with the progression of our team from last year to this year. You could just tell they're better, more experienced and excited,” he said.

“When it’s all said and done, we’re going to be looking at a group of kids who are going to be with each other all the way from Grade 9-12. That’s how you produce strong football teams - that’s the way it works.”