Two local graduates from Yorkton Regional High School are set to begin their professional football careers.
Langenburg's Noah Zerr and Yorkton's Peter Kozushka were listed at 10 and 11, respectively, on the latest CFL Winter Scouting Bureau Rankings.
Zerr said shows what Saskatchewan football is producing.
"Small town Sask. has a lot to offer. You know, Yorkton isn't the little city that I think, maybe some people might have thought it was and there is a lot of talent coming out of those programs,” he said.
The pair played together on the Yorkton Regional High School Raiders, and now, it’s time for the next step.
“It's again super cool to see somebody from the same community going there and also achieving these great things that we're going to do,” said Kozushka.
Both are 6‘7 offensive lineman, with Kozushka a member of the University of Alberta Golden Bears and Zerr, a part of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies program that came within a win of a Vanier Cup title in 2021.
Both were thankful for the guidance they recieved from the coaches early on in their careers.
“My high school career started out slow. I grew up in Langenburg. I hadn’t even touched the football field until grade five and coach Robbie Sharpe brought me out to Yorkton. And after that, our team relationship grew and grew and grew,” he said.
Kozushka was also thankful for the support he received.
“They helped push me to think okay, ‘yeah, I can go and play post secondary and make that leap to the next level,’” he said.
As for the draft, these two Sask-products say they'd love to hear their name called, but a pick from the hometown Saskatchewan Roughriders would be extra sweet.
“If I could do that in the green and white, it'd be really special. I'd love to stay home and I'd love to work really hard in front of all my hometown fans— but I think those fans will follow me wherever I go,” said Zerr.
Kozushka compared it to a dream come true.
“I’d be super stoked to go wherever I could. But there would be a little part of me that is still wearing green — no matter what,” he said.
The CFL Draft will be held on May 3, 2022.
