The Creighton Kodiaks continued their hot streak on the football field as they defeated Senator Myles of Lac La Ronge 44-8 last week.
The six-man football team finished their regular season undefeated as they now look to the playoffs with a home-field advantage.
The Kodiaks’ first match-up with be a second game versus Sentor Myles. They will meet Oct. 20 in Creighton as the first- and fourth-ranked teams in the Eastern Division of the Northern Saskatchewan Football League.
Having home-field advantage “makes a huge difference,” said Kodiaks coach Jason Straile.
“We will have our fans behind us and we don’t have to travel.”
While the Kodiaks just defeated Senator Myles, Straile says the team will need to be prepared and stay focused for their first playoff game.
“It will be a challenge,” he said. “We have beaten them once and [we] have to stay focused because they will be a different team this time. We can’t think about the game we already played. We have to stay focused.”
Cumberland House and Sandy Bay round out the rest of the Eastern Division, placing second and third respectively.
In the Western Division, the Pinehouse Lakers receive a bye and will wait for the winner of Buffalo Narrows and La Loche. Green Lake and Beauval will also compete.
The winner of the Oct. 20 game between the Kodiaks and Sentor Myles will go on to play the winner of the Cumberland House and Sandy Bay match-up on Oct. 27.
The finals, which will see the winner in the East play the winner in the West, will be held in Prince Albert on Nov. 1 with the Ralph Pilz Trophy on the line.
The Kodiaks started strong once again in the first quarter last Thursday, Oct. 2 as they were up 14-0 over Senator Myles.
Quarterback Evan Linnick picked up two touchdowns and a two-point conversion.
In the second quarter, Josh Nowlin earned the visiting team’s third touchdown as Linnick earned the two-point conversion for another eight points – making it 22-0.
The third quarter started similar to the first as Linnick picked up another touchdown and the two-point convert to make it 30-0.
Senator Myles were finally able to make it on the scoreboard with a touchdown from Colton Morin and a two-point convert from Marcel Kemp.
The Kodiaks continued to lead Senator Myles as Chris Renyolds scored the team’s fifth touchdown to end the third quarter 36-8.
Linnick had one more touchdown and convert in the fourth quarter as the Kodiaks went on to win 44-8.
“It’s quite a surprise,” said coach Straile, as the Kodiaks remain undefeated in their first football season. “But everyone is pretty humble and knowing we still have a long way to go.”
The Kodiaks’ record is the buzz around Creighton Community School, but Straile says the players remain focused on the task at hand.
“They are focused on the playoffs and they know we still have a long way to go,” he said.
