The SDSSAA junior football teams cannot possibly keep this up, can they?
The lads launched their 2025 fall schedule last week with a pair of games that not only rank among the most exciting contests seen at this level in quite some time - but also among the most high-scoring competitive affairs that we have witnessed.
In the opening encounter, Levi Blouin recorded his fourth touchdown of the game in the final minute of play, lifting the Lo-Ellen Park Knights to a 30-27 win over the St Charles College Cardinals.
In fact, Blouin accounted for all 30 of the Lo-Ellen points, picking up three two-point conversions to go along with his majors.
Koda Peltier found his way to the end zone on two separate occasions for the Cardinals, hauling in a pair of passes from QB Michael Bisschops that covered a combined 129 yards, while Wesley Virkki and Bisschops added one touchdown apiece.
Sele Arewa split the uprights on three of his four PAT attempts for St Charles as his team built up a 20-8 lead at the half before the Knights clawed their way back.
In part, the comeback came courtesy of a Lo-Ellen defense that tightened up in the second half, led in part by linebacker Caleb Middaugh, who keeps working his way up the field.
"In my first year with the (Junior) Spartans (after grade eight), I played wide receiver - but that wasn't for me," noted the 15 year old who first tried out on the urging of close friend Byron Marshall.
"I had DB (defensive back) hands," he laughed. "I couldn't catch. They moved me to DB for my first season at Lo-Ellen (2024) and I just loved hitting. Now the coach said I've gotten bigger since last year so they moved me to linebacker."
"I just love to hit - and there's a lot of hitting at linebacker."
Still, as a lifelong hockey kid initially, the notion that football contact should differ from the ice skill of body checking did not fully register for Middaugh.
"In my first season of football, I couldn't get the idea in my head that I actually had to gran them and bring them to the ground," he said. "I kept dropping my shoulder, dropping my shoulder and missing tackles."
"Over time, especially with the Spartans, I figured out how to tackle."
As might be expected, the junior game featured a few turnovers on both sides as Lo-Ellen lineman Avery Laalo blocked a punt and came up with a fumble recovery while St Charles countered with the likes of Tomiwa Gagophien (INT + FR) and Trent Maskevich (INT).
In the nightcap, the Lively Hawks overcame a 25-13 deficit at the half as running back Dean Vildis amassed four touchdowns and three converts, pushing the Hawks past the St Benedict bears 41-38.
Rounding out the scoring for Lively were quarterback Kade Campbell (TD + PAT) and Avery MacKinnon.
The Bears replied with majors from Brendan Goffin (3), Emmanuel Abiodun (2) and Jude Thiessen and a pair of conversions from Gabe Matozzo.
