The Vikings celebrate following their quarterfinals victory, to advance to the provincial semi-finals this weekend. (Facebook/Hafford Football)

By Martin Martinson

Football on tap

Hafford Vikings to host provincial semis this weekend

Nov 4, 2022 | 5:00 AM

Update: The game between the Hafford Vikings and Hanley Sabers has been postponed until Monday at 1 p.m. due to weather conditions.

The Hafford Vikings are just a game away from making their fourth straight trip to the finals, in their quest for a fourth straight provincial championship.

On Saturday (Nov. 5), the Vikings will play host to the Hanley Sabers at Hafford Central School for the teams’ semi-finals matchup.

Coming off a convincing 63-17 victory over the North West Central School Wildcats in the quarterfinals, Vikings’ head coach Ryan Barnstable said the team is chomping at the bit to return to play this weekend.

“The boys are really excited to make it this far and obviously playing at home is a lot of fun, so we’re looking forward to having a big crowd out,” he said. “We’ve seen a little bit of Hanley and they look like a solid team too so it should be a good game.”

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Perhaps most impressive about the Vikings’ continued dominance this year in their return to the semis– and possibly the finals depending Saturday’s outcome– has been the large number of turnover the roster has seen from even a year ago.

The Vikings feature just three returning starters from last year’s provincial championship team, and just four Grade 12 players total, all four of whom have played a key role in leading the squad off the field and on, with their play on both sides of the ball.

Seniors Carter Burton and Daylon Lafreniere have lined up at primarily at offensive line and linebacker for the team this year, while Hunter Reid plays offensive and defensive line, and Justin Moore, defensive line and running back.

Barnstable said the veterans’ impact has been invaluable to the team, along with the key contributions they’ve seen from a number of younger players as well.

“We knew we needed some young guys to step up this year and we’ve definitely gotten that,” the coach said. “We’ve got a couple of Grade 9s who are starters and have played really well, and that’s been a big thing for us, just how well our young guys have come along and really stepped up when we’ve needed them.”

Kickoff for Saturday’s semi-finals game at Hafford Central versus Hanley will be at 1 p.m. Should they win Saturday, the Vikings will also host the provincial final this year on their home field.

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1