Sam Bazarkiewicz earned national attention thanks to a recent TD catch.
A Saskatoon high school football player is enjoying the spotlight after his eye-popping touchdown catch won him the NFL Canada Way to Play award.
Sam Bazarkiewicz earned national attention thanks to a recent TD catch in the end zone with his arms draped around the back of an opposing Holy Cross Crusaders defensive back, somehow maintaining possession of the ball while falling and rolling onto the ground.
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The video was shown on TSN during an NFL broadcast on Sunday.
“It was just a really big moment to have, something not really expected to come from this year,” said Bazarkiewicz, a member of the St. Joseph High School Guardians who will meet the same Holy Cross Crusaders later this week in the Saskatoon city high school 6A football final.
Kick-off is 6:30 p.m. Friday at SMF Field.
“It was a good ball by our quarterback, Gus, (Grade 12 student Dawson Gusikoski) and I used a lot of concentration to look that ball in and used my best effort to keep my hands on the ball.”
Interestingly enough, Bazarkiewicz is typically a quarterback known for his arm, not his hands.
He’s a highly touted QB, at that.
He played quarterback for Saskatchewan’s provincial under-17 football squad this past summer.
“He’s, like, the best one in the province for his age group,” said St. Joe’s head coach Chad Palmer, who has no plans to convert Bazarkiewicz into a receiver for his Grade 12 season.
“Actually he’s a quarterback in Grade 11 that we threw in at receiver — I think the week before that game — just because he’s such a good football player. We had to get him on the field in some capacity. He made that catch, which was pretty exceptional, and then later in the game, he made one that was just behind it (in calibre), very similar play.
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“He’s thrown the ball and the DB’s just outside his lap, the ball bounces off the DB’s helmet with head turned and Sam plucks it out of the air after it bounces off his helmet and runs in for a touchdown. So he actually made two circus catches that night.”
The award is presented weekly during Canadian NFL broadcasts on CTV and recognizes players across the country in the Canadian high school ranks. The high school of each award recipient will receive a $3,000 equipment grant through Football Canada.
Bazarkiewicz was nominated by coach Palmer, who submitted the winning video.
“It’s pretty cool,” said Palmer. “It’s such live exposure nationally on an NFL broadcast of one of our guys in our program. That’s pretty cool, but part of the deal is we get $3,000 from a grant through Football Canada to put towards equipment, on top of it, so the exposure is awesome and so is the money.
“Sam also gets an NFLShop card of some kind, so he gets something from the NFL and then the team gets three grand and the exposure. It’s totally awesome.”
Bazarkiewicz, whose favourite NFL team is the Cleveland Browns, is looking at buying a souvenir Browns jersey — possibly Nick Chubb — or a hat with his gift card.
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Earlier in the season, the Guardians were at the other end of the NFL Canada Way to Play award winner with a play against them.
“We hosted Harry Ainley from Edmonton here and they won against us,” noted Palmer. “So we’ve had one against us and one for us this year.”
Bazarkiewicz said up until this season, he hadn’t played receiver since his very first year of flag football back when he was around nine years old.
He’s made up for some lost time with five catches for four TDs in three games.
“I like the thrill of a receiver,” he admitted. “You kind of feel more of the energy from the team when you get that touchdown.
“I still believe I’m a quarterback at heart — that’s where I best belong — but I wouldn’t mind doing what I’m doing right now, playing a little bit of both.”
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