Carpenter High School Spartans players huddle during their Oct. 10 game against the Kobras in Kindersley. The matchup marked the team’s final outing of the season and capped the school’s first year back in football after a six-year hiatus. (photo/Tanis Crawford)

By Kenneth Cheung

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

Spartans close first season in six years with growth and optimism for 2026

Oct 14, 2025 | 10:19 AM

The Carpenter High School Spartans closed out their comeback football season Oct. 10 with an 84-32 loss to the Kobras in Kindersley. It’s a result that didn’t dampen head coach Coleton Ethier’s pride in how far the team has come.

Ethier said the game started rough when “the opening kickoff bounced off our returner’s facemask and directly to Kindersley,” setting up an early 14-0 deficit.

But the Spartans regrouped, scoring a touchdown, extra point and safety to pull within five.

“We did crawl ourselves back into that game,” he said. “We just started too slow to be able to capitalize on the momentum that we gained later.”

Caleb Rodrigue led the offence, scoring all of the team’s touchdowns, including a pair of runs of more than 50 yards.

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“He had another really good game,” Ethier said. The defence also came through with an interception and a much stronger second half, which he said gives the team momentum heading into next year.

Although the margin was wider than the season opener against Kindersley, Ethier said the short turnaround from their Oct. 7 matchup with John Paul II in North Battleford made the finale especially challenging.

“That turnaround from a Tuesday game to a Friday game is really, really hard,” he said. “Honestly, if we were to play Kindersley without playing a game on Tuesday, I think it would have been a lot closer.”

(photo/Tanis Crawford)

He added that the six-game schedule was intentional as a learning opportunity for a new team in its first year back after a six-season hiatus.

“Being a brand new team, I had volunteered to be the team that played six games,” Ethier said. “Even though I knew it was really going to be hard … I thought getting that extra game would be a great experience for these kids that had never played football before.”

Despite finishing winless, Ethier called the season a success in every way that mattered.

“Success was not measured by wins and losses. It was going to be by how much these kids improved,” he said.

“These kids went from not really even knowing what football was to looking like a real football team.”

He said the players’ growing awareness and discipline showed most in the small details. Early in the year, “every time we had to substitute from offence to punt or defence to kickoff return, we had substitution errors.”

By the final week, “we didn’t really even have to think about whether there was going to be the right amount of guys on the field. We just called out our special teams unit, and boom, the right kids went out.”

“Those little details are the important things that make good football teams great football teams,” he said.

The Spartans plan to hold a season-ending banquet in November. Co-Defensive Coordinator Will Swofford, who owns Up North CrossFit gym in Meadow Lake, will prepare an off-season workout plan so players can keep training together.

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

Week 5 – Spartans put up season-high points in defeat to John Paul II Crusaders

Looking ahead, the 2026 season will start with a spring camp in April or May.

“For the kids, the new season really starts today,” Ethier said. “How they prepare from now until next August is going to decide what kind of season they have next year.”

For Ethier — who volunteers as head coach while working full time with Mistik Management — the return of football at Carpenter High after six years has been a deeply rewarding project.

“It’s been so good to see these kids come from different walks of life and really mesh as a team,” he said.

“We have lots of different kids have become really good friends who probably wouldn’t have crossed paths in other facets of life besides football.”

He said the coaching staff will now review game film and identify ways to improve, with “a lot of self-scouts” ahead. But the community, he added, deserves just as much credit as the players.

“I just want to say thank you to all of our athletes for all of the hard work that they put in the season, as well as thank you to the community for their unwavering support,” he said.

“Community support was huge this year … we’re very excited to get ready for next year.”

Read more – Helmets on: Minor football returns to Carpenter High after six-year break

2025 Carpenter High School Spartans Roster

Players

• 2 Mason Rodrigue
• 3 Cameron Bell
• 4 Kohl Gladue
• 5 Dylan Mutch
• 6 Ben Boyer
• 7 Lincoln Bannister
• 8 Kayl Solsten
• 10 Flynn Lieffers
• 12 Caleb Rodrigue
• 17 Noah Cappelle
• 19 Evan Klassen
• 25 William Bear
• 30 Denzara Crawford
• 31 David Sawi
• 42 Kohin Wiebel
• 48 Rayden Napesis
• 53 Kolby Hiembecker
• 54 Eli Cappelle
• 56 Keadyn Floberg
• 58 Shiron Lambert
• 52 Zachary Head
• 63 Dylan Hebert
• 64 Dylan Kaltoff
• 67 Avan Millar
• 71 Grant Fillion
• 77 Trayden Lasas
• 82 Layne Coverchuk

Coaching Staff

• Head Coach / Offensive Coordinator — Coleton Ethier
• Offensive Assistant / Special Teams Coordinator — Drew Besco
• Offensive Assistant — Kyle Tenetuik
• Co-Defensive Coordinators — William(Will) Swofford, Christopher Brownrigg
• Defensive Assistant — Kyle Floberg

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Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com