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Sometimes you have to be adaptable to win.
"You have to learn and adjust to anything people throw at you. You can adjust and it will pay off."
That's a lesson Swift Current football player Cade Napper learned as he helped Saskatchewan win a 5th consecutive 2025 U16 Western Regional Challenge.
"A mix of emotions when that buzzer went off," Napper said. "All of us crowded the field and it just felt like we'd accomplished something huge with this new team I'd never really known the guys on."
Saskatchewan beat Manitoba 35-0 and Alberta 32-17 to win the event in Winnipeg.
Napper tried out as a linebacker and ended up playing defensive line for Saskatchewan.
"I was a bit iffy about playing there," he said. "I went to the camp in Regina and my coach said I learned really well."
That positional flexibility could help him as he returns to the Swift Current Comp Colts next season.
"Coaches can put me wherever they need me," Napper said. "I have a feeling I can adapt. That experience put a bit more confidence in me, and I feel I can help the team more."