Penta Completions Estevan Minor Football won’t be part of a 12-man under-18 varsity league that looks like it is now forging ahead.
But that doesn’t mean the concept of a local spring U18 varsity team is finished.
Speaking after a Zoom meeting Sunday night with representatives of other football associations, EMF president Kevin Mortenson said they have 23 players who would be fully committed to playing on the team, which would be enough to play nine-man football, but not with 12 players on the field at a time. They would likely need at least 30 players.
Another 16 players want to play, but can’t because of previous commitments with another sport, graduation and/or work. Almost half of the committed players are in Grade 8 or Grade 9, which is a good sign for a couple of years from now.
Moose Jaw, Yorkton and Weyburn have committed to being part of the 12-man league. A few Estevan athletes are expected to travel to Weyburn to be part of their spring varsity team.
Mortenson is now holding out hope to be part of a spring nine-man league that would involve Melville and Moosomin; the latter invited Estevan to be in that circuit. It would be a four-game season with a home and away game against the other teams.
“I’ve been texting Moosomin since it was decided that Estevan couldn’t compete,” said Mortenson. “I’m hopeful that we could start, just like the Moose Jaw minor football schedule that would have started around the 10th of June.”
If they do start around June 10, that would allow the football season to be finished in early July, which would give everybody a month off before the high school football and the other minor football seasons begin.
He wants to see both players and coaches get some time off in July, and he doesn’t want football to ruin summer plans.
There is a measure of disappointment that they won’t be in the 12-man league, because the players on the Estevan Comprehensive School Elecs football team won’t get to play 12-man football this school year.
“But I’m also optimistic that we can play in those nine-man games,” said Mortenson.
The players for the U18 Estevan varsity team have still been practising. A meeting was slated to happen following practice on Tuesday night to discuss the direction they want to take.
