Renegades Win Provincial Championship
Repeat Championship for the Bonnyville Peewee Football club
Photo Credit: Serena Critch
“I don’t even now what to say!” Head Coach of the Bonnyville Peewee Renegades, Kevin Sartain may at the first time this year be at a loss for words. “I can’t even describe these kids, or that game. It was just amazing!”
“It was 20-0 four minutes into the game.” By the end of the first quarter it was 35-0 for the Renegades. Sartain starting making subs in the second quarter, once he realized the Renegades were steady enough to bring home the championship. “I played every single one of them,” referring to the 44 kids on the squad. “It was 42-0 at that point,” Coach Sartain was positive the team would bring home the championship; he just wasn’t sure it would be by such a large point differential.
At halftime the Renegades were up 60-0 on Strathmore. “No Peewee team has done what we have, in any tier. We threw for over 2000 yards (for the season). We have 24 passing touchdowns; nobody’s done that. With 3500 yards rushing.” Sartain says the success in the season carried into the post-season because the club is balanced, “we pass, we run, we do trick plays. We look like the New English Patriots out there,” laughs the coach.
The game ended in favour of the Renegades, 72-8 to win a repeat Provincial Championship for the young players.
“I’ve been trying my best for how I want to explain this game. We can go up against any team in this Province.” The Renegades traveled south to take on Strathmore in the Alberta Provincial Tier III* finals. “I would go up against any Tier I team in this province, that’s how good the Renegades are. Maybe we wouldn’t be able to win… who knows? But we would not get blown outta the water, it would be a good hard-fought game.”
Coach Sartain set out three goals for himself at the beginning of the season:
- Go Undefeated
- Host the League Championship & Win it
- Win the Provincial Championship
With all three goals now achieved, Coach Sartain is satisfied in moving onto his next goal; to become a better coach. “I decided at the end of last year, I was going to do one more year. I realized I had three Renegades left, from the original team, and they’d be moving on and I decided to move on with them.” It’s not just losing those original three that has Coach Sartain looking beyond Peewee football, it’s also improving his game. “I need to become a more technical coach and the only way I’m going to do that is to move onto a higher level of football. Do I want to leave the Renegades? No, I love that team. But, I also have other goals and that would be the Bantams and the High School levels.”
Coach Sartain hasn’t officially been asked to join another team’s coaching team, but he has unofficially been told that the Bonnyville Amateur Football Association will find a new squad for him next season.
*Amateur football tiers are determined by town population, not skill.
**LCN would like to thank the Renegades for the amazing season, Coach Kevin Sartain for always finding time to chat and give advice to a fellow coach, and the parents who helped fill out the stories with your amazing photos and videos! Cheers!
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