After enduring three consecutive 2-8 seasons and watching the B.C. Football Conference playoffs unfold from the sidelines, the Westshore Rebels are primed to make a return to respectability.
With a talented recruiting class that the coaching staff believe rivals any in Canadian junior football, and more depth at virtually every position than theyB次元官网网址檝e enjoyed in years, the Rebels canB次元官网网址檛 wait to open their 2016 season this Sunday (July 24, 4 p.m.) against Langley at Westhills Stadium.
Jake Hall, a towering 6B次元官网网址�11, 315-pound offensive lineman in his fourth year with the club, admitted suffering through losing seasons has been a tough pill to swallow. But he sees momentum being built from within.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e excited, weB次元官网网址檙e ready to go and I think itB次元官网网址檚 going to be a lot different than last year,B次元官网网址� he said before practice last week.
B次元官网网址淟ast year we started to show improvements that I didnB次元官网网址檛 see the first two years. We lost a couple games at home by (two points or less), but we started building as a team which is an important thing. We started believing in each other, believing in the program and believing in our coaches.B次元官网网址�
The hard work began last year
Recruiting for this year started pretty much as soon as the 2015 campaign ended. Showing their determination to get better, dozens of players have been putting in long hours in the gym and doing on-field workouts for months now.
The addition of a top-notch training facility off West Shore Parkway, and the signing of legendary strength trainer and football mind Shane Beattie as associate head coach B次元官网网址� he guided the Okanagan Sun to the BCFC title last fall B次元官网网址� has taken the Rebels to another level, says head coach J.C. Boice.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e been getting 50 to 60 kids consistently five to six days a week. WeB次元官网网址檝e got more kids working out now than were on the roster last year,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a great testament to how awesome these kids are.B次元官网网址�
In his second full season at the helm, Boice has slowly, but surely crafted a football operation to rival the BCFCB次元官网网址檚 big guns like the Sun and Vancouver Island Raiders.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e brought in some very, very talented players and very high quality young men. WeB次元官网网址檙e ready,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚 think everybody believes weB次元官网网址檙e on the verge of something great. Now, we donB次元官网网址檛 know how thatB次元官网网址檚 going to shake down or how far weB次元官网网址檙e going to go, but everybody genuinely believes weB次元官网网址檙e heading for some really good things.B次元官网网址�
With Boice overseeing the offence and the ultra high-energy Beattie co-ordinating defence, the coaching staff have been working on execution and building toughness in their players, Boice said.
B次元官网网址淭hese guys are going to continue to work and grind B次元官网网址� weB次元官网网址檙e going to come into that opening game against Langley battle hardened. WeB次元官网网址檙e going to push them.B次元官网网址�
Expectations are high in camp
The reality of turning a 2-8 team into a national contender might seem like a pipe dream, but this group is willing to suspend their disbelief long enough and work hard enough to reach for the stars.
Like Hall, fourth-year safety Brody Uddenberg has seen the club turned upside down.
B次元官网网址淭he difference from my first year here to what IB次元官网网址檝e seen when J.C. got here, the whole program took a facelift, everything changed, the intensity went up the level of everything went up,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淎nd then Beattie got here and everything doubled again. EverybodyB次元官网网址檚 gotten so much better over this off season because of what those two have been able to do together. EverybodyB次元官网网址檚 stronger, faster and hits a little harder now, you know, so fans are going to get quite a show this year.B次元官网网址�
Second-year offensive lineman Aarmin Purewal, one of a number of Rebels already recruited by college or university football teams, likes what the dozens of newcomers are bringing to the team.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e got an excellent recruiting class, with a lot of university players, a lot of skilled kids coming out of high school and theyB次元官网网址檝e been pushing everybody,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 what we need, thatB次元官网网址檚 how you build a national championship team, by internally having guys on the team competing.B次元官网网址�
Not only are the players playing for each other and themselves, he said, theyB次元官网网址檙e going to be playing for their city.
Lerenzo Ihanza, a highly touted, 6-2, 200-pound wide receiver and kick return specialist who played for the University of Manitoba Bisons last fall, likes what he sees around the community, but is clearly here to do a job.
B次元官网网址淔rom what IB次元官网网址檝e seen, this team is a bunch of ballers,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e got a great coaching staff, great support, the facilities are awesome for a junior program. This is a team thatB次元官网网址檚 built to win, anything less than a national championship would be a failure.B次元官网网址�
For more about the Rebels team and the full 2016 schedule, visit .
editor@goldstreamgazette.com
