Carlton and St. Mary are gearing up for their NSFL semi-final matchups on Friday. Here, the longtime rivals are seen going head to head during the 13th annual Car Guys Classic at Max Clunie Field on Oct 3, 2025. (Logan Lehmann/paNOW Staff)

By Logan Lehmann

High School Football

Carlton, St. Mary prepare for semi-final football matchups

Oct 16, 2025 | 12:00 PM

The regular season is over in the North Saskatchewan Football League (NSFL).

Both Carlton and St. Mary are in the playoffs, gearing up for their semi-final matchups on Friday night.

Carlton finished atop the standings for the third straight year at 4-0 following their final regular season contest in Lloydminster last week, where they won 33-7.

The Crusaders are set to face North Battleford in the semi-finals this week, a team they beat 33-14 in the regular season. Those 14 points were the most they gave up against league opponents this season, where they gave up just 34 points in four games. During that same span, Carlton scored 134 points with their biggest win of the year coming against St. Mary, where they won 48-0.

The Marauders finished third in the NSFL and will face off with #2 Martensville on the road.

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St. Mary was 2-2 on the season, with their other loss coming against Martensville in 31-12 fashion. Their two wins came during Week 2 and Week 3 of the season, against North Battleford (31-14) and Lloydminster (27-0). In their most recent matchup last week, St. Mary lined up against Saskatoon’s Walter Murray, where they fell 48-29.

In the short history of the NSFL, St. Mary has the biggest upset in league history so far, coming in the playoffs nonetheless. In 2023, the fourth-place Maruaders managed to take down the #1 undefeated Crusaders in the semi-final round, 32-28.

St. Mary would go on to lose in the finals against North Battleford, 35-21. Meanwhile, Carlton managed to capture their first NSFL title last year with a commanding 40-22 win over Martensville.

Historically, Martensville has had the upper hand in the all-time series with St. Mary. The Royals won their inaugural NSFL matchup 17-15 in 2023, and again 28-0 last season. Both of those games were played in Martensville.

For Carlton and North Battleford, their rivalry runs deep with their newest chapter in the NSFL. In addition to this season, the Crusaders have won every matchup versus the Vikings since the NSFL was established, including 44-14 in 2023 and a narrow 28-23 win last season.

Martensville and St. Mary kick off at 3:45 p.m. in Martensville, while Carlton and North Battleford get underway at 6:30 p.m. from Max Clunie Field in P.A.

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loganc.lehmann@pattisonmedia.com

On Bluesky: @loganlehmann.bsky.social