Tartans ready for provincial final
Campbell high school senior has earned coaches’ confidence over the years
Josh White’s words and actions carry weight with the Campbell Tartans.
Consider the latter stages of Friday’s Regina Intercollegiate Football League Schwann Conference final, in which Campbell faced the archrival LeBoldus Golden Suns at Mosaic Stadium.
Late in the game, with Campbell ahead by two points and in a third-and-one situation on its own side of midfield, Tartans head coach Ryan Hall and offensive coordinator Kelly Adams were pondering whether to gamble or punt.
The deliberation ended when White yelled to Hall from the offensive huddle: “Trust us, Coach!”
“That made up my mind immediately,” Hall recalls. “I trust Josh completely in any situation, and he and the rest of the guys on offence got a big first down so we could run more time off of the clock.”
Campbell ended up withstanding a late surge by LeBoldus — which was pursuing a sixth consecutive city 4A title — and winning 27-25.
Next up for the Tartans is Saturday’s Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association 4A championship game against the Saskatoon Centennial Chargers (1 p.m., Mosaic Stadium).
“I’m just proud of the team and the effort everybody put forth,” White says. “I’m excited about the provincial final and I’m hoping to finish my last year with a bang.”
White is a fourth-year member of the Tartans and a starter since Grade 10. Although he is part of the offence as a running back or tight end in blocking situations, he is most conspicuous as a linebacker.
In six regular-season games, the six-foot-two, 190-pound White had 35 solo tackles, 11 assisted tackles, five tackles for a loss, two fumble recoveries, one quarterback sack and an interception. He added 13 special-teams tackles.
“Despite all of that, the best things I can say about Josh do not relate to his football skills,” Hall says. “He has an old-school type of intensity that we haven’t had on our team for a couple of years, and his teammates really respond well to him.
“Whenever something needs to be said, I know Josh will stand up and say it. Whenever I want to get the players’ perspective on something, he is the guy that I go to first.”
The respect is reciprocal, considering the high regard White has for all his coaches — not to mention his teammates.
“We have a really strong leadership group,” White says. “Our coaches value our words because we value their words. There’s respect all around and it’s easy to work with them. It helps our team develop and play better and be better.
“The coaches have helped me pursue my dream of playing football and have become my friends along the way.”
White and the Tartans are hoping to cap their season by winning the school’s first provincial football title since 2010.
That year, the Tartans also played Centennial, winning 14-9 in overtime in Saskatoon.
In the 2010 final, Campbell forced overtime when quarterback Frankie Gray ran 52 yards for a touchdown with 1:13 remaining in the fourth quarter. In overtime, Connor Bloom’s six-yard touchdown run gave Campbell its first provincial title since 1996.
Now, White hopes to help Campbell win another SHSAA crown — in his final game of high school football.
“It’ll be a bittersweet feeling, but we’re in a provincial final and it’s my Grade 12 year,” he says. “I’m glad to be ending it on this note, with these coaches and these teammates. What else could I ask for?”
I’m just proud of the team and the effort everybody put forth. I’m excited about the provincial final and I’m hoping to finish my last year with a bang.