The Saint-Joseph Guardians won the 2024 6A provincial football championship by beating the Campbell Tartans 52-16 Saturday.

The victory was important for Saskatoon Saint Joseph after losing the championship in 2022.

Coach Chad Palmer said that experience carried the team to victory.

“That’s what you need in this sport, you need to build it,” he said. “You can’t just go into your first match and win. Because we went through this two years ago, I knew we would be ready for this game.

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The game started off smoothly for St. Joseph, who scored a field goal and a touchdown early in the game.

Unfortunately, the game ended early for Guardians middle linebacker Jack Baier, who was taken out of the game by EMS with a serious leg injury.

From the treatment of medical personnel to the arrival of emergency services on site, the incident delayed the match by approximately 45 minutes.

I hear spectators say it’s a broken leg. Both teams moved to opposite end zones to warm up. @CJMENews @CKOMNews pic.twitter.com/qE6OLqnz9x

-Nicole Garn (@garnnic) November 9, 2024

This gave the St. Joseph team more motivation to finish the job.

“I grouped the guys together and said, ‘I know you guys are already motivated, but if you don’t have enough motivation for the rest of this game, that’s what we need here. That’s enough motivation for Jack to win,'” Palmer said. “And they did it.”

St. Joseph dominated the first two quarters of the game, entering halftime with a score of 17-0.

After St. Joseph got another touchdown early in the third quarter, Campbell finally answered with a touchdown of his own from senior Treysen Perras.

However, that wasn’t enough to hold off St. Joseph, who responded with two more touchdowns, one from Sam Larfeniere – who scored a total of three touchdowns in the game – and the other from Zak Cardell on fourth quarter.

The final score was 52-16 for St. Joseph.

Palmer said both teams played a good game, despite what the scoreboard said.

“Yes, things went well for us, but they tested us,” he said. “Their offense scored 14 points, but they tested us all game. I think that’s why it kept our guys on their toes. »

St. Joseph quarterback Dawson Gusikoski was a playmaker on the field, scoring a touchdown himself, running the ball and connecting with his teammates.

After the match, the victory had not hit him.

“Words cannot describe how I feel right now,” he said. “Since 9th grade, this is all I ever wanted. Just watching the older guys play and now finally being able to do it. It simply means the world.

Quarterback Dawson Gusikoski (third from right) is a senior for the St. Joseph Guardians. He’s proud of his team and says it’s a moment he’ll never forget. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)

It was the last time he wore the St. Joseph jersey, as he will graduate from high school in the spring.

“It’s bittersweet,” he said. “I still can’t describe it. I will cherish this moment forever, and it will be something I will never forget in my life.

He plans to continue his football career in college.

Campbell disappointed but still proud

After winning against the Leboldus Golden Suns at the city high school championships earlier this month, Campbell was ready to win the big prize.

It was Campbell Collegiate’s first championship since 2017, but its defense wasn’t strong enough to hold off St. Joseph on Saturday.

Coach Kelly Adams is still proud of his team despite the result.

“These Grade 12 students had a winless season as Grade 10 students and have worked very hard to get us to this point,” he said. “I feel bad that we couldn’t cross the finish line.”

The team is ready to regroup and come back even stronger next year.

“We had a lot of really good 10th graders and a lot of kids, and we just have to get to work and see if we can get back here next year,” Kelly said.

Another senior hanging up his jersey is Campbell’s Colin Bueckert, who played on the team that went 0-6 in 2022.

“I’ve been on this team since 10th grade, when we were winless,” he said. “It’s great to see us get this far, but it also hurts even more, you know, to lose at this point.”

Despite the result, it’s a moment he won’t forget.

“I’m just proud of us for coming out and giving it our all,” he said. “I love this team. I’m proud of us, whatever the result.

Bueckert is eager to continue his football career and has committed to the University of Alberta Golden Bears.

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