The Indian Head Broncs are excited for a new season of football. The team began training on Aug. 18 and played its first exhibition game last week. They are looking forward to a full schedule, including three home games this month.
The football program in Indian Head was established in 2011 and since then the team has earned two provincial championship titles and two silver medals. Head Coach Tim Klein feels that the credit for this success goes to not only the coaches’ and players’ efforts, but also to the “community buy-in.” This is demonstrated by attendance at home games and by the number of youth participating in the program.
This fall, the team has 44 players from Grade 9 to Grade 12. Most of the players are from Indian Head but a few commute from Wolseley and Vibank. Coach Klein says he is proud to include five female athletes on the team.
“I think that girls’ and women’s football is starting to really take off in our province and is really a focal point in a lot of places,” he said. “The more we can grow that, it would be awesome for us.”
A key part of the Broncs’ program is the spring training camp that runs from late April to early June. Seventy youth from Grade 4 to Grade 11 joined this year’s spring league. Younger participants are taught basic principals of the sport, while older athletes have an opportunity to review and improve on plays from the previous season. Coach Klein said this is an invaluable element for the football program and the early training has even led to Grade 9 students being included in the starting line-up.
“We’re successful because people buy-in early,” he noted. “When a kid comes in Grade 9, we don’t really have to teach him or her the basics because they’ve already been through it in spring; they can start to hone their skills.”
The team tested these skills at Mosaic Stadium on September 1 during an exhibition game against Foam Lake. Although Indian Head lost, 26-18, it was a good experience for the team.
“We had a few hiccups and some confusion, but our defense played really well,” Coach Klein commented. “Everybody played, which was awesome, and a lot of our younger kids had good showings. It was exciting to play at Mosaic!”
The Broncs will follow this up with an exhibition game against Lumsden in Indian Head on Friday, Sept. 9 at 7 p.m. This will be first of two Firefly Friday Night Lights games this season. The second will be against Gull Lake on Friday, Sept. 30 at 7 p.m.
“If I could do all my games at night, I would,” Coach Klein said. “The vibe is just completely different; more people can come because they’re not working. It’s a really great opportunity for the kids to play and showcase what we do.”
The Broncs’ will also play a home game against Shaunavon on Friday, Sept. 16 at 4 p.m. to open the regular season.
