Welcome to the sa国际传媒 Football Conference, coach J.C. Boice.
Your first task is a 489-kilometre, six-and-a-half-hour trek into Kelowna to face the Okanagan Sun, who finished the 2014 season at 9-1 before losing the championship final 23-19 to the Langley Rams.
It will be a tough test, for certain, but one Boice will welcome as he takes on his first year with the Westshore Rebels, who are coming off back-to-back 2-8 campaigns and hoping to get back into the post-season.
The Sun pounded the Rebels 92-7 last season at the Apple Bowl in a game in which the Sun ran for 257 yards and five touchdowns while Robbie Yochim scored three times on punt returns. Quarterback Josiah Joseph also completed 7-of-7 passes for 141 yards and three TDs in the 2014 result.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a community that loves its football. They鈥檝e had a great coach. Coach [Shane] Beatty is a fiery guy who is well prepared,鈥� Boice said of the Sun. 鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be a long ride for us and it鈥檚 going to be a great test. We are really challenging our kids to compete.鈥�
And that鈥檚 his goal.
鈥淔ootball is about taking space and keeping that space. We鈥檙e challenging each and every one of our guys to line up, work like heck to beat the guy in front of him and take that space,鈥� added Boice, who isn鈥檛 committing to a targeted record.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 premature to be talking about playoffs, but it鈥檚 not premature to come with a mindset to compete,鈥� he said.
Boice鈥檚 specialty is offence and, in particular, quarterbacking, and he is expected to focus mainly on the pass game. Somewhat surprisingly, he will utilize all three quarterbacks he has in veteran Hunter Lake, Ashton MacKinnon (who came back from the University of Manitoba via Mount Douglas) and newcomer Talyn Davies.
The latter is from the competitive Bev Facey High School program in Sherwood Park, Alta., just outside Edmonton, where he won two conference titles and a bronze and silver at provincials. He was also the starting QB for Team North in the Alberta Senior Bowl and named his team鈥檚 MVP.
Lake has a powerful arm and excellent running abilities and experience.
MacKinnon is a six-foot-seven, 228-pound QB who has nice touch and the ability to tower over defensive lines. He helped the Mount Doug Rams to three straight sa国际传媒 championships.
鈥淚鈥檝e never done this before, quite honestly, in 20 years of coaching, but we鈥檙e definitely going by committee,鈥� Boice said of his three pivots. 鈥淲e have three kids that have all worked real hard and all have tangibles and skill-sets that I personally want to develop as a quarterback coach and head coach.鈥�
Lake will start. Davies will get second series and MacKinnon will come in third.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to continue that rotation through the game with the Sun and then the game with the Raiders [in Week 2] until one of them establishes himself. I feel like we can win with any one of the three,鈥� said Boice.
Defensively, he likes where his team is going.
鈥淚 think they鈥檙e getting physical up front. We鈥檙e thin at defensive back, but the kids there are committed. I think coach [Doug] Hocking and coach [Scott] Mennie are doing a real good job there.鈥�
Boice has also managed to attract a number of Mount Doug products to the club as OL Aarmin Purewal (Western) is expected to play a vital role. LB Sheldon Mack (UBC) is also back and so, too, is DL James Nicholas (U of Manitoba). Pato Vega also recently joined the team and will suit up at linebacker.
The defensive line will feature Connor Bryan (320 pounds), Peter Allen (280 lbs), Nicholas (280 lbs) and Jorge Yarwood (270 lbs) of New Westminster.
At linebacker, Jordan Goertzen joins the team from Simon Fraser University, while Kevin Gabriel returns from the Concordia University as Boice has broke some ground in drawing players back to junior.
鈥淭his team is looking a lot better,鈥� said Bryan, who left the University of Calgary to return to the club last season and has switched from offence to defence.
The offensive line has tremendous size as well in Jake Hall (six-foot-11, 315 lbs), Purewal (six-foot-five, 290 lbs) and Kyle Harrington (six-foot-four, 245). Another former Mount Doug Ram, Archie Acosta, is also expected to join the Rebels.
Lack of numbers is no longer an issue as upward of 60 players practised this week as the program is making a bounce back.
The negative is the Rebels are young so there will be growing pains.
