The first week of school has arrived, and with that also comes the beginning of the official start of 2017 football season for the St. Paul Lions and Bengals.
Both teams began regular practice early last week in preparation for the upcoming season, and the Lions in particular are experiencing a dynamic shift in size and age this year. The team lost a big handful of seniors to graduation this year, but also gained a large crew of younger players moving up from the Bengals.
The Bengals, however, are looking strong with a large group of Grade 8 and 9 players.
“We're a fairly young team this year, and it'll be tough trying to replace the bigger, older guys that left us after grad,” said Lions head coach Mark Tichkowsky, who will be coaching the Lions for the first time this year after previously coaching the younger Bengals team.
“We lost a pretty big core group of guys, but we've also gained a really strong young group of players coming up from middle school and still have about seven or eight seniors this year. I've already coached a lot of the young guys on last year's bantam team, so they so my style and my routine, so things are looking up on that end.”
Tichkowsky was clear about how important it is for the Lions to stay healthy throughout the year, and that their ability to avoid injury would be crucial to their success.
“I have total confidence in all of our guys, but you always worry about injuries and sickness and things like that. You can't really plan for it, and you have to just roll with the punches, but as long as we stay strong and avoid getting hurt as much as possible, we'll be in great shape.”
Todd Tanasichuk will be leading the Bengals this season, and is optimistic about his team this year.
“We're looking forward to being a truly competitive football team this year,” he said. “I'm confident and the boys seem confident as well, and when you have a team that knows that they can play well and win, well, that makes all the difference and gets you excited.”
Both the Lions and the Bengals begin their seasons at home this weekend against Wainwright.
The Lions play on Friday at 5 p.m., and the Bengals play on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Players and coaches alike are hoping to start the season off strong.
“Wainwright shouldn't be too much of a problem,” said a confident Parker Lumby, senior quarterback for the Lions. “I mean, it's not like it'll be easy or anything, but we have high hopes for this season and if we can set the tone early against Wainwright, we'll just be that more set to go far.”
Fellow senior and fullback Henri Laidley shared Parker's confidence, but also was wary of a few teams that gave the Lions trouble last year.
“Holy Rosary, Bonnyville Centralized, and Lloyd Comp (Lloydminster Comprehensive High School) are definitely teams to watch out for," Henri said. “Lloyd Comp had a lot of good Grade 11 running backs when we played them last year, and they came at us hard, so this year they'll come at us even harder.”
“Bonnyville is kind of the same,” said Parker, with Henri agreeing. “They had a bunch of Grade 10 and 11 stars, so now they'll just be even better, so we'll have to step it up. Holy Rosary lost a lot of veterans but they're always good, so that's not going to change.”
Tanasichuk believes that one of the biggest challenges for the Bengals this year will not be the other teams in the league, but it will be St. Paul’s ability to unite under the leadership of a different coach.
“The boys will be learning a new offense and getting used to a different coaching style, and that could be tough. But it’s an opportunity for them to step up as leaders among themselves, which is what they really need.
They need to buy into the idea of playing as a team and get used to the concept of self-sacrifice for the betterment of the people around you. We have to work together and be committed. If we can do that, then it's just a matter of always getting better and peaking at the right time. That's how you bring home a championship.”
