Levi Koenig and Max Gubbe with the U16 West Challenge championship trophy. (Submitted photo/Levi Koenig)

By Martin Martinson

National Champs

Battlefords locals take home gold at U16 West Challenge

Jul 7, 2022 | 6:00 PM

North Battleford’s Levi Koenig and Max Gubbe are football champions.

Coming off their first experience representing Saskatchewan at the 2022 Football Canada U16 West Challenge in Langley, BC., the pair took home a gold medal last night in an experience they won’t soon forget.

As the final seconds ticked off the clock in Team Sask’s 22-10 championship-clinching win over B.C., Koenig called it a surreal feeling.

“It was crazy…” he said, shaking his head with a smile. “The first half our offense struggled a little bit as we couldn’t move the ball very consistently, but in the second half we really put it together and it almost didn’t feel real winning because it’s just such a big accomplishment.”

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A Grade 9 student at North Battleford Comprehensive High School (NBCHS), Koenig said it wasn’t until a B.C. timeout with just six seconds remaining, that the gravity of the moment and what the team was about to accomplish truly hit.

“All I’m thinking is like, wow, this is really coming true,” Koenig said, recalling those final game moments with the crowd in hysterics. “All that work in Saskatoon, all the training and practices in B.C. that week prior, it was all paying off and it really did in the end.”

Gubbe, a Grade 8 student at NBCHS who began his foray into organized football less than one year ago with the school team, said after winning the tournament championship, he couldn’t help but look back on what has been a whirlwind introduction to the sport.

“Honestly, just how far I’ve come in football over the last 10 months… having only started playing in September, to now be playing for Team Saskatchewan and winning gold, it was just a great experience,” he said.

Team Saskatchewan’s championship squad pose for a team picture as 2022 Football Canada U16 West Challenge champions. (Submitted photo/Max Gubbe)

Both Koenig and Gubbe shared in the celebration post-game with family having made the trip to be in attendance for the championship game. It’s something both said made the celebration all the sweeter.

“The first thing I did after we won is give my mom a hug,” Gubbe said. “The whole [tournament] was an exciting experience and just being able to pull it out, we really stayed focused and played as a team to win gold.”

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1