The Winston High Wildcats Football team in Watrous got off to a strong start to their season in six-man football.
On Friday night, the Wildcats defeated the Clavet Cougars 54-14.
Clavet has been a thorn in the side of the Wildcats recently, as they’ve claimed the last three provincial champions in 2A Six Man Football.
Head Coach Barry Croshaw felt that experience was a big difference in the win.
“Clavet’s a little bit more inexperienced than they have been in the past few years. We carry over quite a few guys that have played for, started in grade 10, 11, and now in grade 12. So, the inexperienced caught them by a little bit. I think by the end of the year, they're going to be tough to beat.”
Croshaw says the strength of the team is that they’re a balanced squad.
“We're athletic and we have good size, and I think we're pretty balanced through the entire lineup, both offensively and defensively.”
It will be a veteran laden squad for the Wildcats with 11 Grade 12 players on the team, which is a bit higher than normal as Croshaw explains. He noted last year the team only had a few senior players.
All of the Wildcat home games are played under the lights at Croshaw Field. It’s a memorable experience for both the players and fans according to the Wildcats Head Coach
“The atmosphere is really fantastic.”
Croshaw added the community support is remarkable with possibly 300-400 fans who attended the home opener.
Always a perennial contender in six-man football in Saskatchewan, Croshaw says the goal is to once again to play in the important games in November.
“Our hope is that we play in that provincial final game is the is the hope and of course our goal is always to win it and I think we have shot at being in that final game this year if we can keep everybody healthy and on the on the right track so.”
This week, the Wildcats will play their first game on the road as they travel to Davidson on Friday.