BONNYVILLE – On Friday evening, the Bonnyville Voyageurs took on Lloydminster’s Holy Rosary Raiders as the sun went down on Walsh field.
Losing 48-0, the spirits remained jovial on the home bench.
“It’s been a struggle, I mean on the field, we're having a tough time putting on a better product in the field, but tonight was a little different despite the score,” said Larry Godziuk, the Voyageurs’ head coach.
“The group of boys we have every year is different and special, but the group of boys we have (this season) are a lot of fun – that’s our number one goal – and they had a lot of fun tonight.”
Setting up plays and putting in a strong effort, the Voyageurs had a hard time breaking through the Raiders’ defense. From the sidelines, it was apparent that the Voyageurs went into the game out numbered and out sized.
“The score was the score. (The Raiders) is one of the best teams in the province right now and for us to put in the effort that we did tonight – I’m pretty happy with it. We’ve got a couple more weeks left in the season and we’ll see what we can do next week,” Godzuik told Lakeland This Week.
Making up the Voyageurs’ roster are 23 official players, with two players currently sitting out due to injuries.
At Friday’s game, with only 20 players, many of the Voyageurs had little time to rest as they jumped back on the field playing both defense and offense.
“We've struggled just to put bodies on the field, that's been a problem too... So hopefully we can convince some of our older kids to come out,” he said. “It's been a challenge coming back from COVID and the guys finding other things to do. That's been a real challenge because the guys have walked away from sports everywhere, in hockey and indoor soccer, football and volleyball. Hopefully, these guys spread the word that we have a good thing going here.”
Due to the size of the team, the Voyageurs’ coaching staff decided to forgo exhibition games for the season, starting a few weeks behind.
“Usually, we're starting right at the beginning of September and we would have had two or three exhibitions. With a small roster, it makes for a long season. That's where guys get hurt and we can't afford that. We just kept the guys as fresh as we could,” Godzuik explained.
So far, the Voyageurs have lost four out of their five regular season games and forfeited a fifth due to illness and injury.
Pushing ahead with small enrolment numbers, he said, “We were on the verge of not having a football team because of a lack of players. I’m glad we never made that decision because we have a good group of kids who deserve to play some football and they are having fun when they come out here so we’re happy to give them that opportunity.”
The Voyageurs’ next game will be played against the St. Paul Lions on Oct. 22 at the St. Paul Regional field.
