Thunder has high hopes for Buettner

‘Great athlete’ is team’s starting quarterback

Regina Thunder head coach Scott MacAulay doesn’t spare any superlatives when discussing the PFC team’s starting quarterback, Sawyer Buettner.

“We have very high expectations for him,” MacAulay says as the Thunder prepares for its regularseason opener against the Saskatoon Hilltops (Saturday, 7 p.m., Mosaic Stadium).

“Sawyer is a great athlete and a very strong quarterback. He’s a student of the game. He’s got a great arm. One thing he has in his corner is two really great coaches — with Stefan Endsin, our offensive co-ordinator, coaching him up as well as Reid Quest. Right now, he has all the tools that he needs to have a successful year and we’re going to hold him to that.”

Buettner tries to “learn every day” while striving for success with the Thunder.

“I’m kind of an older guy here now, which is kind of cool,” says Buettner, who debuted with the Thunder in 2015 after guiding Moose Jaw Peacock to back-toback provincial 3A football titles. “It has been a great three years with the Regina Thunder.

“It’s different. Going in, I feel like more of a veteran and feel like I can help the younger guys out a little bit more than I could before, because I was kind of figuring things out as I went.”

Buettner has three seasons of junior football eligibility, including this one, remaining. However, MacAulay isn’t getting ahead of himself.

“We’re going to concentrate on this season right now,” the Thunder’s fifth-year field boss said. “I’m sure that he’s going to be a highly recruited guy from several (university) teams across the country.

“We’re going to keep him around here for as many years as we possibly can. Hopefully by the end of his career, he’s going to be able to say that he’s one of the greatest quarterbacks to play amateur football in Saskatchewan.”

“I look at the guys who have come through this program — Reid Quest, Deke Junior, Asher Hastings — and he’s right there with those guys. This year will tell, but there’s no reason why Sawyer Buettner can’t be in the history books like (former Regina Rams star) Dean Picton and (current University of Regina Rams pivot) Noah Picton.

“Regina has something special going on here. There’s two really good strong starting quarterbacks in the amateur football game right now and we’re expecting to see a high-flying offence.”

We have very high expectations for him. Sawyer is a great athlete and a very strong quarterback.

He’s a student of the game. He’s got a great arm.