Cayouette catches Cavaliers by surprise
By Tyler Lowey, Times Reporter
Nathan Cayouette is making a strong push to find a spot on a college roster next year.
The senior defensive back was nearly responsible for all the scoring in the Strathmore Spartans 21-0 blanking of the W.H. Croxford High School Cavaliers Sept. 15 in Airdrie.
Taking a break from their Rangeland Football Conference (RFC), the Spartans wanted to stay in game shape and organized an exhibition game with the Cavs, who were also off last week.
It didn’t matter to Cayouette if it was an exhibition, regular season or the Super Bowl – he still brought the same intensity and focus to the gridiron.
After his offence stalled out on a drive near midfield, Cayouette lined up as the long snapper. The Spartans delivered a booming punt down field and Cayouette was the first one on the scene – a very uncommon characteristic for long snappers.
“There weren’t any blockers, so I just hustled and got down there as quick as possible,” said Cayouette. “Maybe they weren’t expecting a long snapper to be down the field that quickly.”
His hustle paid off, as the punt was fumbled on the Cavs 10-yard line and trickled into the end zone, where Cayouette pounced on it for six points.
“Nathan is a guy that helps us out in so many ways. Whether we need guys on different spots on offence, or we move him around on defence, or we even use him as our long snapper, he always has his hand up and is ready to contribute,” said Spartans Head Coach Travis Gorski. “He usually does a pretty solid job at each position, too.”
Back in his familiar role as a corner back, Cayouette jumped the route on a pass just before half time and returned it 55 yards to the house for the pick-six.
“It was right before halftime and they had a way to go to get in position to score, so I knew they were going to take a chance,” said Cayouette. “I saw the quarterback look my way, I read the play and caught the ball. There wasn’t really anyone in my way all the way to the end zone.”
In the second half, Cayouette got the tap on the shoulder to rotate in as one of the halfbacks. He took the handoff in a goal-to-go scenario and punched the ball down to the one-yard line. The starting quarterback Noah Desjardins took over from there and used a quarterback sneak for the Spartans’ third touchdown.
“Nathan has improved every day since Grade 10,” said Gorksi. “He plays the correct way, has the heart of a champion and always brings his best attitude to practice. It was great to see him enjoy a game like this in his final year.”
The Spartans will hope that Cayouette’s defensive heroics carry over into this week’s action when they return to the RFC to take on the Rundle College Cobras Sept. 21 in Calgary.
The Spartans next home game is slated for Oct. 12 when they host the Holy Trinity Academy Knights.