'This is something special': Tec Voc Hornets taking Winnipeg high school football league by storm
When the Tec Voc Hornets returned to the Winnipeg high school football landscape for the 2023 season after a three-year hiatus from the league, the program was starting from scratch.
Head Coach Ryan Karhut said they only had a couple of kids who had ever played football before, and the main goal was to get students excited about the game.
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
- Sign up now for daily CTV News Winnipeg newsletters
"We had a very diverse group of students at our school, and they all came out. It was a very fair representation of our student body, and they fell in love with it. It was unbelievable," said Karhut.
Going into that first season, Karhut said he and his coaching staff didn't know what to expect. The season was focused on teaching the game and developing the kids.
The gameplan worked as the Hornets made the playoffs, ultimately losing in their second-round matchup.
"The emotion in the locker room after, I was like, 'Oh, this is something special,'" said Karhut. "They care a lot about the sport. They care about playing for each other."
Move to the 2024 season, Karhut said the returning players put in the time and effort in the offseason and it's now paying off on the field.
Tec Voc has started 6-0 – leading the AAA division as the only undefeated team.
"This year, it's felt like we've had such a strong culture and such a strong group of returning players."
One of those players is Grade 12 defensive back Trenton Bourassa. He said the team has really come together on and off the field, encouraging each other to get better.
"The Grade 11s from last year going into Grade 12 this year, we all knew that we had to take a big step up and really dial in for our younger guys," said Bourassa.
On the field, Bourassa has been leading the way for the Hornets as one of the best in the division. In the locker room, he and other players have been trying to be role models for their younger teammates.
"There's a point where you're looking up to people too and then you got to take that responsibility, be that leader."
Vince Cruz is also back for his Grade 12 season. The defensive back had never played football until 2023, but Karhut said he has become one of the team's top players.
He didn't know what to expect when he joined the team, but he has loved everything football has had to offer.
"It's a great sport, it's very therapeutic," said Cruz. "(I've) been having a great time because that's where you get to meet new people, learn new skills, new strategies."
Like Bourassa, Cruz said the leadership aspect of the game has been just as important as developing skill on the field.
"Helping out new players onto the team that want to join the sport. Maybe they need some help or need some motivation to get them up and going."
Although they have seen much success this season, the team doesn't want to get too ahead of themselves, focusing on each weekly game.
"We just keep on riding this wave. Take it week by week. We just like to think that we're fresh 0-0 and it's one week. We got one game to play, we got to win. (Then) we're on to the next week. We just keep on doing that same mindset every week," said Bourassa.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Prime minister faces mounting pressure to step aside from inside caucus
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will face mounting pressure from his caucus this week to step down from the leadership of the Liberal party.
Bloc won't hold Liberals 'hostage' over seniors' benefits: cabinet minister
Liberal cabinet minister Steven Guilbeault says the Liberals will not be 'held hostage' by the Bloc Quebecois' demand to expand Old Age Security to more seniors.
What's open and closed this Thanksgiving in Canada
Thanksgiving Day is a federal statutory holiday in Canada, and falls on Monday, Oct. 14 this year. Here's what to know about what is open this Monday.
Suspect threw coffee at woman’s vehicle then shot at her windshield: police
Police are looking for a suspect who allegedly threw a coffee at a woman’s vehicle and then shot at her windshield following some sort of dispute that began at a Tim Hortons in Pickering on Friday morning.
Ex-principal of Ontario Christian school charged with sex assault
The former principal of a Christian school in Ontario's Niagara Region has been arrested and charged with sexual assault.
Government spending on flights for Canadians fleeing the Middle East unpopular, Nanos survey finds
Amid escalating violence in the Middle East, a majority of surveyed Canadians say they don't believe the costs associated with Canadians fleeing the region should be funded solely by the government.
Children and adults transported to a Pennsylvania hospital after ingesting 'toxic mushrooms'
Children and adults were transported to a hospital in Pennsylvania Friday night after being sickened by mushrooms, authorities said.
As Hezbollah and Israel battle on the border, Lebanon's army watches from the sidelines
Since Israel launched its ground invasion of Lebanon, Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants have clashed along the border while the Lebanese army has largely stood on the sidelines.
Parents across GTA warned by some private daycares that they may pull out of $10-a-day program
Parents at some private, for-profit daycares across the GTA are being warned that their fees could soon be doubling as operators consider pulling out of the national $10-a-day child-care program.