The three-peat is on. The Creighton Kodiaks are, for the fifth time, northern Saskatchewan football champions.
The Kodiaks took the title in a 42-34 thrill ride against the archrival Charlebois Commmunity School Islanders from Cumberland House, winning the game on the road and settling a score from earlier in the season.
Creighton defeated Cumberland House 56-12 in last year’s league title game, played on Creighton’s Oval of Dreams, but two weeks ago, the Kodiaks lost to the Islanders in Cumberland House - the team’s first loss since 2019 and the only blemish on Creighton’s 5-1 regular season record.
“I had a little chip on my shoulder and I feel the players had a chip on their shoulders - we went there and we didn’t know what to expect,” said Kodiaks coach Ryan Karakochuk.
“They basically smacked us around and it didn't feel good. It definitely didn't feel good for me - I thought I was outcoached and I believed that our players could have played better. This week was all about preparation.”
Coming into their rivals’ home field with revenge and a title on their minds, Creighton would need some good strategy - and possibly some good luck - to walk out with the title banner and trophy.
Creighton’s good luck started with winning the coin toss, then scoring their first touchdown of the game, putting the Islanders behind for the first time this year. Grace Dubinak made good on the convert to get Creighton out to an early 8-0 lead. Another early touchdown would make it 14-0 Creighton.
“We were lucky enough to win the toss, get the ball, take the lead and get the convert - Grace kicked it through and now, we're up 8-0,” said Karakochuk.
“A really telling sign in that first quarter was our defence was playing really well. They couldn’t move the ball on us - they had no problem doing that the last time. They called a timeout and I knew that they knew we were ready.”
The Islanders would not go quietly however, and the teams would have a back-and-forth battle for the rest of the afternoon. Cumberland would score on the last play of the first half to make it 22-6 at half, then were able to put up 22 straight points to eke out a 28-22 lead. The Kodiaks were able to tie the game up in the fourth quarter - with eight minutes left in the fourth quarter, the game would be tied at 28-all with the Kodiaks in possession of the ball after a pair of Cumberland House turnovers.
That was when, in Karakochuk’s own words, running back Carson Straile “did his thing” - circling into the endzone for a crucial late touchdown. Dubinak aced the convert, giving Creighton a 36-28 lead.
Cumberland House would pick up another touchdown but the conversion attempt flopped, giving the Kodiaks a late lead. Another Kodiak TD would ice the game for Creighton, making the final score 42-34 and clinching another Ralph Pilz Trophy as northern Saskatchewan football champions.
“One team had to win and one team that had to lose and we came out on top in a place that's very hard to win in. I'm very proud of the team,” said Karakochuk.
The coach praised the effort of several players individually, including quarterback Marcus Kennedy, Straile and Dubinak, as well as younger players on defence, like Grade 9 players Payton Pelletier and Kwinton Lycan.
Since starting play in 2014, the Kodiaks have won championships in 2014, 2015, 2019, 2021 and now 2022.
The championship win is not the end of the Kodiaks’ football season - the team will continue on play with a provincial playoff game against one of the province’s top six-man teams and the reigning 2A provincial champions, the Wakaw Warriors. Coached by former Flin Flon Bomber Darryl Dickson, the Warriors had a perfect season this year, going 7-0 and putting up 443 total points in the process.
The two teams will face off Oct. 29 on the road, with the Kodiaks having a chance to win their first-ever provincial playoff game. The winner will head south to play either the Wynyard Golden Bears or Cupar Wildcats - both teams that have existed for much longer than Creighton’s squad - in a provincial semifinal game, while the loser of the Wakaw/Creighton game will see their season come to an end.
Creighton will see one big setback for the Wakaw game as kicker Dubinak, who also stars for the Kodiaks’ volleyball team, will not be in the lineup - Karakochuk said Dubinak, who had to miss a volleyball tournament to play in the football final, will be on the court at a different tournament this weekend. The rest of the lineup, the coach said, would be ready to go.
Karakochuk said the team and the players were both hoping and preparing for that game all season and will go off whatever information is available to plan for the game.
“The good news is we played two games in the last three weeks that really tested us. It's gotten us to where we need to prepare, know that nothing can be taken for granted and what it takes to play in a really, really good football game. I think that's going to bode well for us,” said the coach.
