Football team readies for May workouts
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Huskie football coach Scott Flory is among many that are patiently waiting for the May 5th Dog’s Breakfast at Prarieland Park. “It’s going to be pretty neat, because it’s been three years.” (The 2020 and 2021 events were cancelled due to the pandemic.) The 20th annual breakfast, which will pay tribute to the 2007 Grey Cup champion Saskatchewan Roughriders, will serve as the official kick off the 2022 spring camp at Griffiths Stadium. “Over half of our football team has never seen this breakfast.” The event, which is the single largest off-season fundraiser for scholarships for the U of S football team, also energizes the players according to Flory.
That’s not to say that motivation is an issue. Far from it. The defending Hardy Cup champions were eager to return to campus last month for some workouts. “There was a big desire to get back on the field”, said Flory. After a season opening loss to UBC to start the 2021 season, the Huskies went on an 8 game win streak before losing to the Western Mustangs by six points in the Vanier Cup last December. Flory observed, “We started (the March practices) with the speed and intensity of a training camp. We know what we are doing, we know our systems, and we are going to get better.”
Quarterback Mason Nyhus can draw on the experience of already starting in a national championship game, as he approaches his fifth and final season with Saskatchewan. The Regina product was second in Canada West passing in 2021, averaging 275.5 yards/game in six regular season contests. Nyhus also led the conference with 16 touchdown passes, while tossing just two interceptions. Flory admits he is going to put more on Nyhus’ plate this season. “He’s arguably the face and the leader of our football team. He’s up for it and welcomes it.”
Like every other USports football coach, Flory will watch the May 3rd, 2022 CFL Canadian College Draft with a great deal of interest. U of S offensive lineman Noah Zerr is ranked 10th in the list of top 20 prospects, while Saskatchewan defensive lineman Nathan Cherry is 20th. Veteran offensive lineman Connor Berglof has already signed with the Ottawa RedBlacks, while running back Adam Machart has also drawn the attention of CFL teams. Adapting to the draft, as well as season to season turnover among starters, is nothing new to USports programs. “We don’t know what 2022 is going to hold,” Flory said. “We are working tirelessly to put ourselves in a situation to be successful.”
