Muskie makes Manitoba football team

Fort Frances native Peter Klyne will be playing for the Manitoba under-17 football team this summer.
Klyne, the MVP for the Muskie ‘B’ football team in 2003, attended the final tryouts for the team last weekend along with D.J. Howells, also of Fort Frances.  Both are offensive linemen.
They had made it to the final stage of the camp after being among more than 300 players at the beginning of the tryouts.
Cuts were made Sunday after three days of training sessions.
“He’s a quiet warrior,” said Kelsey McKay, head coach of the under-17 team. “Very quiet, very unassuming. They have that saying about linemen. If they’re not noticed, they’re doing their job.
“Peter fits perfectly into the line concept—a tough kid who works hard,” added McKay, who also coaches the Churchill High School team in Winnipeg and was a former coach of Manitoba’s under-19 squad.
Howells was cut from that same mold, McKay said, with a great work ethic and very coachable. McKay sees him doing well in the future.
Team Manitoba will attend the under-17 National Tackle Football Tournament slated July 31-Aug. 7 in Kitchener, Ont.
The opportunity to try out for Team Manitoba is one of the advantages of Fort High playing in the Winnipeg High School Football League. Coach Bob Swing made the jump in the fall of 2001 to give his players better competition.
Local players also are eligible to try out for Manitoba’s under-19 team, though no Muskies decided to do so this year.
Swing said many of his players have the skills needed to compete for the Manitoba squad, but trying out is more a matter of how much time they have to commit.
He had approached six or seven of his players about the tryouts. Four of them attended the first camp, with one dropping out after that initial one.
“It’s a hard thing to do for a lot of kids,” Swing said, especially since a lot of the players have jobs as well as school and the tryouts all take place in Winnipeg.
The tryouts are a good experience for his players, regardless of whether they make the team, said Swing, adding it gives them an opportunity to see what level they have to play at to compete in the WHSFL.
The Muskies has gone winless the past two seasons.
McKay said he was very pleased with the depth of the team he selected.
“We have a good balance, they make a nice group,” he said. “They’re quite humble, quite eager. It’s a great combination.”
He expects the squad to be fast and physical, adding they had a difficult time making the final cuts.
The under-17 team will host another training session in Winnipeg on July 23-29 before leaving for the national tournament in Kitchener.
Ian Voth, a linebacker with the Kenora Broncos, also made the squad. One other Bronco made it to the final cuts.
Those players cut from the team will serve as alternates in case of injuries prior to the beginning of the tournament.
“We’re going to do Manitoba proud,” said McKay. “And all the programs affiliated with that.”