MELFORT – The Tisdale Tornados and the Melfort Comets will compete for the provincial 4A – 9-man title this Saturday, Nov. 9 at 1 p.m. at the MUCC football field.
The Tisdale Tornados have not won a provincial title since 1981, 43 years ago. The Melfort Comets won the provincial title in 2022 and look to gain another provincial banner.
David Rogers, Melfort Comets football head coach has been coaching the Comets for 22 years. Roger said, “Our boys have come together as a team and are playing good football and are all locked in on our goals.”
When asked about the team's strengths, Rogers noted athleticism, execution and team spirit. The Comets were undefeated in regular season play and had been in this position just two years prior. The Tornados finished their regular season four and two.
The Tisdale Tornados punched their ticket to the final game by running the clock out of time and taking a safety. Head Coach Keenan Carrier of the Tisdale Tornados said, “It wasn't so much a strategy that we thought of throughout the game, it was what worked in the moment though. It was third down at midfield with 9.6 seconds remaining and we were up by three points. The discussion was about where on the field to aim our punt and what defence to use to stop their last play efforts. However, our longest-tenured coach, Brian Ofukany came up with the idea of taking a safety and burning out the rest of the clock to not give Delisle any chance of coming back.”
“Accountability and effort. Our athletes have been accountable to this team, accountable to the process of improvement, and accountable to each other. Effort has also been a focus of our team, we are young and undersized, so we also talk about how we need to be the hardest working team in the province every time we step out onto that field, for games and for practices,” said Carrier.
Both teams have a large following of fans and hope to be the victor in Saturday's matchup. The Melfort Comets have 43 players on their roster from Grades 9 to 12. The Comets have players from Melfort, Star City and Naicam communities with 11 players in Grade 12.
The Tisdale Tornados have 45 players on their roster from the Tisdale, Archerwill, Bjorkdale, Zenon Park, and Porcupine Plain. The Tornados have eight players in Grade 12.
Carrier has been coaching for eight years with six of those now as the head coach.
There are 21 teams in the province that compete in 9-man football this season. “Now two teams from the same conference advanced to the provincial final is exciting. It is a testament to football in the Northeast and the quality of the programs that come out of our corner of the province. Making a provincial final is exciting.”
“Melfort is a well-coached and very skilled team. They are a perennial powerhouse in the province. I want to congratulate their players and their coaches for making the finals as well and as they deserving of hosting the provincial final. We will need to come out and play our best game of the season on Saturday to come out on top,” said Carrier.
“I also want to give a shout-out to our community. The Town of Tisdale has shown us nothing but support for years. The crowds we get at home and the fans that travel with our team are electric. Businesses and community members have been reaching out all with best wishes and excitement. I can't wait to see the crowd on Saturday and the wave of black and white coming down Highway 3 to support us in the provincial final. We have even had members of the 1979 and 81 provincial championship teams reach out to us in support. With it being so long since the last time Tisdale has been in the final, people are really excited and there is a buzz around town. It means a lot to so many people, including myself and a large portion of our coaching staff who were born and raised in Tisdale,” said Carrier.
