The Senior Titans are back on the field working on skills, but are still holding on to hopes there will be some sort of season.
Coach Ken Fournier said they were allowed to have 10 player groups out practicing, and that will continue despite changes in restrictions.
“We are usually never out this early in the spring, so there are other factors with the weather and conditions on the field,” said Fournier.
The Bantam and Pewees are also starting camps this week and looking forward to a possible season. While Fournier hopes they will be able to play, with restrictions it is looking less likely.
“If we are kicked back to Stage 1, the odds of us getting to Stage 3 before the end of the school year is nil,” Fournier said.
He laments for the team, especially the senior Grade 12 players, who have lost an important part of their high school football career. With gathering restrictions, the possibility of a banquet is even slim.
“As a coach, it is really hard for us to see them go through this. It is not just high school. Some of these guys have worked right from the peewee level all the way up. This is seven or eight years for some of them, and they don’t get to showcase their final year,” said Fournier. “It’s a tough pill to swallow because they have really been working hard. We have a good core of Grade 12s right now. They have already missed their opportunity last fall and it is not looking very good for the spring,” he said.
He said the disappointment goes beyond the players.
“It is the community, our football community. It’s the fans, our support system, our sponsors, everybody has been working towards this. Our goal was to win and we want to be the best we can. What we achieve along the way is what we get, and we are happy with that. That’s why we continue to play at a high level because the results are there,” he said.
The program has also been a leader in having rural players recruited to the next level, whether it be junior football or university. And while there are a few players that are taking that step to the next level, this could also prove to be challenging.
“The kids who are in Grade 12 right now are going to have a really tough time because now they are going to university programs with crowded rosters because the university and junior players are allowed an extra year,” he said. “They are going into a crowded competitive locker room, and they are going to be younger than everybody else competing for these spots.”
He adds this could affect recruiting for years to come especially from smaller towns.

Thieves have struck at the heart of a Delia business taking their iconic mascot, Morgan the Mystic Unicorn.
Dave Smeyers, owner of Hand Hills Crafts on Main Street in Delia, tells the Mail that sometime late on Thursday night, April 15, or early Friday, April 16, thieves took the unicorn statue.
The statue itself is about 11 feet tall and weighs in the area of 600 pounds.
“He’s on an adventure, but we sure would like to get him back,” said Smeyers. “It not like something that you could put into your trunk.”
He said the Drumheller RCMP are investigating. There are tire tracks near where Morgan the Unicorn used to stand. They are looking into whether there is any video surveillance.
Morgan has been in Delia for about two years and quickly became a feature. He said Morgan got his name from villagers through a contest.
“We wanted something to represent the child in all of us as well as something for the children in the village and anyone who wants to feel a moment of magic,” Smeyers said when Morgan originally arrived at the market, which carries local artisan goods.
While it is a loss for Smeyers and his business, he says it is also a loss for Delia because it brought something unique that could help the community.
"It’s devastating to the village,” said Smeyers. “Small towns are dying, and that was actually one thing that was bringing tourists in. Hundreds and hundreds of families were taking pictures with him. We are just devastated. I almost feel like he was our child.”
He hopes that Morgan will be returned.
“We hope he is identified and spotted. We’ll go get him, we just want him returned. Bring him back, and no questions asked,” said Smeyers.
If you have information, please contact the Drumheller RCMP at 403-823-7590 or your local police. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), online at www.P3Tips.com, or by using the "P3 Tips" app available through the Apple App or Google Play Store.
"It brought smiles to a lot of families and kids,” he said.