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Canada and America face off in Hafford, Sask

Jul 5, 2016 | 6:00 AM

Top high school football players have converged on the small town of Hafford.

They’ll play in the 20th Can-Am Bowl, which pits an all-Sask team against a United States team of players from Texas, Montana, Nebraska and Wyoming, on Tuesday, July 5.

Canada hasn’t won the trophy since 2009, but Team USA coach Jake Stevenson said the two countries are getting closer together in talent.

“They’re more and more competitive every year,” Stevenson said of the Canadian Team. “You saw how competitive last year’s game was. It came down to the very end, and I would expect nothing of the game this year.”

The game is played according to CFL rules, so teams have three downs to move the ball forward ten yards.

“That’s definitely something our players have to adapt to,” Stevenson said, adding they use their three practice days to get used to the rulebook and gel as a team. “At first they think it’s weird, but then by…game day it’s second nature to them.”

Stevenson said Saskatchewan hospitality reminds him of home.

“Genuine folks and they’re enjoyable to be around,” Stevenson said. “It’s similar to home for me since I’m from Montana, not much different as far as the countryside is considered.”

The game kicks off at 8 p.m. Tuesday and will be streamed online.

Fans can take in a tailgate party with live music from 12 to 7 p.m. at the Ukrainian Catholic Church hall. A free kids’ football clinic is also planned from 2 to 4 p.m. on the football field.

Geoff Smith is battlefordsNOW’s News Director, business and agriculture reporter. He can be reached at gsmith@jpbg.ca or tweet him @smithco. Concerns regarding this story can be addressed to Geoff at 306-446-6397.