Tanner Kardynal had his moment under the lights.
For the first time in his senior football career, he had about a 30 second run after which he had every reason to feel like Devin Hester.
Hester who was a second round draft pick of the Chicago Bears in 2006, made a name for himself in the NFL with an unbelievable ability to return kickoffs for touchdowns.
Friday Night Lights in Yorkton was obviously far from what the Super Bowl is but for all intents and purposes, the feeling had to be similar.
Both touchdowns came in big games and both were played under the lights on a dark night.
And for once, the stands at the YRHS Kinsmen Century Field were jam packed.
"I was just running one way," explained Kardynal after the game, in which his Yorkton Regional High School Raider Gridder seniors upended the Martin Collegiate Monarchs, 41-0.
"I just saw a sea of green," added Kardynal after running through a field against a team dressed from head to toe in black and green.
"I let my speed do the rest."
"It was remarkable. It took the wind right out of their sails. Martin could not get anything going." said Roby Sharpe, head coach of the YRHS, of both the final score and the turnout Friday Night, which totalled about 1500 people, estimates Sharpe.
"It was our game underneath the lights. We were fired up on all cylinders. It was a big success."
Sharpe added that it was a crucial victory in a league full of tough teams.
He also said that if Martin had scored on the game's opening kickoff, it may have been a diiferent night.
"That first play when Tanner (Kardynal) got the (opening) TD. That set the tone," agreed rookie QB Dalton Fichtner.
As for the win, Kardynal said he wasn't going out there expecting an annihilation of that sort, but noted that everyone on the team knew this was their game if they play the way they can.
"Well, the coaches said we would have a chance (to win it)."
The Raider offence clicked like a remote control, and their job was made a little easier with a special teams touchdown
It was scored even before either QB even got their hands on the ball.
"Yes, it was," stated Kardynal when asked if it was fun to play in.
"It was memorable. We'll never forget this."
Kardynal wasn't the only player on the field who performed well.
Jake Prybylski and Paul Toth also combined for touchdowns, while Fichtner got in on the fun as well when he ran it in himself in the fourth quarter.
Kardynal opened the scoring, Prybylski ran for two touchdowns inside 3:43 remaining in the opening quarter; his second effort, he dragged four Martin players into the end zone with him.
Colby Melnechenko capped the first-half scoring with a 57-yard punt return as time ran out in the first half of play.
All of the YRHS first half converts were good.
In the second half, the Raider offence continued to pound away at the Martin defence. Toth would eventually round out the YRHS scoring with a short gain from inside the Monarch 5-yard line to nail down a 41-0 victory.
"It was pretty fun," said Fichtner after the game. He added that "half the time it's the coaches making the call" from the sidelines, and didn't want to take much credit for the final digits on the scoreboard.
"The offensive line was great."
He added that on the Martin defensive line, "a couple guys got mad".
Among the unexpected on the night, he admitted he wasn't sure what to expect in terms of the final score, considering that most teams change each year.
"Uh, honestly, I don't know. I didn't feel too nervous. The offensive line was pretty hard."
Coach Sharpe thanks the following businesses for their help in making the night a success. Harvest Meats, The Co-op, Royal Ford and Flaman's.
Next game for the YRHS seniors will be this Friday when they play their second straight night game in Notre Dame.
