That opportunity may come their way with a running game 鈥� minus Greg Morris and quite possibly Niles Goguen as well 鈥� which needs to prove itself this sa国际传媒 Football Conference season, which for the Rebels begins July 27 against the Vancouver Island Raiders.
If the Rebels do have to turn to the air a bit more this year compared to last, they should be in good hands with Eggleston and Cannata back for their fourth years.
鈥淰inny is fast. That鈥檚 what he has on me,鈥� said Eggleston, a 22-year-old from Victoria who is in his final year of junior eligibility. 鈥淗e can catch a ball anywhere on the field and he can take it to the house.
鈥淢e, I rely on my route running a little more and trust my hands. If I get into the open field, people can catch me. Nobody鈥檚 catching Vinny, that鈥檚 the difference,鈥� Eggleston said when asked of the contrasts between the two.
Don鈥檛 let Eggleston deceive you, though.
He got off to a great start last season with 14 catches for 274 yards and five touchdowns in the first three weeks. He ended the year with 34 grabs for 513 yards and seven major scores and added four catches for 47 yards in the playoff loss to eventual champion Langley.
鈥淒on鈥檛 let him kid you, he鈥檚 pretty fast,鈥� Cannata said of Eggleston. 鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 count him out speedster wise. Eric鈥檚 pretty good at tracking the ball and running routes. I鈥檓 more of a try and get behind you and catch one on top of you kind of guy.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 get twisted with not being able to run routes, because I can run routes perfectly fine,鈥� Cannata added. 鈥淚t鈥檚 more my agility. I鈥檓 not as fast as I am quick. When it comes to quickness, that鈥檚 something I base myself off, rather than straight line speed.鈥�
Cannata, 21, was less used last season with 10 catches, but for a solid 297 yards and three TDs as speed plays a big part of the Winnipeg native鈥檚 game. He had one catch for 18 yards in the playoff loss.
Both will be relied upon as leaders.
鈥淚 think there is always an expectation for the leaders on the team to show an example for the rookies. We鈥檝e been here, we know what to expect and it鈥檚 our job to show them the right road,鈥� said Cannata, who hasn鈥檛 established any personal goals. 鈥淚鈥檓 not a stats or numbers guy, more so a work ethic and progression guy.鈥�
Eggleston is definitely setting the bar high.
鈥淢y personal goals, I would love to be a BCFC all-star,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 wish I could have done it last year, but that just means I have to work harder this season. If I can keep improving on statistics in every category and in team wins, that鈥檚 as ideal as it will get for me.鈥�
