Battle River Football Association Rams thrive under new coach

When former Edmonton Eskimo, now Viking farmer, Kevin Lefsrud was approached by Ram parent and assistant coach Darryl Snider to coach the Battle River Football Assoc. Rams, things were in dire straights for the team.

Without a coach, the team, which is comprised of players from Daysland, to Hardisty, to Forestburg, to Viking, was in danger of not having a season at all this year.

When approached to coach the Rams, Lefsrud said he didn’t have to think very hard, “Darryl said they weren’t going to have a season if I didn’t say yes.”

“If this had just been a Sedgewick team, I probably wouldn’t have agreed but since this is a regional team, I wanted to help.”

“I wish I’d had a team this close when I was a kid,” Lefsrud said, “I had to go all the way to Wainwright to play.”

Even though Lefsrud farms, he says he figured he had enough help around that he could do it.

While not extremely familiar with six-man football, Lefsrud says, “The strategy part was easy, I just eliminate players from the line. It’s still just football.”

Lefsrud is clear on what kind of coach he wants to be.

“I needed to coach this year, to expose these kids to another style of coaching.

Read the rest of the story in the September 19, 2012 Edition of The Community Press, or the Viking Weekly Review, on newsstands now!