For the first time since they joined the league, the North Battleford Comprehensive High School Vikings football team has captured a Saskatoon city title.
On a snowy night at the Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the Vikings defeated the Tommy Douglas Tigers by a score of 26-15 Friday and hoisted the Saskatoon Secondary Schools Athletic Directorate trophy in the process.
“It’s an awesome feeling,” Vikings head coach Mike Humenny said. “That last time we were in this spot was in 2012 and we got our butts handed to us by Bishop James Mahoney.
“We still have one more game to go with the provincial final next week, but I’m really happy about what we accomplished tonight and to see our 25 Grade 12 players on the roster get rewarded for their hard work. They’ve been busting their tails over the last couple of years and it’s been a long time coming for them after a tough time in Grade 10 and then ending the season here in Saskatoon on a sour note [in a semifinal loss to Marion Graham] last fall.”
Many of the players on the Vikings roster captured the Kinsmen Football League title with the junior program three years ago and have continued to gel as a group ever since.
“This is the first time in awhile that our team has made it through not only the first round of the playoffs, but win a league title as well,” Vikings quarterback Damon Dutton said. “To have a chance to do it with these guys is special.”
“We have such a great group of guys here and everything just clicked for us this year,” all-around offensive player Zach Wolfe added.
Dutton had a pair of touchdown passes in the victory, as he connected with Presley Peterson on a six-yard pass in the second quarter and then hooked up with Wolfe for a 57-yard play as the buzzer sounded for the first half.
“There were a lot of the defenders on the side of the ball where we had three wide receivers, so I was just looking for Zach coming over on a slant route and I knew it couldn’t be a short yardage play as it was coming up to the end of the half,” Dutton said.
“Once I caught the ball, Presley made an unreal block and just smoked a guy to give me more room out there,” Wolfe added. “Everyone did their job on offence today. It was a total team effort.”
JT Lamb had another strong day on the ground as he rushed for a pair of touchdowns.
The Vikings also had an excellent performance on defence as Wolfe, Lamb and Chase Bartko all recovered fumbles and Kolby Heidt came up with an interception.
“We played as a unit and we kept our composure throughout the game, which was something we didn’t do when we lost to them in the regular season,” Heidt said.
“Prior to the game, we talked a lot with our guys about playing good fundamental football,” Humenny added. “I told them it was going to come down to who took care of the football and we did that today by winning the turnover battle.”
The Tigers, who were competing in their first ever league championship contest, got a pair of touchdowns from quarterback Hayden Sabadash as he rushed into the end zone from a yard out and connected with Keenan Hession on a 18-yard passing play.
“It’s hard to win games when you turn the ball over three times in the red zone, but that happens in football sometimes,” Tigers head coach Leo Grosjean said.
“I hope the guys can learn a lot from this experience. We have a young group on defence that’s only going to get better and I really hope our program continues to flourish going forward.”
Next up for the Vikings will be the provincial 3A championship game, which they will host at Beaver Lions Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 11 at 1 p.m.
Their opponent in that contest will be determined Saturday afternoon in Regina as the Yorkton Raiders take on the Greenall Griffins from Balgonie in the semifinal.
“It’s a big deal to host that game, but we have a lot of work to do to get ready for whoever our opponent is,” Humenny said.
The Vikings last played in a provincial championship game in 1995 when they edged the Prince Albert Carlton Crusaders 21-20 in Regina to take home the 3A banner.
Meanwhile, the 4A city champions in Regina and Saskatoon were also crowned Friday night as a pair of lengthy streaks came to an end.
The Campbell Tartans brought a halt to the five-year provincial title reign of the LeBoldus Golden Suns with a 27-25 win at Mosaic Stadium in Regina.
In the other contest, the Centennial Chargers prevented the Holy Cross Crusaders from capturing a seventh straight city crown by prevailing in a 34-28 overtime thriller at the Saskatoon Minor Football Field.
The Tartans and Chargers will battle it out for the 4A provincial crown on Saturday, Nov. 11 in Regina.
