Alberta's best peewee football team shared fond memories about a season for the history books at the Bonnyville Renegades and Bandits annual awards banquet.
Players, coaching staff, parents and fans assembled at the Glendon Hall on Dec. 11 to celebrate the Bonnyville Renegades provincial championship, the first such title in Bonnyville football history.
Fourteen players received awards, nine players received honourable mentions and 20 graduating players were given jerseys.
Head coach Kevin Sartain made the opening remarks of the evening by congratulating his team on a remarkable season and thanking the community for their overwhelming support.
“It's like you're in the NFL sometimes in a small community, like they rally hard behind us, to find the right words is hard.”
He added, “It makes all of us feel like we're doing something special and it elevates this program and it elevates all of us.”
Duncan Critch, Bonnyville's go-to running back, got the scoring started for Bonnyville in the championship game against the Red Deer Steelers at 7:40 of the first quarter when he forced his way across the goal line from six-yards out. After a successful two-point conversion the Renegades were out to an 8-0 lead. Several plays later Critch busted out to the right side and rumbled 45-yards untouched for a touchdown to propel Bonnyville in front 16-0.
To recognize his season-long excellence, he was awarded the Team MVP Award, one of three coveted MVP awards.
“I was just sitting there and I was listening and I was like that sounds a lot like me but it also sounds like a lot of the other players on this team,” Critch said about his name being announced. “To win this award is the best thing in the world, I couldn't do it without my team, I couldn't without my line, I couldn't do it without my defence.”
He added, “Last year I was in the provincial game, we lost 54-0 that made me very sad so at the end of the game I promised myself to get back, win the provincial title and just be as best as I could and I guess I solved that.”
With an 8-1 record through the season, the Renegades only lost their first game against the Lloydminster Colts, after which they won eight straight games, not losing the lead in a single game. They defeated Red Deer 40-30 in the final.
“You just saw the maturity level in these kids throughout the season, it was amazing,” said Sartain, adding that player confidence rose steadily throughout the season.
He added, “I get inside my players heads, inside their hearts and make them want to play for me and I make the thought of losing just unacceptable and if we do lose but we gave it our all we're okay with that, that happens.”
Next season will be Sartain's last with the Renegades, a team he helped formulate in 2013. He will have just three players from his original lineup joining hi, as the rest of the players have moved onto the bantam. As for himself, he plans on moving up to the Bandits or Voyageurs for the next step in his coaching career.
“Next season will be the last charge of coach Kevin Sartain and his immortal Renegades,” Sartain joked.
Over the years, Sartain said he has he has experienced a calmness overcome him that has helped fine-tune his coaching skills.
“I've learned to evaluate what's happening on the field or in practice with my players.”
He added, “The game has slowed down for me, it slows down for players, and it has slowed right down for me.”
In addition to the team awards, there were parent's choice awards and the teams recognized the efforts of the parents that helped create a successful season for the Renegades.
Kevin Wooldridge won the Rookie of the Year Award, Riley Debler and Logan Church won the Most Improved Player of the Year Award, Carter McLaren won the Offensive Lineman of the Year Award, Logan Yashchyshyn won the Defensive Lineman of the Year Award, Kistin Watchmaker won the Lineman of the Year Award, Chad Richie and Miles Debler won the Offensive Backfield of the Year Award, Tyler Verrier won the Defensive Backfield of the Year Award, Titus Fagnan won the Offensive MVP Award, John Neumenn won the Defensive MVP Award, Curtis Desnoyers won the Heart and Soul Award and Jaden House won the Honourable Heart and Soul Award.
