Justin McKerracher starts July 25 with Regina Thunder. (submitted photo/Justin Mckerracher)

By Derek Cornet

Churchill Chargers

Churchill athlete signs on with Canadian Junior Football League

Jun 4, 2019 | 1:35 PM

Justin McKerracher will be trading in his books for athletic equipment after he graduates from La Ronge’s Churchill Community High School this month.

On Monday, the 2019 roster was announced by the Canadian Junior Football League’s Regina Thunder as the season it set to begin July 25. Back in November, McKerracher was asked to attend four tryouts throughout the winter, as well as the spring camp from May 4 to 6. He stated he’ll be moving to Regina in early July.

“You really only get so many years to play it, so that’s one of the things I enjoy about it,” Mckerracher said. “You can get hurt, then your time could be over. I enjoy football because you never know when you can have your last play, so every play is 100 per cent.”

McKerracher has been a member of the Churchill Chargers football team since Grade 9 and Head Coach Gabe Andrews stated he’s proud to see one of his players succeed. He called McKerracher a dynamic player who specialized very quickly to the defensive side of the ball, adding he’s fast and also not afraid to make a big tackle to save a touchdown.

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Andrews stated since the Chargers were founded about nine years ago, there have only been two other student athletes to play football after high school including Josh Beckman and Robin Louis. They were also signed on to Canadian Junior Football League teams, which Andrews noted shows younger players they can excel in the sport, too.

“He’s showing it is possible to come from a small northern Saskatchewan town and continue to play football,” Andrews said. “I think it’s a pretty surreal experience when it comes to being able to continue playing football after high school.”

McKerracher also wanted to express thanks to Andrews for starting the football program at Churchill.

“If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be playing football with Regina Thunder,” McKerracher said. “I would have never been able to play football. It’s all because of Gabe starting the program here to give kids a lot of opportunities for their future.”

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derek.cornet@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @saskjourno