Skip to content

Football Saskatchewan camp held in North Battleford

During the course of a football season, it can be tough for Football Saskatchewan to see every player in the province to help to determine who will be part of the teams that play at national events.
Tom Sargeant Hilltops
Saskatoon Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant spoke with members of the North Battleford Comprehensive High School Vikings after a Football Saskatchewan identification camp held in North Battleford on April 30. Photo by Lucas Punkari

During the course of a football season, it can be tough for Football Saskatchewan to see every player in the province to help to determine who will be part of the teams that play at national events.

As such, identification camps like the ones held in North Battleford on April 29 and 30 play a huge role in helping to find young talent and also get those players ready for a new season.

“It’s a really good opportunity to see how much the players in Grade 9, 10 and 11 have progressed over the course of a year,” Football Saskatchewan executive director Jeff Yausie said.

“There’s a lot of talent here in the region. We’ll have some of the players that are graduating from here playing in the Senior Bowl on Victoria Day in Saskatoon, but many of the younger guys I think have the potential to play junior football or play at the university level.”

The camp, which featured scrimmages and drill work during the course of four on-field sessions, was run on the coaching side of things by the staff of the national junior football champion Saskatoon Hilltops.

“Having those guys here was huge and we’re pretty fortunate to have them be a part of this weekend,” North Battleford Comprehensive High School Vikings head coach Mike Humenny said.

“Sometimes the guys on our team might hear my voice a little bit too often, so to have that additional perspective from the guys on the Hilltops is an excellent thing for the players.”

The weekend also allowed coaches such as Humenny to get an idea of what their teams might look like when the new high school season begins in September.

“That’s something that I was talking to the coach from Unity about after that camp,” Humenny said.

“You really get a sense of who you have on the roster that can fill some of the holes that are left by the graduating players.”

Players from the Vikings and John Paul II Collegiate Crusaders took part in the camp, which also featured students from Kerrobert, Prince Albert and Unity among others.

Football Saskatchewan will be inviting players that took part in the weekend scrimmages to their Top 100 age camps next month.