The Lloydminster Peewee Steelers are league champions after beating the Colts 42-6 on a foggy Sunday afternoon. Taylor Weaver Meridian Source Photos
It’s been a three-year battle for select few, but the blood, sweat and tears were worth it as Peewee Steelers are league champions.
The Steelers took to the field at St. Mary’s Elementary School on a foggy Sunday afternoon to take on the highly-ranked Colts in the final game of the season.
At the sound of the final horn, the Steelers flooded the field after a 42-6 win, and in true sportsmanlike fashion, the victors quickly congratulated their opponents on a job well done.
“First and foremost, I gotta give a lot of credit to the Colts and their coaching staff, they did a great job,” said Steelers coach Justin Kelly.
“Cody (Grassl) got his great kids in great spots and they gave us a shot right off the hop.
“The Colts challenged our kids. We hadn’t seen them in a month and we knew they’d be better than the last time we saw them. They gave us a shot right off the hop.”
Kelly explained this was the Steelers’ third trip to the final in three years, making the win that much better for graduating players such as Cobi Payne and Dan Nikiforuk.
“Our senior players, Cobi and Dan, especially, they stuck to it and knew what we were all about,” said Kelly.
“We knew the Colts were going to make plays, but we had to gut it out … they found a way to lead us, and we’ve been challenging them to do that all year.”
An athlete of few words, Nikiforuk, 12, is the strong silent type that leaves it all out on the field.
“We played really hard. At the start we kinda got beat, but we got up from that and won,” said Nikiforuk.
Being his last year playing Peewee, Nikiforuk said he plans to play in the next division and win that, too.
Payne, 12, also a running back, said it felt really good to win after making it all the way to the final for two years then losing.
“It feels good, but I also want to give a shoutout to the Colts, they made it all the way here, too,” he said.
This was also Payne’s last year in Peewee, and he too is looking forward to moving up.
“It feels nice to leave on a high note, but it also feels good leaving a title for the younger kids to defend,” he said, explaining he’s excited to play Bantam with his cousins next year.
For Kelly and his fellow Peewee coaches, the emotional rollercoaster of coaching minor football gets put on hold until next season until the next challenge awaits.
“None of us coaches are here for ourselves, we’re here to give kids the opportunity and we couldn’t be more proud of these kids,” he said.
“It’s a little emotional to go through it … my older boy was here for two years and got beat both times … we just couldn’t get it done those games, but we found a way.”
With three female players gutting it out with the guys, Sunday’s game was a milestone for adversity in minor football in Lloyd.
It was also unique as it was the first time the league’s two Lloyd teams have met in the final.
“The Colts have a girl on their roster and we have two on ours. Our one girl was out with a broken nose, but our other plays special teams,” said Kelly.
“Their girl, Dani Reid, is an absolute beast; she’s so good and we’d love to have her on our team, she’s that good.”
