It has not taken long for Saskatchewan Huskies receiver Keaton Belsher to get noticed. Less than a year ago, he was dominating the high school ranks in Moose Jaw with the Central Cyclones. Now, fresh out of high school, in his rookie season, Belsher is already rocketing up the stats chart. Heading into week 4, Belsher is ranked fifth in the country in receiving yards per game, third in receiving yards per catch and is tied for first in receiving touchdowns with four on the year. When asked about his early success, he immediately gives a lot of credit to his coaches. “Everything kind of is working out how it’s supposed to. The coaches are doing a good job by kind of working me in and getting me into the playbook and I have to give credit to all of them”. Huskies head coach Scott Flory says with young athletes in any sport, being coachable is so important for future success. “A lot of times, especially in this game, it’s the more you know, the more you realize the little you do know. So coachability number one. And then athleticism. The kid is a great athlete.” After setting records and winning a provincial high school title with the Moose Jaw Central Cyclones, the University of Saskatchewan was not the only school that tried to recruit Belsher. But when it came time to make a decision, Belsher said he believed he would feel right at home in Saskatoon. “Coach Flory and Coach Mason Nyhus, they did a great job and getting me out here and getting me familiar with everything”. Scott Flory says Mason Nyhus has played a big role in the recruiting process for the Huskies. “Coach Nyhus has taken over from a recruiting standpoint, so you gotta give it all to Mason on that one. But Keaton is incredibly talented. We could all see that. Everyone could see that.” And there is one other unique aspect to the start of the season for Belsher: his jersey number. Belsher wears number two, the same number worn by former Huskie all-star receiver Daniel Wiebe, who went on to play with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. And like Wiebe, Belsher gives a lot of credit to his quarterback for getting the ball to him. “I gotta give credit to A’s. He’s doing a great job. He’s getting the balls in places where they have to be.” And Amundrud says he has developed chemistry with all his receivers, including Belsher. “He’s long, he’s fast, he’s got a wide catch radius. He’s able to make guys miss and having breakaway speed. It’s kind of your all-around receiver really.” The Huskies bring a high-powered offence into Regina this weekend to take on the Rams, who posted a stiff defence that’s allowed the fewest points in the Canada West conference this season. Kickoff between the Huskies and Rams is 2 p.m. on Saturday at Mosaic Stadium.
