SPARTANS UNITED
‘We’re just a brotherhood’
The Sheldon-Williams Spartans boys soccer team is as diverse as it is successful.
The team, which includes players from seven countries, will soon travel to Prince Albert for the Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association 2A boys championship, which is set for Oct. 28 and 29.
“It wasn’t about the wins,” Grade 12 player Abdul Ikweiri says. “It was about going out there every day and performing with your team, and that feeling we would get every time we represented our school.”
Ikweiri was born in Regina, but he and his family moved back to Libya — the original home of his parents — for several years before returning to the Queen City two years ago.
According to Spartans head coach Jim Kroczynski, Ikweiri is part of a group that, despite being diverse, has a been able to carve out a common identity that revolves around each player caring for one another.
“You don’t need the strongest technical skills, but you do need a desire to work together with your teammates with discipline, and they showed that,” he said.
“We’re just a brotherhood together,” Ikweiri added. “We would take the hit for one another any day, any time, and we know that we will go out there and perform for each other.”
The brotherhood includes Grade 10 student Tek Lenarinai, who moved with his family to Regina from the African country of Eritrea two years ago. The left winger said he likes playing soccer because it has helped him make friends.
“In Eritrea, I was playing soccer every day,” Lenarinai said. “It’s no different from this.”
Ikweiri has taken on a leadership role with the team, and he shows it not only with his play on the field, but by the positive reinforcement he gives to his younger teammates, including the shy and quiet Lenarinai.
“Tek is the most courageous person I’ve ever met in my life,” Ikweiri said. “To come from where he came, not knowing anything about this country and performing as well as he does in school, academically and in extracurricular (activities), he strives to be the best at what he does.”
Sheldon-Williams faced the Luther Lions in the Regina High Schools Athletic Association’s boys small schools final on Thursday. Although Luther won 11-3, both finalists will advance to provincials. The Spartans welcome another chance to win a championship.
“We have to come back with confidence and know that we can play with every team in the province — and we can — and show the discipline and learn from the adversity,” Kroczynski said.
Kroczynski will look for the team to get back to its winning formula heading into provincials.
“We play a style of game where we don’t want to rely on one or two or three players,” he said. “We want to rely on every player on the field, and they’ve played that to perfection this year.”
As for the players, they are looking to win as many games as they can and have fun.
“It’s not a common thing going to provincials like this, especially with a small school like SheldonWilliams,” Ikweiri said. “To be able to represent our school like that is crazy.”