The NBCHS Vikings hosted a pair of home playoff games in front of a packed crowd on their way to an NSFL championship this season. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

Strong season concludes

NBCHS Vikings fall in provincial semis, reflect on memorable year

Nov 6, 2023 | 12:24 PM

The clock may have struck midnight just a couple of hours early on the North Battleford Comprehensive High School (NBCHS) Vikings’ provincial run, but the 2023 high school football season remains a resounding success for the local football program.

NBCHS saw their season come to a close over the weekend, with a 49-9 defeat in the provincial semifinal, at the hands of Saskatoon’s Aden Bowman Bears.

However, for a Vikings’ team with already a league championship under their belt, head coach Mike Humenny said the team should hold their heads high for all they were able to accomplish this year.

“We’re very proud of our season, and winning a league championship was definitely the highlight,” he said. “We told the guys to not judge the season on the outcome of this game [as] Aden Bowman is a very good football team. We came out strong in the first quarter but unfortunately, we were not able to keep them contained.”

Following a second-place finish during the regular season in their first year within the newly-established North Sask Football League, the Vikings’ opened the playoffs with a commanding 22-0 victory over Martensville in the quarter-finals, in just their second home playoff game since 1995.

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From there, the team advanced to the NSFL final, again in front of a packed home crowd at Beaver Lions Stadium, en route to a 35-21 win to claim the inaugural league title.

Grade 12 safety, Dylan Geddes was part of the team’s veteran leadership group this year, and said prior to the weekend, just how much it meant to share the success this year with his teammates.

“It’s been amazing,” Geddes said. “We just couldn’t catch a break in Grades 10 and 11, but for my senior year all the fellas pulled through on this team and it was good to see. I have strong relationships with all these guys having played football with a lot of them since Grade 5, and it’s really nice to see we all stuck it through with football and to see how far we’ve come.”

It’s a sentiment shared by many of the Vikings’ seniors, such as running back, Quaid Watson, who added that having taken the journey together just makes the success of the senior year sweeter.

“We’ve all kind of grown up together, we’ve grown together and gotten used to each other, and look forward to what each other have to add to the field,” he said of the group’s dynamic over the years.

With 17 seniors from this year’s 44-man Vikings’ roster set to graduate from the high school ranks this spring, the team will have some big shoes to fill next fall. Though the experience of a league championship this season and lessons learned from the veteran contingent should continue to benefit the team for years to come.

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1