When the Niagara Spears JV team steps onto the field this Friday to take on the Hamilton Ironmen JV, head coach Simon Gichard said he expects his team to “play Spears football, disciplined, crisp and relentless.”
He added that, “I honestly don’t care about the score. What matters to our staff is that we execute our game plan.”
The Spears will have three practices before the evening game commences. Gichard has three goals for the practices in order to improve his team’s game play and overcome their shortcomings from their previous game.
“Our opponents will scout us, and eliminating our errors from our previous games makes us tough to play against,” Gichard said.
Along with fixing mistakes, the pace of the practice was another thing the head coach addressed. “It’s important that our practices resemble game situations and we keep the players moving. We like to put the kids under physical and mental pressure in practice, making practice situations harder than what we might encounter in a game,” he said.
Gichard’s last goal is aimed towards the coaching staff. “Game plan. As a staff, I feel this is one of our real strengths. It’s important to prepare properly for your opponent,” he said.
And when it comes to their opponent, Gichard has nothing but respect for the Ironmen. He said that, “Hamilton has a long honoured tradition of football and I have a lot of respect for their head coach Mike Cornell.”
Both Gichard and Cornell are familiar with one another, having worked with Cornell at the 2016 OVFL Prospects game. Gichard said Cornell did a fantastic job with the defensive line and with calling the special teams play.
Cornell, who plays as a linebacker, has forged a successful career for himself in the CFL and will start the 2016 season with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Gichard said that, “A lot of times guys who play at a high level have problems bringing their experience and knowledge to a level that is effective with the younger boys. That’s not the case with Mike, scheme, fundamentals, rapport building with the players, Mike does a great job.”
When the game kicks off at 7:30pm at Kiwanis Field, Gichard is ready to prove which team has the better style of football. “Any time Niagara and Hamilton teams play, no matter the level, it’s always a competition. Both areas think their brand of football is better and that always puts us on a collision course for some great ball,” he said.
But when it’s all said and done, Gichard said, “The biggest challenge we have, as with any team, is ourselves. We focus on ourselves a lot.”
He added that, “Our staff is great at realizing potential. We know what we can accomplish and we hold our boys to that standard. That’s not always easy, but it’s a process we are dedicated to, the boys deserve that honest feedback.”
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