Mason Funk, a local athlete, recently got the chance to play in the 2019 International Pigskin Classic in San Antonio, Texas.

The Classic brings together ten teams from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Virginia, California, Mexico, Dallas, and San Antonio to compete against each other. The tournament follows NFL rules and consists of one-hour games.

Funk, an eighth grader who attends Niverville Collegiate, was selected to play for the Manitoba Selects after the team saw his potential during his time playing for the Eastman Raiders.

“The Manitoba Selects [is a] a football club started up by Kito Poblah, a former Winnipeg Blue Bomber, [and is] designed to further develop young football players who want to develop their skills and take football to another level,” explains Greg Funk, Mason’s father, “They held tryouts in the fall where they chose the top players and created their team. The team spent about three months practicing together on a weekly basis with the goal of traveling to Texas to play and experience football at an international level.”

The Selects, like all the other teams at the Classic, were only guaranteed two games. The more games they won, the more opportunity they would have to play. Unfortunately, the team was eliminated after their two games, with the scores of 8–0 and 8–6. 

Still, the experience was great for the young cornerback and safety. Mason’s family was able to make the trek down south to watch him compete.

“We made a family holiday out of this trip to Texas,” says Funk. “It was a great experience to see Mason involved in high-level football, doing what he loves. It was also neat to be a part of a group coming together from all parts of the province cheering our teams on down in Texas.”