Cayouette earns varsity football scholarship

By Sean Feagan, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A Strathmore football player will keep grinding on the gridiron after accepting an offer to join a major Canadian university program.

Nathan Cayouette, 19, continues impressing coaches and scouts playing football as a defensive back. So much so he has been offered a scholarship to play varsity ball with the Saint Francis Xavier University (StFX) X-Men in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, starting this fall.

Cayouette grew up in Strathmore. His introduction to football was playing little league for two years in Chestermere, then moving to peewee football in Strathmore when he was eight. Later, while attending Strathmore High School (SHS), he played for the Strathmore Spartans football team, from 2016 to 2018.

Cayouette was the “sparkplug” of the Spartans, said Travis Gorski, Strathmore Spartans head coach, who coached him in 2016 and 2018.

Cayouette started at cornerback as a rookie in 2016. 

“He played right away, and you could tell he had a unique personality and drive for the game,” said Gorski.

The Spartans found success that year by making the provincial finals for the first time in school history.

Gorksi took a sabbatical from coaching in 2017. When he returned to lead the Spartans in 2018, he said he found a different player in Cayouette. “The change in his ability to play the game and persona was just profound.”

With the Spartans, Cayouette was a leader by example. Despite typically playing cornerback, a position for smaller and faster players, Cayouette also played running back, safety, linebacker and even contributed on the offensive line at times.

“I basically played every position; wherever they wanted me to play, I was going to play it,” said Cayouette.

This selflessness inspired the whole team, said Gorski.

Cayouette graduated from SHS in 2019. He then continued his football career by playing junior football in British Columbia with the Vancouver Island Raiders in the fall of 2019.

But instead of bouncing around positions, Cayoutte stuck at halfback, a type of defensive back covering offensive players in the slot. Being able to focus on playing defense was a welcomed change. 

“I’ve always been an aggressive player, so I like hitting,” he said.

At first, playing against the league’s 18- to 22-year-olds was a “reality check,” he said. “This wasn’t high school football anymore.”

But Cayouette’s impressive play continued. Leading the team in tackles, he won the team’s rookie of the year award and was nominated for the conference’s top rookie award. The Raiders reached the conference semifinals that year.

Gorski said he’s not surprised with Cayouette’s success. “His work ethic that he took out there really cemented his position in the next level of football.”

This success opened more eyes to his ability and potential. Cayouette gained interest from coaches and scouts at several Canadian universities. After a lengthy recruiting process, he decided to play with the StFX X-Men.

The X-Men run a similar defense and Cayouette will likely stay playing halfback. 

“I think I’ll be able to transition well into their scheme,” he said.

Cayouette is looking forward to starting his varsity career in the fall, but if all goes according to plan, StFX will not be his last stop.

“Ever since I was a kid, my dream was to take football as far as I can – either the CFL or NFL,” he said. “I’ve had a lot of people tell me that I should stop trying because I’m too little or too short, but that’s just motivation to work.”

Added Gorski: “StFX is getting a hell of a football player.”