Griffins remember former principal
Without any prompting from the coaches, members of the Balgonie Greenall Griffins said a prayer before their first game of the Regina Intercollegiate Football League season.
They were remembering Greenall High School’s former principal, Glenda Elliott, who died Sept. 5 in a motor-vehicle accident. She was 58. Her 59-year-old husband, Jerry, was also killed in the collision.
Glenda Elliott was Greenall’s principal from 2011 until the end of the 2015-16 academic year. She subsequently moved to Balcarres Community School, having left an enduring imprint on the staff members and students in Balgonie.
“She was very kind-hearted and good to kids,” Griffins head football coach Cory Lechner recalled. “You couldn’t ask for a better principal.
“She was a very giving person and a very forgiving person for the staff and for the kids. She was someone you could always talk to. She had a candy jar in her office and the staff and students could always dip in.
“The kids always felt very comfortable around her. For some of the troubled kids, she helped them through.”
Jerry was also known for helping in many ways. For example, he was an experienced and well-respected football official.
“They were both really kindhearted people,” Lechner said. “They would give of themselves and not ask for anything in return.”
The Griffins played their first game of the season two days after the Elliotts were killed. Before the Sept. 7 game, the Balgonie players wrote “ELLIOTT” on pieces of tape that were worn against the Balfour Bears, who won 16-15.
Balgonie returned to action Sept. 15, when the Miller Marauders defeated the Griffins 25-15. Greenall registered its first victory of the season Wednesday, defeating the O’Neill Titans 24-13.
“Before the (Balfour) game, I said to the players, ‘She loved you guys. Do it for her,’ ” Lechner said. “Maybe it just took a few games to get the win for Mrs. Elliott.
In the RIFL on Thursday, it was: Campbell Tartans 53, Winston Knoll Wolverines 20; Martin Monarchs 38, Notre Dame Hounds 19; LeBoldus Golden Suns 42, Riffel Royals 14; and Johnson Wildcats 41, Thom Trojans 20.