By: Mike Still
Feature photo by: Hudl.com
Interlake’s Colton Nedotiafko is a soft-spoken guy off the field. But when the five-foot-nine, 205- pound running back puts on the pads, he’s all business.
“My standards are always through the roof,” he says. “Of course I want to be the best running back in the league and I want to be one of the top players in the league. Even in my first year I’ve always wanted to be the best.”
Nedotiafko started playing football in 2013, just two years after Interlake’s football club was established. He was 13 at the time but noted that football has always been a big part of his life.
Positionally, it’s been running back essentially from the get-go.
“I did want to start on defence, but the coach asked me if I wanted to play running back one day and I said yes. From there, I’ve played running back for five years straight.”
Nedotiafko lives in rural Manitoba, about five minutes away from the small community of Fraserwood, which has a population of about 200 people. Due to where he lives, his training is mostly done on his own. His cardio and speed come from the fact that he also plays basketball, volleyball and badminton, while also running track.
“All the sports seem to tie in together and help each other in their own ways,” he says. “Football has always been my top priority, so I find time for that, but it works out pretty good throughout the year.”
Nedotiafko’s athleticism is easy to recognize on the field. For example, last year he was the team’s offensive MVP and also earned recognition as a Midget Football League of Manitoba (MFLM) All-Star after rushing for 717 yards and four touchdowns on 128 carries.
“I think my first couple years I was really focused on being a power back and running through people. But over the past year or two I’ve been trying to work on everything, such as pass-catching, cutting and blocking,” he says of his style of play.
“I want to be the most diverse running back I can.”
This season, the Thunder chose to shift to the nine-man Rural Manitoba Football League, due to a concern with numbers in the MFLM. Nedotiafko – who is in his senior year – got off to great start, running the rock 24 times for 251 yards while also scoring a major in a 41-13 week one win over Moosomin.
Despite his numbers, the running back remained humble, choosing to aim his focus on the overall success of his team.
“In past years I’ve been leading by example. I try to gain respect through my play, but this year we have a lot of younger guys coming up, so I definitely want to work on being more vocal and letting guys know that they’ll be okay,” he says.
“It’s not always about myself. I feel I need to not only be the best for me but also the best for my team so that we can be successful as a whole. It’s not always about winning awards, it’s about your team being successful and everyone having a fair chance.”