The Creighton Kodiaks have succeeded this season on the field, thanks in part to Caleb Janzen, one of the team’s most important members.
Janzen hasn’t played a down of football this season - his impact goes deeper than that.
This year, the Kodiaks have dedicated their season to Janzen, a member of the team whose battle with cancer has forced him off the playing field but whose presence on the sideline has been a rallying point for the club.
As a Grade 9 student, Janzen played with the Kodiaks and was part of the team’s 2019 championship squad. He had hoped to be back on the field this season.
Earlier this year, Janzen was diagnosed with a brain tumour. Finding out Caleb had cancer was the start of a long process of medical appointments and worry - part of which was discovering that he wouldn’t be able to join his friends on the field.
Janzen and his family, including his mom Jenn Johnsgaard, took the news hard, but Janzen found support from his teammates.
“When somebody goes through a tragedy, nobody knows what to say right off the hop, but once they know, they go ‘Oh, this is still Caleb. He might be a little different, but he’s still the same kid,'" said Johnsgaard.
“They accepted him right away. It didn’t matter what he has - they’re his friends, they’re his team, they’re going to be with him. That’s the attitude I get from them.”
The love from his fellow Kodiaks drew Janzen back to the team. Starting at first with watching practices, first from the car and then from the stands, then watching games to rejoining his buddies on the sidelines, Janzen is back to being fully integrated with the group, with his teammates behind him every step of the way.
“He just enjoys being out there. The football team creates this amazing culture of togetherness and of team bonding - like ‘all for one, one for all’, like the Three Musketeers. They’ll stick up for each other and they’ll be there for each other no matter what,” said Johnsgaard.
The team has made Janzen their rallying cry this season, literally and figuratively, yelling his name out as the team cheer before games and after practices. The team holds up signs with “#WePlayForCaleb” on them during games and team photos. Each player’s helmet has a sticker on the back reading “#WePlayForCaleb” - several players wear “CJ” - Janzen’s initials - written on their gear.
“This whole #WePlayForCaleb thing, their hearts are in it, their hearts are in the game and in the team, everybody on that team. I think this experience has taught them things - that they’re a team and they’re going to stick together, no matter what happens,” Johnsgaard said.
“These kids have such big hearts. Sometimes you don’t see that.”
The team’s commitment to Janzen doesn’t only come on the field. When Janzen was in Saskatoon for medical treatments earlier this year, the team sent him a care package including a jersey with his name on the back and a ball with every player’s signature on it. Players help him with his homework if he needs it - they walk with him home and from class to class. They’ve held fundraisers for him and his family.
“They have been so incredibly supportive. They take him under their wing. He was friends with most of them before football, but in my opinion, they’ve really come together and gelled around him,” said Johnsgaard.
“This is, ‘We’re playing for him.’ This whole season is for Caleb.”
That sense of purpose has continued on the field. Since having to forfeit their first game last month, the team has gone undefeated.
Janzen has been right there for the whole run. Come game time, Janzen watches the games with the team on the sideline, seated in a lawn chair, often with a blanket to keep warm during cold October games. There are few moments during the game where there aren’t teammates around him, watching the game with him. He takes part in the team’s pre-game rituals and the halftime huddle. The players make every effort possible to ensure that Janzen is included, emphasizing that even though Janzen can’t go out on the field with them, he’s still part of the team.
“I think it’s been pretty good. It’s been really fun. It’s nice that I’m sitting there right beside them, watching them, trying to keep warm when it’s cold out there,” said Janzen.
His coach, Ryan Karakochuk, said having Janzen with the team has allowed the players a chance to learn and grow in unexpected ways.
“When you throw all those things together, the guys are now able to see Caleb and they give their own lives a bit of a reality check. They become better kids, better people. That’s helped all of us,” he said.
That was clear Oct. 23, when the Kodiaks hosted their league championship game. Instead of playing the game in Prince Albert - as is tradition - the game was played in Creighton, giving the Kodiaks, as top team in their league, a chance to win a title on their home field - and perhaps more importantly, giving Janzen a chance to see his team win the big prize at home.
That is exactly what the team did, beating Cumberland House to claim the Ralph Pilz Trophy as northern champions. Janzen was part of the post-game celebrations, with his teammates hugging and sharing the moment.
“It felt amazing,” Janzen said.
Not only did the Kodiaks play for Caleb, they won for him.
“At the end, we were taking pictures of Brenden [Haley] and Caleb… Brenden turned to him and said, ‘This is for you,’" Johnsgaard said.
“I think they had four or five of us in tears. That’s just the attitude of these kids and it's just so cool.”
Including Janzen with the rest of the team has raised the spirits of both him and the team in general.
“It’s been really important to me. Everyone has been so kind and they’ve been there to support me and all that,” he said.
“Whenever I need them, they get there in a second.”
“The guys have seen - they’ve played with Caleb and they’ve grown up with them. They know he’d do anything to be able to play football and that he can’t,” said Karakochuk.
“They’ve truly rallied around Caleb. All of them truly love the kid and would do anything for him and they’ve embraced it.”
Creighton’s season isn’t over yet - the team will play again in a provincial conference game Oct. 30, playing for a spot in the provincial semi-finals. The Kodiaks will play once again on their home field - and once again, Janzen will be on the sideline.
No northern team has ever made the semi-final stage before, but the team’s talisman thinks this is the year.
“I think we’re gonna win,” Janzen said.
“The team has been amazing.”
