Photo By Josh Schaefer/Huskie Athletics/GetMyPhoto.ca
Typically, Rhett Vavra took the fast route — as one might expect from someone who proudly hails from a community that is informally known as Speedy Creek.
Entering the 2021 Canada West season, Vavra had expected to be redshirted by the University of Saskatchewan Huskies after starring in football and track at Swift Current Comprehensive High School.
But the projections changed when Vavra was contacted by the Huskies’ receivers coach.
“I got a call from Coach Duane Dmytryshyn and I was like, ‘This is happening,’ ” recalls Vavra, 20. “There wasn’t time to think of it, because we were already done pre-season and on to Week 1.
“It was awesome and I’m glad I did it. Last year, I felt way more comfortable, and this year I’m just playing anxiety-free.”
Rival defensive backs, by contrast, have a reason to fret about Rhett.
After catching eight passes for 90 yards and one touchdown as a non-redshirt freshman, Vavra enjoyed a spectacular sophomore season.
He caught 46 passes for 782 yards and seven touchdowns, one of which was an 85-yarder, in 12 games for a U of S powerhouse that reached the 2022 Vanier Cup game.
“Last year was definitely a breakout year, but I want to do it year after year,” Vavra says in advance of Friday’s regular-season opener against the host University of Manitoba Bisons.
“I want that to be the mindset for not only me, but for all our receivers.”
Vavra was one of three Huskies receivers who exceeded 700 yards last season. As a bonus, each member of that talented trio is back for 2023.
Calgary-born Daniel Perry led the 2022 Huskies in catches (57) and receiving yards (797). He was selected by the Ottawa REDBLACKS in the fifth round (37th overall) of the 2023 CFL Draft.
Caleb Morin, formerly of Saskatoon’s Evan Hardy Souls, is coming off a 48-catch, 736-yard season.
Vavra, Perry and Morin worked in close collaboration with Regina-born quarterback Mason Nyhus, who has graduated.
Next in line behind centre for the Huskies is strong-armed sophomore Anton Amundrud, who is from Lloydminster.
“Losing key players like Mason Nyhus, we’ve got Anton Amundrud stepping up,” Varva says. “I just want to lead into next season and win every game after that.
“Hopefully the bigger picture, like the CFL or something like that, opens up after. For now. I’m just focusing on one game at a time.”
The game, from the outset, was football for Vavra.
“Most of the guys in Swift are hockey players, but there’s a small group of us who like football,” says Vavra, who grew up watching the Western Hockey League’s Swift Current Broncos.
“I just stuck with football and I’m happy I did.”
Although football was (and still is) No. 1, he also developed a passion for track and field. In fact, he practises with the Huskies’ track and field team, which is coached by Jason Reindl.
Vavra’s skills in athletics are such that he won age-group aggregate titles at the 2018 and 2019 Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association track and field championships.
“I wasn’t always the biggest kid,” says the 6-foot-0, 170-pounder — who is not related, by the way, to former University of Calgary Dinos and CFL quarterback Greg Vavra.
“Growing up, I was always the fast guy, so the thrill of running by people and catching the ball never leaves you.
“It’s from pee wee all the way up to secondary schooling. You catch it and you hear the crowd roar and it’s just awesome.”
Crowds were generally discouraged during the COVID-19 pandemic period, which prevented the SHSAA from holding provincial track and field events when Vavra was in Grades 11 and 12.
However, the timing allowed for him to make his Canada West football debut when play resumed in 2021 after a one-year hiatus.
The U of S proved to be a comfortable fit for Vavra, who fielded offers from numerous university programs.
He opted to enrol at the very same university from which his parents, Bob and Michelle, graduated.
“It was like I joined a family in my first year,” Vavra says, “and it was exciting.”
So was the experience of winning the Hardy Cup — the Canada West championship — and advancing to the 2022 Vanier Cup.
In the national final, the Laval Rouge et Or defeated the Huskies 30-24 at Western Alumni Stadium in London, Ont.
Vavra caught six passes for 66 yards, including a three-yard TD toss from Nyhus, in addition to returning a punt for 35 yards.
What was it like to score a touchdown in U Sports football’s marquee matchup?
“I don’t think I actually realized what I did until after the game was over,” Vavra responds. “I was like, ‘Next play, next play, next play,’ and trying to get the boys hyped up.
“Then, after the game, I realized, ‘I caught six balls and a touchdown in the Vanier Cup.’ It was pretty cool.”
But the job is not done, because the goal is to be No. 1 — and to celebrate a championship with teammates who double as an extended family.
“To be a Dog, it’s awesome,” Vavra says. “I’d rather be playing for this team than any other team.”
