They might be just teenagers, but they were representing their country on the weekend.Three former players with the Humboldt Collegiate Institute (HCI) Mohawks' football team were part of Team Saskatchewan at the 2010 SasKota Bowl held July 16 in Lumsden.Cody Dale, Cody Schlosser, and Thomas Skulski, along with HCI coach Cory Popoff, spent the past week preparing for the game which saw the best nine-man players from North Dakota take on the best Saskatchewan nine-man players.According to Luke Dunville, the Saskatchewan head coach, it was a pretty good game, although Saskatchewan ended up losing 56-42."We were definitely in the game, but the U.S. had a fantastic quarterback," Dunville said. "Our strong point was our offensive side, especially the running backs."All three Humboldt players had their moments to shine in the game, Dunville noted, with Dale recording a sack and Schlosser and Skulski bringing pressure to bear on the American quarterback. Schlosser also had a near interception, Dunville said, but lost the ball when he was hit by the intended receiver.Saskatchewan actually took the lead in the game, scoring two touchdowns in the first quarter before the Americans got on the board, he explained. But, the U.S. came roaring back and scored four TDs to take a 28-14 lead at the half, Dunville said."The game went back and forth in the last half," he said. "We traded touchdowns in the third and fourth quarters and they were up three TDs at one point, but we clawed our way back to within one."Dunville was pleased with the performance of Popoff, who was the defensive line coach."He was an asset to have on the team," he said. "The entire coaching staff worked well together and generated ideas. It was a real pleasure to be part of that coaching staff."Popoff was happy with the team's performance, stating that the week of practice before the game was important in melding the team together and getting everyone on the same playbook. "It was a bit challenging to work with the kids, but they were quick to learn the offensive and defensive systems," Popoff said. "They wanted to learn."The Humboldt players came into the camp in shape and were quick to pick up the new playbook, he noted. As well, they were quite reliable on the field and could be counted on to do their job, Popoff added."It was a very competitive game and hard-hitting," Popoff said. "We just made a few more mistakes than the Americans."The players also had some high-profile spectators at the game including Saskatchewan Roughriders president and CEO Jim Hopson and Riders offensive lineman Kelly Bates.Quick statsRunning back Josh Hart from Swan Valley scored two touchdowns for Team Saskatchewan. Adam Gibson (Lumsden), Devon Lamb (Wynyard), Kiefer Hawreluik (Foam Lake) and Brendon Schulz (Melville) also scored majors.Brett Schulz (Swan Valley) and Matthew Halyk (Foam Lake) registered sacks on the defensive side.North Dakota quarterback Tanner Komrosky threw for 463 yards and four touchdowns.North Dakota has won six of the seven SasKota Bowl games.
