By TERRY PUGH
With the final games of the regular season wrapping up last week, the playoff scenario for area high school football teams is now clear.
Rosthern, Hague, Wakaw and Clavet are all in the hunt for provincial crowns.
Rosthern Community School (RCS) has a solid shot in the 1A 6-a-side championship playoff bracket. With a season record of two wins and two losses, RCS finished second in the three-team Conference 2 standings. Hafford, with a record of four wins and zero losses, finished in first place. That means Rosthern will play Conference 3 champion Hanley in the first round of playoffs on Saturday, October 25 in Hanley, while Hafford is expected to host Conference 3 runner-up LCBI from Outlook.
In the 2A 6-a-side (Conference 2) division, league-leading Wakaw, with a record of 5-0-0, finished in first place in Conference 4, while the Hague Panthers (3-2-0) finished in second place in Conference 4. That means Hague will play a playoff road game October 25 against Conference 1 champion Rosetown in Rosetown. Wakaw, meanwhile, will host Conference 1 runner-up Unity on October 25.
Also in 2A 6-a-side (Conference 2), Clavet downed Davidson 40-18 to sew up first place in their division. That means Clavet will now host Conference 3 runner-up Preeceville on October 25.
In the 4A 9-a-side division, the Delisle Rebels are out of the playoffs after dropping their last regular season game 36-19 on the road against the host North Battleford John Paul II on Saturday, October 18.
In the 5A 12-a-side division, the Martensville Royals, despite a strong finish during the regular season in the North Saskatchewan league, also won’t qualify for the playoffs. The Royals lost to the PA St. Mary squad 35-18 on Friday, October 17. Only the first-place finisher in the northern division has the privilege of taking on the league champion of the southern rural league. The winner of that series then plays the winner of the Saskatoon-Regina playoff series for the provincial crown.