Vincent Massey Trojans back on the field

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This article was published 15/10/2021 (1684 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

After a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Vincent Massey Collegiate Trojans football team is thrilled to finally be back on the field.

“We’ve had a long break, but our coach has done a great job of making sure we were still doing things,” Odin Peterson, Trojans offensive lineman, told The Sou’wester. “We were out on the field in the summer and, when we’ve been allowed, in the weight room, so I think a lot of the guys are ready — physically and mentally — and are just excited to go and get playing.”

Shippan and Peterson played junior varsity together in Grade 10. Peterson said the team did “pretty good” and was “middle of the pack.”

Now that they’re in their senior year and have finally dusted off their helmets, they hope the Trojans will win the Winnipeg High School Football League ANAVETS Bowl and take the season.

The team won 20-7 against St. Paul’s High School and beat Steinbach Regional Secondary School in an exhibition game before that.

“It was just really fun to be back playing, and they’re a really good team, so it was a good challenge for us,” Peterson said. “It’s great to be back with people and with my friends again.”

“It just felt really good,” added linebacker Max Shippan. “We’re hoping to win the pool, but I think we’re all just mostly excited for the season.”

Vincent Massey Trojans head coach Kelsey McKay said the goals for the season is to be “organized, disciplined, respectful and classy.”

He said the team has worked hard since the beginning of the school year, as evidenced by the team’s recent wins against St. Paul’s High School and Steinbach Regional Secondary School.

“Was it perfect? No, not even close, but that’s what you strive to get: perfection,” McKay said. “We won’t get there, but we’ll always try to.”

McKay said everyone across the league is in the “same boat” when it comes to the lack of game experience caused by COVID-19 public health orders, but the kids are excited, and the key is always to coach at their level.

“They’re understanding the culture of our program and are understanding the routines, how to prepare themselves physically and how to take care of their bodies,” he added.

“Football is a very demanding sport. You have to be a student of the game, a fan of the game and understand what your body consistently needs to be able to perform and contribute to the team.”

Aside from gunning for wins, the Vincent Massey Trojans players pride themselves on their community engagement.

Each year they host a fundraising game for multiple sclerosis where they wear special red jerseys, among other initiatives planned throughout the season.

“Our preparation, citizenship and what kind of students they are is more important to me than winning,” he said. “The winning takes care of itself if we take care of the right things.”