After their last three games of football in other towns, John Paul II Collegiate's football team had their homecoming game.
It was a beautiful autumn evening, the bleachers were packed, the John Paul II Mission Team held a bake sale and everyone was ready to watch some football.
The evening began with the cheer team holding out a long banner that read "Crusaders" and the John Paul II football team ripped through it. When they ran onto the field, the crowd went wild. The team was facing off against the Unity Warriors, hoping for their first victory in team history.
After 25 years, John Paul II Collegiate finally has a football team. They've played against Delisle, Unity, Kindersley and Meadow Lake. Students from Grades 9 to 12 are allowed to play, and all grades can participate in a spring training camp if they're interested in playing.
The homecoming game, Sept. 25, was part of the 25th anniversary celebration of John Paul II.
"For the homecoming game on Friday, Sept. 30, the game will be played later on in the day, so the lights at the Beaver Lions Stadium will be on for second half," said Bruce Yockey, one of the coaches.
The schedule for the rest of the year is to play Meadow Lake and then Martinsville for the final game.
Unity started the game off 10 nothing, but Calvin Perepeljuk of John Paul II scored a touchdown to make the score 10-7. It looked like John Paul II was going to score another touchdown, but it was called back because of a penalty. John Paul II was in field goal range at the end of the first half, but time ran out before the team could get the kick off.
The second half was a defensive battle, with Unity blocking a field goal attempt. After John Paul II's second try at a field goal during the second half, they succeeded and evened out the score 10-10.
The biggest play of the game occurred with just a few seconds left when Unity was inside John Paul II's 10-yard line. Unity attempted to kick the ball through the end zone for a single point and the win, but the kick was blocked by John Paul II to preserve the tie game.
"We are continuing to make progress and the team is realizing what needs to be done to give themselves a chance to win games," said Yockey.
The emotion of the players and the roar of the crowd was amazing, and made for an exciting atmosphere. It was a great moral victory for the first year team, and even though they didn't technically win, the tie was just as fulfilling.
