Titans-Warriors to clash Saturday at CKC Field

“It’s a complete shift in attitude from where we were a couple weeks ago to where we are at today. The guys (have) got a lot of fire underneath them that I didn’t see in the last couple weeks with no game on the horizon. Now that we have one, though, they’re very excited. Very excited.”

He adds his biggest concern is getting the Grade 12 players a chance to play amid the uncertainty caused by the pandemic.

“I was reflecting on my own high school experience and if I had football taken away from me in Grade 12, I would have been absolutely devastated. We only have six Grade 12s on our team, so we’ve got quite a young team, but those six guys are a very integral part of this roster. Giving them something to look forward to and hold onto is huge.”

Kalmbach says this will likely be the Titans only game this fall, but the league is looking at a full spring season, which will depend on COVID-19 numbers coming down.

Kalmbach says precautions to protect the players for this game are in place.

“We have our own screening tool. We have to take a temperature check, go through the screening tool, and then ask them about their own screening that they did throughout the day. We do that before every practice.

“We developed our cohort. We figured out who our players were, and they’re no longer allowed to be a part of another cohort, say volleyball or hockey teams and stuff like that. They’re only allowed to be part of football.”

Players will also have to wear masks and gloves while on the sidelines but can remove their masks while playing. Players will not be allowed to play another sport like volleyball or basketball for two weeks after the game.

Kick-off Saturday will be at 2 p.m. at CKC Field. Spectators are allowed, but social distancing will be in place.

by Curtis Galbraith