*Boulton Division*
Broncos
Record Last Season: 2-3-1
What Happened Last Year: Lost to the Stampeders 20-15 in Division 2 Semi Final
Coaches Comments:
Rob Watson: “We are a young team, but we are looking alright. Practises are going really well and we are just looking forward to our first game of the season, against the Mavericks. They are probably one of the top, if not the top team this year so it will be a really good test. My main goal is to improve on last year. We have lots of young talent and we just want to keep improving.”
Players to Watch:
“Our Right Guard Tyler #62 is probably one of the top linemen in the city, our Defensive Half Back Gerald Fitzgibbon made all-stars last season, so he and our Safety James Coffman are going to be our leaders on defence.”
Cowboys
Record Last Season: 5-1-0
What Happened Last Year: Lost to the Colts 24-7 in Division 1 Semi Final
Coaches Comments:
Garth Melrose: “At this point in the year we are very happy with the level of commitment the players have shown and the type of kids we have. We are starting to come together as a team and with the Jamboree behind us, we can’t wait to play a league game. There are plenty of teams in our league this year that are capable of winning a championship. We believe we are one of those teams. In addition to winning a championship, our goal as a program is to develop the football players in Calgary. We have players from seven different high schools on our team this year. We hope that all of our players will return to their high school teams in June as better, more experienced football players.”
Players to Watch:
“Our key players on offence are going to be; Ryan Sceviour (OL, 6’3, 300 lbs) who has been a Midget All-Star in both of his past two midget seasons and will once again be a leader for us up front, Derek Spence (Receiver, 6’1, 211 lbs) who is a big receiver with great hands, Franco Poon and Quinn Leblanc who will both be carrying the ball for us from the tailback position. On defence we will be looking to; Jakub Jakoubek (Middle Linebacker, 5’10, 200 lbs) who has a great knowledge of the game and will be one of the most physical players in the league, Reyd Kessler (Outside Linebacker/Safety, 5’10, 200 lbs), and Carlo Gallotta (Defensive Lineman) who is only in grade ten.”
Hilltoppers
Record Last Season: 5-1-0
What Happened Last Year: Lost to the Bulldogs 17-14 in Division 1 Semi Final
Coaches Comments:
Yorgo Nikolakis: “So far the team looks solid. I am excited because they look as good as they have early on in the past few years. I am expecting another really solid year and a good run into the playoffs. I personally really like what we are doing in terms of the playbook. We are getting back to the old school Hilltopper offence which is more balanced. On defence we are changing from a 3-4 system to more of a ‘multiple front system’, which I think the kids will have more fun with.”
Players to Watch:
“On offence our Quarterback Colby Brewster is a really good leader and our Receiver Spencer Yonke is a very vocal leader. On defence our Defensive Linemen Josh Thompson and Jack Mcewan are both very solid leaders, as well as Christian Dudar who is one of our Defensive Backs.”
Mavericks
Record Last Season: 4-2-0
What Happened Last Year: Lost to the Bulldogs 37-14 in Division 1 Quarter Final
Coaches Comments:
Len Guenther: “I think that we have a lot of very talented players this year and we should be very competitive with the league. My expectations are for us to remain competitive, and the main goal is to win the championship.”
Players to Watch:
“I have several key players that could take the lead at this point and would not look to any one key player, but we will be looking at the veterans to take us through the season.”
Northern Raiders
Record Last Season: 0-5-1
What Happened Last Year: Won the Division 2 City Final 35- 0 over the Stampeders
Coaches Comments:
Stephen Kemps: “Our team is looking good we are a focused, well balanced team. We are both fast and smart. We have good depth which is making for good competitive practices. Our goals for the season are to play well, be competitive, and get better every game.”
Players to Watch:
“On defence we will be looking to LB Kyle Lemay and DT Tommy Murray, they both have been with the team for 3 years and we really look to them to carry the load. The whole team really follows them. On offence our leaders are Receiver Austin Lappage and Running back Josh Duazo. These two are second year players who both have a great skill set and can make things happen for us.”
Prairie Fire
Record Last Season: N/A (new team)
What Happened Last Year: N/A (new team)
Coaches Comments:
Chris Hall: “The team looks a little smaller on average, in comparison to some of the other Calgary teams. Speed wise I think we will hang in there with the other teams, I think we will be ok in that department. Honestly I think that the Calgary teams obviously have a bit of an advantage being that we are a new program. Other teams have continuity with their coaching staffs where as we are all new to this program. So really, going in, our goal is to be competitive. We have no real set goal in terms of wins or losses. We just want to compete. We are just really excited. Coming from the Central Alberta region, we really appreciate the Calgary league giving us this opportunity. I mean we have kids on this team who have only ever played nine man football in their smaller towns. So now we are getting a chance to compete on a bigger stage, and at a higher level and we really look forward to it. I just want to give kudos to the guys at the league for making this happen.”
Players to Watch:
“It is tough to single out certain players just because they are all new. I guess one kid that stands out is our Running Back Braden Nelson. He is a pretty strong player and his been separating himself, other coaches have already commented on his play. He is out of Stettler, Alberta.
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