Preparation is at the heart of Scott Flory’s job as head coach of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team, but nothing could have prepared him for how to address his team on Tuesday.
Standing in front of his players, Flory shared the news of quarterback Anton Amundrud’s cancer diagnosis.
“Hardest team meeting that I’ve had, to just to be honest with you,” said Flory. “He doesn’t deserve this. Anton doesn’t deserve this, none of these kids do.
“It’s hard as a coach and to be honest with you as a father, my two sons are on the team where he’s not that far removed from my kids… almost the same age. You’re supposed to be able to have answers, solve problems and this is one that I can’t.”
With the Huskies two wins away from achieving their goal of winning the Vanier Cup, a different kind of battle has emerged as the team is now rallying around Amundrud, after the 23-year-old star pivot was diagnosed with lymphoma following a lengthy absence from the team.
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Amundrud’s roommate, Ryker Frank, was given the news before the rest of his Huskies teammates and has spent the last several days trying to gather his thoughts on the battle ahead for his friend.
Frank shared his thoughts with a gallery of reporters at Griffiths Stadium on Wednesday night, as the Huskies prepare to host the Queen’s Gaels in the 2025 Mitchell Bowl on Saturday.
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“Me and him are good friends,” said Frank. “I sort of got broke the news before everyone else. Just seeing the raw emotion of the whole team… we’re just going to hold him in our hearts. We’re thinking about him, we’re making sure he knows we’re thinking about him. That’s all we can do right now, just show our support for him.”
Amundrud was in the midst of an MVP-like fourth season for the Huskies, leading the team to a 4-1 record and throwing for over 1,600 yards and 14 touchdowns without a single interception.
Named to the Canada West all-star team, the Lloydminster product abruptly departed the team following Saskatchewan’s 45-22 victory over the University of Calgary Dinos on Sep. 27 with Flory saying he was waiting to be cleared medically by team doctors moving forward.
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Flory was given official word on Amundrud’s diagnosis on Monday, before a public statement from the University of Saskatchewan was released on Wednesday relaying the quarterback’s path forward.
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“It was definitely frustrating him being in the hospital for so long and just not knowing what’s going on,” said Frank. “In a way it’s at least one positive that at least now we know what it is, we can start working on treatment.”
Amundrud’s treatment will begin immediately now that he’s been diagnosed, with Flory officially ruling him out of action for the remainder of the Huskies season and passing the torch to sophomore Jake Farrell, who has won each of the team’s last five games.
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Even with his biggest fight ahead, Amundrud’s thoughts this week still go to Griffiths Stadium and his teammates chasing a national championship according to Frank.
“He’s a real stubborn guy and I think that’s going to help him on this,” said Frank. “Even just visiting him in the hospital he was saying, ‘Pump me full of the harshest chemicals you got.’ All he wants to do is get back out on this field, so he’s going to use that stubbornness to his advantage, I think.”
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It hasn’t just been Frank visiting Amundrud in hospital, either, as Flory and several players have made the trip up to check up on their co-captain.
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“My heart goes to his family and to him with what he’s going through and what he’s dealing with,” said Flory. “He’s not doing it alone, he’s got a whole bunch of brothers here to help and support and to love him. There’s been so many guys up to see him doing all that kind of stuff, still it’s heartbreaking.”
Amundrud’s diagnosis comes just ahead of the Huskies biggest game of the season on Saturday, as they’ll host Queen’s with the winner advancing to the 2025 Vanier Cup in Regina.
It’s a Mitchell Bowl matchup that hasn’t gotten any less important for Flory and his team, but a game on which they now have a much different perspective.
“The impact? I don’t know,” said Flory. “I know we’re going to be ready to go Saturday to be honest with you. We just love that kid, we want him to be OK. That’s what we care about, that’s what we want. We understand there’s a game Saturday, our guys are going to be ready.
“They’re going to be prepared, they’re going to play their asses off. I know all of that, I know that, I know that. But man… we just want what’s best for Anton.”
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When asked about what’s stood out around Amundrud’s personality, Flory pointed to his quarterback’s positive demeanour and his unflappability under pressure.
They’re traits, he added, that will serve the all-star pivot well as he prepares for the biggest fight of his life.
“One of his first starts, three or four starts in he actually got into a fender-bender on the way to the game versus Regina [for] ‘Homecoming’ a couple of years ago,” said Flory. “He ended up throwing four touchdowns. That’s just the guy he is, most guys that would rattle them.”
“I saw him on Monday and saw him [Tuesday] morning as well, the kid’s a fighter. He’s ready, he’s ready for it.”
While players like Frank will be thinking of their teammate when the ball is kicked off on Saturday afternoon, it will be a welcomed break from the stress of the last few weeks with an opportunity to just go out and play the game which he and his roommate love.
“Anton, he wants us to go out there and play our hearts out,” said Frank. “A big part of it is just doing it for him.”
The Huskies and Gaels will meet in the 2025 Mitchell Bowl with a 2:15 p.m. kickoff on Saturday at Griffiths Stadium, with the winner advancing to the Vanier Cup to battle the Montreal Carabins or the St. Mary’s Huskies.
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Anyone interested in sending a note of encouragement to Amundrud can do so by email at huskie.football@usask.ca.
