By: Mike Still (@mikestill94)
Prior to the 2018 Winnipeg High School Football League (WHSFL) Senior Bowl, Sturgeon Heights quarterback Liam Prendergast knew what the game-plan would be for his squad.
“Honestly, the game-plan was [to be an] airshow, and to get the ball out there,” the Team Steeves pivot said.
“I had a rough first practice, but my second practice, I had a good time out there and the boys were all linking up, so today I was just excited. By the second and third quarter, I got into my rhythm and from there on, the game slowed down and got easier. Everyone was catching balls, getting open and doing their assignments.”
That’s exactly what happened for Team Steeves — named after the late Doug Steeves, who was a mentor and coach at all three Brandon-area high schools (Crocus Plains, Vincent Massey and Neelin) — as Prendergast and company outscored Team Henkewich 11-2 after halftime, utilizing a diverse passing attack.
Team Henkewich — named after long-time WHSFL advocate and current league commissioner Rick — took the initial lead with 2:23 to go in the first half after Oak Park/University of Saskatchewan commit Charlie Ringland called his own number. The conversion failed to make the score 6-0.
That’s when Prendergast and company started rolling. Demonstrating great clock management, the QB was able to find dynamic Steinbach receiver Sheycoy Selent on multiple plays to get Team Steeves into scoring range.
Then, with six seconds left in the half, he tossed a rocket into the bread-basket of Vincent Massey-Brandon’s Sam Steeves, who fell to the two yard-line. One play later, Fort Frances’s Sekina Scheibler was in the end zone and the game was tied after a failed two-point convert.
Prendergast would go right back to work on his unit’s opening drive of the second half, thanks to an interception by Team Steeves defensive MVP/St. Paul’s product Bryce Marino.
Two passes into tight windows to St. Paul’s receiver/Manitoba Bison commit Noah Dornn got his squad in field goal range, and shortly after, Steinbach’s Eric Adams cashed in with the triple as Team Steeves took a 9-6 lead that they wouldn’t surrender.
The remainder of the game was filled with massive defensive stops as well as turnovers — five of which were forced by Team Steeves.
But despite getting stuffed offensively, Team Henkewich’s defence also stood their ground, led by three players who will be taking their talents to other provinces in 2018 in Vincent Massey Winnipeg/McMaster commit Eryk Bujalski, Grant Park Pirate/U of S commit Chris Mushenza and Garden City/Calgary Dinos commit Tyrece Viner-Cox.
“Obviously this was my last game in Manitoba and I wanted to come out and make a statement with five sacks,” Viner-Cox said postgame. “Hopefully I can do that with Calgary, but I’m just going to keep training and be ready to go.”
The only other major of the contest occurred with 6:37 to go in the fourth quarter, after a blocked punt set Team Steeves up at Team Henkewich’s three yard line. Three plays later, St. Paul’s running back Quinn Mulligan was in the end zone on a touchdown reception.
It’s no surprise that after the game, Prendergast had a personal conversation with Winnipeg Rifles head coach Geordie Wilson, who was clearly impressed by Team Steeves’s offensive MVP. But the mature, senior pivot appears to have his career ambitions mapped out already, as he hopes to enter the sports media field.
Prendergast will be taking a year off from school this year, in order to save money to attend Camosun College’s digital communications program in Victoria, BC — a program he was previously accepted into, but deferred until 2019.
“It’s pretty much everything,” he said. “You’ve got editing on some computers, you’ve got some journalism classes. There’s a lot. I take media production at Sturgeon, so it’s basically that, plus journalism, editing and writing.”