After competing in the senior bowl on the May long weekend, a quartet of graduating Melfort Comets played for Team Saskatchewan at the 2017 Saskota Bowl.
The bowl, which pits the best graduating high school football players in Saskatchewan against the best from North Dakota was played in Rolla, North Dakota this year on July 4.
Joining Team Saskatchewan from Melfort and Unit Comprehensive Collegiate (MUCC) were Adam Meyers, Braden Olson, Carter Hiebert and Riley Gibson.
Unfortunately for the quartet they came out on the wrong side of the scoreboard.
After an evenly matched first half that saw the teams hit the locker room tied at 21, Team Cando North Dakota took over in the second half outscoring Team Saskatchewan 20-7 en route to a 41-28 victory.
Adam Meyers
Meyers, a 5’11” tight end, noted that it has started to sink in that he got the opportunity to play in an international football game.
“That’s not something everyone can say they did and it was just a really good time and just knowing that I’ve done something that not a lot of people can say they’ve done. It’ll stick to me for a long time.”
Looking back on the experience Meyers said his biggest memory will come from the people he met while he was there.
“You meet so many people that you would never meet before. Playing in Senior Bowl you’re playing against a lot of those guys from the south and you’re with them for five days and they become some of your best friends.”
Meyers’ biggest takeaway from the whole experience came from being able to strap on the pads one final time, he said, noting that he will not be pursuing football in his post secondary career.
“This is kind of my last run. So just taking away that one final game, one more time with the boys and you just get to play your heart out one more time. That’s something I will really appreciate going forward.”
Braden Olson
Olson, a 5’10” tight end, said his experience at the Saskota Bowl was like nothing he had ever done before, noting it was a great learning experience, both about the different rules employed south of the border and about Saskatchewan itself.
“[We] went to these new places I’ve never been before. I didn’t even know something that beautiful could even exist in Saskatchewan.”
Olson, who partially tore his ACL during the Senior Bowl, said his biggest learning experience came from knowing that if you want to do something, you can as long as you work at it.
“I was really worried that I wasn’t even going to be able to play but I put in the work and all the coaches and people that helped me get ready like trainers and specialists, physiotherapists, doctors, they all helped me get ready and they all put the work in.”
Carter Hiebert
Hiebert, a 6’2” defensive back, noted his experience was a good time, noting that it taught him a little about being independent.
“Being billeted out is a good experience because you get away from your parents and away from your friends almost, you’re living on your own type thing. It’s nice to be like that.
With the game played in North Dakota on Independence Day, Hiebert admitted that it made for a different kind of atmosphere.
“It’s a great experience playing on July 4 with all the fireworks going off.”
Despite noting that he learned a little about being independent, Hiebert says his biggest takeaway from the experience came during the game.
“[It] just showed that you can’t give up and you’ve got to fight until the end… and just keep going.”
Riley Gibson
Gibson, a 5’7” wide receiver, noted he enjoyed having the opportunity to play football in the United States.
“It was a pretty cool experience that you can’t really replicate.”
The one thing that stands out the most about the experience was sitting in the locker room knowing everyone is from different schools and different teams, said Gibson.
“You look at them and you played against them for four years and you hated their guts and then in the span of a week they become some of your closest friends. So that’s probably the best part about the whole thing.”
The one takeaway Gibson has from the experience is that no matter how he feels about someone there is always a chance to change that opinion.
“Even the people you thought you hated could become your friends.”
