The high school football season in Moose Jaw has ended after this past weekend.
Three teams reside here in Moose Jaw: the Central Collegiate Cyclones, Peacock Collegiate Tornados, and the Vanier Vikings. We sat down with the head coaches of each team to get their take on the season.
Central Collegiate Cyclones (5A 12-A-Side)
The Cyclones were one of the best teams in the league with a 6 - 2 record to close out the regular season. After placing second place in the standings, the Cyclones prepared themselves to make a playoff run.
In the first round the Cyclones had to face the number one team in their league at 7 - 1 on the season, the Balgonie Greenall Griffins in Regina at Leibel Field on October 25th. Moose Jaw Central would pull off the upset with a score of 32 - 7 and send Balgonie home for the year.
Up next was Saskatoon Bishop Mahoney in the 5A 12-A-Side Semi-Final at SMF Field in Saskatoon on November 2nd. Unfortunately, the road would end here for the Moose Jaw Central Cyclones with a score of 31 - 3.
"I was pleased with this team. Going into the season you're always optimistic about what your team is going to be like. We found our stride late in the season and the kids bought into playing as one and we went on an impressive roll to finish the season off," said Colin Belsher, head coach of the Central Cyclones.
Peacock Collegiate Tornadoes (5A 12-A-Side)
The Tornados landed right in the middle of the South Rural League with a record of 3 - 4 on the season. The three wins for Peacock Collegiate came against Swift Current on two occasions, and Estevan.
There were several close games this year for the Tornados where if a handful of plays went their way, the season could have looked a lot different.
"You're that close, it was just heartbreak after heartbreak. but again, credit to these other teams, our league is really strong," said Head Coach of the Tornados, Bert Redstone.
12 players are graduating from the Tornados following this season, which will prompt a lot of their grade 11 players to fill some shoes for next season.
"It's like every other year, you graduate some guys, and some younger players get better over the season and expect them to do the same next year," added Redstone.
Vanier Collegiate Vikings (9-A-Side)
For the Vanier Vikings, it was a solid season finishing in third place in their conference with a record of 3 - 3. Their three wins came against Notre Dame, Maple Creek, and Gull Lake this season.
The team did make the in-conference playoffs where they lost to Shaunavon 54 - 14 on October 18th. Despite the season coming to an end, the team has a lot to look forward to in the future.
"With such a young team and a lot of young players in key positions, making playoffs and giving it our best shot and impressed ourselves," said Head Coach, Luke Tkatchuk.
Moving forward, the team hopes to get bigger, faster, and stronger in 2025.