The Creighton Kodiaks are upbeat about next year after finishing their season on a winning note.
Creighton downed Air Ronge 45-6 at a neutral-site game in Prince Albert on Wednesday.
“Guys were ready to play and they didn’t want to end the year on a loss, so they were pretty excited to get going and we’re excited for our future moving forward,” said head coach Ryan Karakochuk.
Scoring for Creighton were Jordan Schanowski (two TD runs), Jarin Morin (a TD run and a TD catch), Bailey Eastman (TD run), Linden Moore (TD catch) and Derek Koivisto (TD catch).
Wednesday marked the final game for two Kodiaks, brothers Jordan and Logan Schanowski.
With the win, the Kodiaks ended their 2016 season with a 1-3 record. Air Ronge went 0-4, but because they are a smaller 1A school, they will be in the playoffs as the only possible opponent for Pinehouse.
While the Kodiaks will miss the post-season for the first time in their three-year history, Karakochuk says there are a lot of positives heading into next year.
“We’re going to have more experience on our team as all of our rookies and second-year players got another year of experience,” he said.
The Kodiaks will also become a 1A team next year, meaning it could be easier to reach the playoffs. Had they been a 1A team this season, they would be in the post-season instead of Air Ronge.
The Kodiaks are planning a year-end awards banquet for early November.
