The Creighton Kodiaks continue to make history as they earned their first football win on home soil last week.
Creighton Community School joined the Northern Saskatchewan Football League this year and remain undefeated with a perfect 2-0 record.
The Kodiaks picked up a big win last Thursday, Sept. 18 as they hosted the Charlebois Community School Islanders, of Cumberland House, and dominated them 51-14.
“It was really good. We played really well,” said outside linebacker Jordan Shanowski.
The Kodiaks took an early lead with the first two touchdowns and conversions of the game – all earned by quarterback Evan Linnick. In total, the Kodiaks picked up seven touchdowns and five conversions.
Last week, the Kodiaks played in their first-ever six-man football game. They defeated the Sandy Bay Timberwolves 39-20 and learned a lot along the way.
“Last week we didn’t really know what to expect,” said Shanowski. “But this week we had a better understanding of the game and how fast paced it was.”
With a better understanding of the game, the outside linebacker says the Kodiaks were “really able to shut them down defensively.”
Coach Jason Straile reiterated Shanowski’s thoughts, as he was pleased with what he saw on the field.
“They had nerves, but once the game got started they settled in and played the game I knew they could,” said Straile. “They came out strong and that continued throughout the game.”
Big Crowd
The Kodiaks had a large crowd to play in front of Thursday as approximately 300 people lined the field.
“There were lots and lots of people, which was nice,” said Straile.
The Kodiaks played in front of a large crowd in Sandy Bay, but Shanowski said it was a highlight of the game to have the fans rooting for them.
“Having all the fans cheer us on, and not Sandy Bay, was great,” he said.
Making History
Thursday’s game was a first for not only Creighton Community School, but Creighton as well.
To kick off the game, Ald. Don Aasen brought greetings from town council and applauded all the hard work that went into the football season. The Kodiaks began spreading the word and looking for funding before any practices could happen.
Aasen offered congratulations to the players, coaches and others who had a helping hand in getting the
program off the ground.
After the Kodiaks’ big win, Straile was speechless.
“I don’t even know what to say,” he said, trying to think of the right words for how it felt to make history. “It was awesome.”
Home Again
The Kodiaks have one more home game in the regular season as they welcome the Sandy Bay Timberwolves on Thursday.
Following last week’s win, Straile says there are a few things the Kodiaks will be working on for the upcoming game.
Along with more defensive work, the players will work on blocking.
“We weren’t in the proper positions at times tonight,” said the coach. “So we’ll be making sure the guys are where they need to be.”
More importantly, the Kodiaks will “just prepare for Sandy Bay next week.”
Scoring
The Kodiaks took a commanding 16-0 lead in the first quarter then lead the Islanders 30-7 going into halftime. In the second half, the Kodiaks continued their lead 36-7 before taking it 51-14 in the end.
Picking up points for the Kodiaks was Linnick with five touchdowns four conversions, Chris Reynolds with two touchdowns, Dean Rainville with a single point and Will Thompson with one touchdown.
