It was a season that will go down in the history books for the Bonnyville Renegades.
Head Coach Kevin Sartain said it simply, “We beat everybody.”
On Saturday, Dec. 3, the Renegades celebrated with their annual awards banquet after a season that had players, parents and coaches standing proud along the sidelines and the field.
Over the course of the season, the team broke the record for the most passing yards in a peewee season in the history of Alberta, with over 4,000 rushing yards and 2,000 receiving yards.
That, Sartain said, is equivalent to two high school football teams.
The team ended the 2016/17 season undefeated, and brought home the greatest win of all, the provincial championship.
“We will never see another team like this,” expressed Sartain.
It was the championship game where the undefeated Renegades would face-off against the Strathmore Badgers, defeating their opponents 72-8.
“Strathmore (players) were giants,” described Sartain. “We went down there… and this was the best football team in the province, according to everybody else.”
The Renegades put 60 points on the board in the first half of the game. Heading into the second half, they gave secondary players a chance to play in one of the most memorable games of their football careers.
“This is a collection of the greatest peewee football players that we have ever seen,” said Sartain.
It wasn't just a handful of players that built such an unbeatable team; it was all of the Renegades.
“We probably had 22 all-star players, and we probably had another 22 solid football players backing them up, and we were just an unbeatable team.”
Looking back there was one game the shone brightly amongst the rest.
That was the team's provincial winning championship game against Strathmore.
“That was unexpected,” said Sartain. “If I were to think of any team, or any game ever played, 60 points in one half of a provincial football championship game is just impossible.”
For Sartain the season was bittersweet, as he steps down as head coach of the Renegades.
“It was soothing, it was definitely heart soothing,” he said, almost at a loss for words.
“I knew we were going to be tough, I didn't know we were going to do that, so if I were going to end it, this is how I would want to end it.”
This year, winning the Renegades Heart and Soul Award was Duncan Critch, a player moving on to the Bonnyville Bandits next season.
“This award basically means the heart and soul of the team. The person who picks up the other players on the team when they are down, and you try to elevate your team to try and make them the best that they can be,“ Critch said.
Critch was the team's quarterback, and was seen as a shining star of the peewee football team.
“For my last year of being on the Renegades, it's been a phenomenal year. We have been the best we could ever be. “
At the beginning of the year, Critch made a promise to his coach that he will never forget.
“I promised him an undefeated season; I promised him a winning provincial title. I wanted to give him all of that… because I think he deserves that. “
He continued, “All in all, I think this year will be the one to remember.“
