Sawyer Thiessen draws first start for Bisons

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This article was published 04/11/2021 (1343 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Already in grade nine, playing for the SRSS Varsity Sabres, Mitchell`s Sawyer Thiessen was turning heads as one of the top quarterbacks in the Winnipeg High School Football League.

Thiessen honed his skills over the next two seasons in grade 10 and 11 with the Sabres as the premier quarterback in the WHSFL. His grade 12 football year last season was of course wiped out by the pandemic.

Legendary U of M Bisons coach Brian Dobie already had Thiessen on his radar following his stellar play in grade nine. So it was no surprise last year when Thiessen was recruited to play for the Bisons.

But battling with three or four other quarterbacks on the Bisons roster, including fifth year veteran Des Cattellier, it was more than likely that Thiessen would red shirt with the Bisons, common among first year players, meaning he could practice but not play in games.

When Cattellier went down with a season-ending injury in the first game of the season for the Bisons, back-up Jackson Tachinski became the defacto starter of the team.

This also had a ripple effect as it pertained to Thiessen as he now became a regular member of the roster and the likely back-up should Tachinski get injured.

That is exactly what happened two weeks ago in Vancouver as Tachinski was injured in the game against the UBC Thunderbirds. Baptism by fire, the rookie Sawyer Thiessen went in at quarterback in his first action in a U Sports game. Thiessen struggled mightily, only completing two of his 14 pass attempts.

But he was designated as the starter for the Bisons last Saturday at IG Field against the first place University of Saskatchewan Huskies.

The Huskies throttled the Bisons 41-12 in a game that was not as lopsided as the score indicated.

Thiessen really had an outstanding game, completing 18 of 28 attempts for a 64.3% completion rate, for 178 yards and no interceptions. He has also threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Gavin Cobb in the third quarter.

In a phone interview on Monday, Thiessen said both the offensive co-ordinator and quarterbacks coach worked with him all week, preparing a game plan for him that would allow him to succeed. “I felt much more comfortable than in the game at UBC.”

“This was my first game action in two years, it took a while to get used to the game speed in U Sports.”

He also shouldered some of the responsibility for the loss blaming himself after he fumbled the ball which eventually led to a Saskatchewan touchdown.

He was unsure, depending on the status of Tachinski’s injury, if he would be the starter or not this Saturday in Regina in the final regular season game. A win would give the Bisons a home playoff game.

But with his first game now under his belt, and with the poise the rookie quarterback showed in his first university start, it should be fun to watch his development with the Bisons in the coming years.