The John Paul II Crusaders take on the Carpenter Spartans from Meadow Lake in North Battleford. (John Paul II Collegiate/Facebook)

By Kenneth Cheung

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

Spartans put up season-high points in defeat to John Paul II Crusaders

Oct 9, 2025 | 11:12 AM

Carpenter High’s Spartans football team showed major progress in their fifth game of the season on Tuesday, despite an 85–34 loss to North Battleford’s John Paul II Crusaders at Lions Park.

Head coach Coleton Ethier said the matchup marked the team’s strongest offensive performance yet.

“Offensively, we started to click,” he said. “We scored more points than we have the entire season combined.”

Quarterback Kayl Solsten led the charge through the air, connecting with fullback Caleb Rodrigue on a seven-play scoring drive that put Meadow Lake on the board.

A successful fake field goal on the conversion cut the deficit to 14–8 before both teams traded touchdowns.

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“After that, JP II started to pull away,” Ethier said.

During the game on Oct. 7 in Meadow Lake. The Spartans, left, and the Crusaders. (submitted/Coleton Ethier)

The Spartans’ attack piled up 499 yards of total offence — a clear step forward for the young team.

“Our quarterback, Kayl Solsten, threw the ball really well,” Ethier said. “Our fullback, Caleb Rodrigue, ran the ball hard, and our wide receiver, Mason Rodrigue, both ran and caught the ball well.”

Even though the Crusaders posted more points than in their previous meeting, Ethier said his defence also made progress, forcing two turnovers and several key stops on downs.

“There were good things out there,” he said. “We just need to continue to work on tackling.”

Ethier noted that fatigue set in against JP2’s deeper roster.

“Our bench was quite a bit smaller,” he said. “We were really in this game for the first half, but then we kind of ran out of gas.”

Still, he added, “our conditioning is still not where it needs to be, but it’s a lot better than it was six weeks ago.”

Week 1 – Carpenter High’s Spartans fall 49-6 to Kindersley Kobras in home opener

Week 2 – Spartans fall to John Paul II, shifting focus to conditioning and tackling

Week 3 – Spartans flash big plays in third game despite loss to Humboldt Mohawks

Week 4 – Spartans mark milestone in fourth game, despite loss to Delisle Rebels

The Spartans (0-5) now turn their focus to their season finale Friday, Oct. 10, in Kindersley against the Kobras — the same team that beat them 49-6 in Week 1. Ethier said the rematch will show how far the group has come.

“We’re a completely different team than when we played them week one,” he said. “This will be the true test of how far we’ve come.”

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Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com