Bantam gridders grow up
Pounded in inaugural season, Prince Albert River Riders come of age as sophomores in tackle football league

ADAM HAWBOLDT
The Prince Albert Daily Herald

Four years ago, Rod Elliot's son asked him a question.

One autumn day, after playing a touch football game in Saskatoon, Josh wondered aloud whether if it would be possible to start a touch football league in Prince Albert.

The question planted a seed in his father's mind, and soon thereafter a touch football league was created in the city.

In its first season, the new league attracted 50 players. A year later, enrolment was up to 150.

This 200 per cent increase led Elliot to ask a question of his own.

"One day I was talking to (Carlton Crusader coach) Troy Semenchuk," said Elliot, "and asked him if he thought we could get a tackle football league up and running."

Not only did Semenchuk think it was possible, he thought it was a great idea.

From there, the ball was set in motion to enter a bantam team in the Saskatoon Kinsmen Football League for the 2007 season. Thus the Prince Albert River Riders were born.

Getting off the ground

Before Elliot knew it, the equipment was ordered and the team was being advertised and promoted around Prince Albert.

"After that," said Elliot, "we went out and got some guys involved who I knew had an interest in football."

One of those guys was Ryan Hughes.

At first, Hughes joined the team as an offensive co-ordinator, but unforeseen events soon unfolded and Hughes found himself installed as the Riders head coach.

As the first head coach in team history, Hughes knew he had a tall task in front of him - he knew the lumps fall hard and fast.

"Last year they were just learning," Hughes said of his team. "They got their butts kicked."

Indeed they did.

Not only did the River Riders lose all seven of their games, but they were outscored 290-0 by opponents. Yet for all the losses, Hughes said his team never got discouraged.

"The resilience those guys showed last year was unbelievable," he said. "After the games they would be sitting around, heads up, smiling. They'd be in Dairy Queen as a team, just having fun."

A season of change

The River Riders did an about face this season - finishing the year with a 4-3 record while outscoring opponents 130-96.

According to Hughes, the reason for the turnaround boils down to one thing: commitment.

"The best thing about this year's team is it's basically the same group of guys as last year," he said.

"They came back and wanted to play for us. They're the reason we turned it around. "

With a year of football under their cleats, the returning River Riders moved from being "very teachable" in their first year to being "very coachable" this season.

"They've developed so much as football players," said Hughes. "I see so much more growth and maturity in them this year."