By Derek Cornet

Football ends in La Ronge as NSFL championship approaches

Oct 15, 2018 | 5:00 PM

The football season is over in La Ronge, but two Northern Saskatchewan Football League (NSFL) teams still need to compete for the Ralph Pilz Trophy this weekend in Prince Albert.

Set for Oct. 20 at the Max Clunie Field, the playoff match will bring together the Cumberland House Islanders and Sandy Bay T-Wolves to determine who wins this year’s championship. Northern Lights School Division Superintendent of Education Mark Williment noted Cumberland House will be looking to win the trophy for the third time, while Sandy Bay narrowly missed the final game in each of the last two seasons.

“I officiated their game in Cumberland where Sandy Bay lost by a touchdown,” Williment said. “I really think this is a game that can go either way. The players have their hearts on winning and it’s going to be an exciting couple of hours.”

Overall, Williment added the regular season was good, although the early snowfall and cold weather made the temperature lower than teams prefer. He also mentioned three games previously held in Prince Albert this season were also a success, as it cut down travel time for La Loche and other northern teams playing against them.

The 2018 NSFL consisted of six teams and they play in the six-man format.

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“The coaches and the players really liked playing under the lights in Prince Albert and it was quite an experience for them,” Williment said.

 Meanwhile, the La Ronge Chargers, which play in the Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association’s nine-man league, finished the regular reason with six loses and no wins. The Chargers played their final match Oct. 12 against the Melfort Comets where they lost by a 42-14 score. Despite the loses, Head Coach Gabe Andrews noted it was a successful season in terms of growth and development in the program.

The season marked the second year the Chargers were involved in the nine-man league, as the team originally started out in the NSFL. Andrews also expects to have a younger squad in 2019 as many Grade 12 players are expected to graduate in June.

“It takes decades to build a football culture in a community, let alone an entire region,” he said. “In La Ronge, the culture is building and we have to keep working hard at it, and get the student athletes to understand there’s more to the game than just the game.”

derek.cornet@jpbg,ca

Twitter: @saskjourno