Redemption is on the minds of the Winston High School Wildcats football team in Watrous as they begin the 2024 season.
The Wildcats provincial championship hopes were dashed in the 2A 6-Man Provincial Final last year against Clavet.
Last week, the team began practicing ahead of their first game in Assiniboia on Friday, September 5.
Head Coach Barry Croshaw was pleased with the early results from his squad, noting that the team must shake off some rust but feels the squad is in good shape.
Croshaw said the Wildcats will have 34 players on their roster with five of them in Grade 12. He added the bulk of the players are in Grade 11, which bodes well for the team’s future.
He notes the team is in good shape on both sides of the ball.
“We got a pretty good linebacking crew, we got a quarterback that’s now played for two years, so quarterback and running back are areas of strength. Really for the most part we don’t have any areas where we are too concerned about.”
Coming off a tough end to their season in 2023, Croshaw said the goal for the team, like most seasons, is to play competitive football in November.
“Winning that last football game is a goal, we would like to finish first in the league and host a playoff game.”
Croshaw added they will be in tough with Clavet in their league, last year Watrous was defeated by Clavet in three separate games, including the provincial final.
Opening kickoff for the Wildcats home games in the regular season will be at 7:00, with the addition of permanent light fixtures. This allows more people to attend the games with a later start time.
The first home game for the Wildcats will be against Clavet on Friday, September 13.