Huskie Spring Camp
2022 and beyond

Looking ahead to main camp

May 10, 2022 | 4:23 PM

Huskie football players now hit the gym in the lead up to August 15th training camp. “It’s about bigger, stronger, faster.” said third year quarterback Ethan Watson. The Huskies have some lofty short term and long term goals. A return to the Vanier Cup in 2022 is top of mind. “It’s going to take commitment and lots of sacrifice”, said Watson. “We are ready for it.”

Every university football team deals with turnover from year to year. The Huskies are no exception. 2019 Hec Crighton nominee, and 2021 Uteck Bowl hero, Adam Machart, announced his retirement from football in early May with one year of eligibility left. The talented running back has decided to pursue business interests in British Columbia.

Fourth year tailback Josh Ewanchyna (Saskatoon Holy Cross) will be the feature back in 2022. Ewanchyna had an 8.6 yards/carry average in six conference games last season. Head coach Scott Flory can also take comfort in the depth at that position. Ryker Frank (2nd year-Regina, LeBoldus) saw significant playing time on special teams in 2021. Kayden Miller (2nd year-Saskatoon, St .Joseph) had a strong spring camp and was impressive during the Green and White scrimmage on May 8th.

The University of Saskatchewan’s interior could look much different in 2022. Huskie defensive linemen Riley Pickett (4th year-Saskatoon Centennial) and Nathan Cherry (5th year-Saskatoon Aden Bowman) were both drafted by the BC Lions. Pickett was the defensive player of the game in the Uteck Bowl with 2 sacks and 7 tackles in a 14-10 win over the Montreal Carabins. Cherry led the Canada West Conference with 5.5 sacks in six regular season games.

“If we happen to lose those guys, it’s an opportunity for someone else to come along,” Flory said. “We’ve got George Idoko. We’ve got Nathan Jule. Jean-Luc (Ouellet) is making some plays. Idoko (3rd year- Calgary St. Francis) had 6.5 tackles in the regular season, while Jule (2nd year-Saskatoon St. Joseph) dressed for all six games in his first season of USports football in 2021. Ouellett is coming off his first season from Saskatoon-Walter Murray.

2021 marked the first time in 10 seasons that a team other than the Calgary Dinos hosted the Hardy Cup. Flory wants that sort of dominance for the University of Saskatchewan football program. The goal is to be perennial champions. In order to do that, strong recruiting and depth is a must. “We just have to make sure that we have the next guys ready to go.”

The Huskies host the Manitoba Bisons in a non-conference game on Thursday, August 25th at Griffiths Stadium. Saskatchewan opens the regular season on the road on Friday, September 2nd in Calgary, against the Dinos. The Huskie home opener is Friday, September 9th as the UBC Thunderbirds visit Griffiths Stadium.

wray.morrison@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @wraymorrison

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