The University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team is entering its second week of training camp.
Battling the sweltering heat, the team is preparing for its first pre-season game on Thursday when it hosts the University of Manitoba Bisons.
The team has many positions up for grabs as a couple of key players have moved on after the 2021 season.
But every season comes with change, and the coaches and players know the Huskie standard never changes.
One area of strength for the team will be the linebacking core.
Head coach Scott Flory says there are some athletes and leaders in his linebacking core looking to lead the defence.
“There’s a lot of talent there, we’ve got to find a way to get them all on the field. They play fast and physically and that’s what you want them to do. These guys are a treat to watch. We are looking forward to Thursday night. There is a ton of competition there. The talent goes deep and guys can play,” said Flory.
The linebackers include fourth-year Nick Wiebe and second-year Lane Novak. They know there is tremendous talent in the group. Now it’s about going out there on the field and playing great Huskie football and being a force to be reckoned with each and every game.
“I think that the chemistry between us is only going to grow this year. We played so well together. It’s awesome. It’s showed in the training camp. I feel like we have been flying around pretty well here through the camp,” said Wiebe.
“We’ve all got that big game experience and got that experience under our belt. We think this year can be the year we step up and be leaders on this team and really be dominant teams in Can West and across the country,” Novak added.
Both players want to wash the sour taste out of their mouths from how the 2021 season ended when they lost the Vanier Cup to the Western Mustangs 27-21 in March.
“We have mementos in the locker room that reminds us how close we were, providing motivation for us,” said Wiebe.
“The only goal we have this year is to get back there (to the Vanier Cup). Last year it was a distant goal, at the start of the season — let’s get through the Hardy Cup and win the Can West first. The expectation is let’s win Hardy and get right back to the Vanier Cup, get it done this time around.”
Many of the linebackers experienced the heartbreak of the Vanier Cup in 2021, which is motivation the players are using this year. The team’s mindset is simple this year: bringing home the ultimate prize in 2022.
“That trophy should have been ours, guys were training hard this off-season, you could see and sense it’s been eating at guys for a while,” said Novak.
The coach and players are all ready for the pre-season game versus the Bisons — a chance to get in some real live game action and hit something that isn’t a teammate.
Training camp resumes on Tuesday from 9 a.m. to noon at Griffiths Stadium.
Kickoff against the Bisons is on Thursday at 7 p.m.