2013 Red River Cup preview: BC’s grand entrance, Saskatchewan fields two teams

This year’s Red River Cup under-16 tournament in Manitoba will have a somewhat different look.

Team Lower Mainland British Columbia is joining the tournament for the first time.  Additionally, Saskatchewan will be fielding two provincial teams as opposed to one – North Saskatchewan and South Saskatchewan.

Along with these three new entries, the host province will also be fielding two teams – Winnipeg East and Winnipeg West.

The 2013 Red River Cup tournament begins on Sunday with five games on the slate.  It runs up until Saturday July 13th when the medal round takes centre stage.

The following is a preview on a couple of the teams that will be participating in the tournament.

TEAM LOWER MAINLAND BC:

While this may be the first year for this team in the tournament, Team Lower Mainland BC has set some expectations and goals which they hope to achieve on the field.

“Our goal is to executive and play to the best of our ability,” explained Team BC under-16 Head Coach Sean Roden.  “If we do that, we expect good results both on the scoreboard and in developing better football players.”

Team BC is using their strength of physical play to their advantage in the tournament.

“I think that we can expect a lot of raw talent and size,” assessed Roden. “Our lines on both sides of the ball will be physical and we have some great talent in the skill positions.”

“We have had very limited practice time and we were very aware of putting together a team that can play physical football and limit mistakes.”

Jacob Laberge will be the starting quarterback for the team while Anthony Crescenzo and Gavin Cobb will serve as backups. Along with Laberge, running back Alexsander Akpata will be counted upon to lead Team BC’s offensive unit.

On defense, linebacker and “play maker” Chris Ellis as well as safety Sean Stewart and defensive lineman Zackari Vint will lead the unit in trying to stifle their opponents’ offensive game execution plans.

Overall, Roden is expecting stiff competition from the other four teams that are participating in the tournament, especially South Saskatchewan.

“We expect great execution from all of the teams,” added Roden.  “We expect the usual flair that comes with playing Canadian football.”

“I personally think that South Saskatchewan is the team to beat but only based on reputation of football in southern Saskatchewan.”

Ultimately, Team BC is looking forward to seizing the opportunity of playing for the first time ever in the Red River Cup tournament.

“We are thrilled to be able to provide this opportunity to a very accomplished group of young football players from British Columbia,” commented Roden.  “We expect memories for a lifetime.”

TEAM SOUTH SASKATCHEWAN:

While Saskatchewan is fielding two provincial teams in this tournament, this team will have four players returning from last year’s team: Jarvis, Pisula, Stusek and Pierce). They will bring their experience of winning the gold medal in the 2012 Red River Cup tournament to help this year’s team.

It is pretty simple what Team South Saskatchewan’s goal is for the tournament.

“The team expects to compete,” commented South Saskatchewan’s Head Coach Jeff Stusek.  “Our goal is to win the gold medal.”

“We view ourselves as at least co-returning champs.  We are looking to defend.”

Campbell Collegiate’s Brayden Wagg and Riffel, Regina’s Mason Nyhus will be the quarterbacks for Saskatchewan South.

“The players should split time during the tournament,” added Stusek.  “Wagg is a more mobile quarterback while Nyhus is a more traditional pocket passer.”

Stusek gave details of Saskatchewan’s offensive game plan.

“You should see a well-balanced attack,” assessed Stusek.  “This offence should be able to score at any point during a game but also should be able to grind out the clock on the ground if necessary.”

“The team will start a number of tall fast receivers complemented by some very capable running backs.”

Defensively, Davin Williamson and Lukas Muir will anchor the linebacking core. Moreover, Nigel Bowns, Thomas Hornford and Brayden Jarvis are ones to watch on the defensive unit as they will play a significant role in trying to halt their opponents from getting anything going offensively.

“From a defensive perspective, the team will play a combination of base and blitz packages,” commented Stusek.  “The core of the defense will be on the inside of the line with Nigel Bowns, Thomas Hornford and Brayden Jarvis.  The linebackers are sideline-to-sideline types that can play well against the run as well as the pass.”

The competition is normally unpredictable but strong from all other participating teams.

“It is hard to know what to expect as the teams are essentially new every year,” added Stusek. “The Manitoba teams will definitely be tough.”

“The other Saskatchewan team will be a natural rival.  BC is true wild card.”

As for South Saskatchewan, Stusek has given a preview of what to expect to see from the team come tournament time.

“You should expect to see the South Saskatchewan team as a determined and disciplined team,” explained Stusek.  “We have assembled 40 players that play like “Saskatchewan” players should.”

TEAM WINNIPEG EAST:

As one of the two host province squads, Team Winnipeg East possesses a lot of character – something which will be evident on the field throughout the tournament.

“You can expect our team to battle and compete until the whistle blows on each and every play,” explains Team Winnipeg East’s Laurie Hoel.  “You can also look for our players to make key plays in key moments in all 3 phases of the game.”

The offensive unit of the team will be led by quarterbacks Noah Santiaguel and Mitchell Kutzan.

“Noah Santiaguel and Mitchell Kutzan will lead Team East into the tournament and these young passers have been steadily improving throughout their development in preparation for the Red River Cup,” commented Hoel.  “Look for these young men to lead their teams on and off the field with their attitude, effort, and their ability to read defences and rise to the occasion when the big moments present themselves.”

Two other players that will be looked upon to contribute to the unit’s success are receivers Liam Grace and Connor Nedelec.

“Look for Liam Grace and Connor Nedelec to make big plays in the passing game,” added Hoel.  “Both of these players are tall receivers with great hands and speed.”

“Team East will be looking for these players to make big plays.”

Defensively, the unit will be led by a trio of talented, yet experienced players.

“Look for Parker Bowles, Keenan Onyebuchi, and Shimon Abramovich to be disruptive and dominant to opposing offenses,” assessed Hoel.  “These three players possess strength, speed, and great football instincts which will always keep them near the ball and in positions to make big plays.”

Team Winnipeg East expects the competition to be strong at the 2013 Red River Cup.

“I believe this tournament will be very competitive from all teams and I look forward to competing against all of the other teams,” said Hoel. “I believe every team has a shot to win this thing and if you played it over and over again you may find three or four different champions.”

Ultimately, this team hopes their competitive character will translate into success at the tournament in front of the hometown crowd.

“Our team expectation and goals are to compete and get better each and every day we are out there,” explained Hoel.  “We focus on athlete development as it relates to a team philosophy.”

“We want to strive to be better each and every day in every phase of our lives. If we do these things we will be competitive in every game and have an opportunity to win the 2013 Red River Cup.”

(NOTE:  At press time, Winnipeg West and North Saskatchewan were unavailable to provide comments/information)

2013 RED RIVER CUP:

Canadafootballchat.com continues to increase its coast to coast coverage by adding another BIG amateur football event.  The Under-16 Red River Cup will be streamed LIVE from the new Winnipeg Stadium, INVESTORS GROUP FIELD.

The 14 games (full schedule below) will be played on three days: Sunday July 7, Wednesday July 10th, and Saturday July 13th.  The live streaming will begin sometime on Sunday (cannot guarantee when coverage will begin – stay tuned to CFC twitter account @chatfootball or Facebook account for updates https://www.facebook.com/CanadaFootballChat ).

 

2013 Red River Cup Tournament

Game Schedule

 

  • Sunday, July 7th [NOTE: Cannot guarantee when coverage will begin on SUNDAY]
    • Game 1 – 7:00 a.m.        Winnipeg East vs. North Saskatchewan
    • Game 2 – 8:45 a.m.         Winnipeg West vs. South Saskatchewan
    • Game 3 – 10:30 a.m.      North Saskatchewan vs. Lower Mainland BC
    • Game 4 – 12:15 p.m.       South Saskatchewan vs. Winnipeg East
    • Game 5 – 2:00 p.m.        Lower Mainland BC vs. Winnipeg West

 

  • Wednesday, July 10th
    • Game 6 – 1:45 p.m.        Lower Mainland BC vs. South Saskatchewan
    • Game 7 – 3:30 p.m.       North Saskatchewan vs. Winnipeg West
    • Game 8 – 5:15 p.m.        Winnipeg East vs. Lower Mainland BC
    • Game 9 – 7:00 p.m.      South Saskatchewan vs. North Saskatchewan
    • Game 10 – 8:45 p.m.    Winnipeg East vs. Winnipeg West

 

  • Saturday, July 13th (Bronze Medal Round Robin & Gold Medal Game)

    • Game 11 – 12:00 p.m.  4th Place vs. 5th Place
    • Game 12 – 1:45 p.m.     3rd Place vs. 4th Place
    • Game 13 – 3:30 p.m.    5th Place vs. 3rd Place
    • Game 14 – 6:00 p.m.    1st Place vs. 2nd Place  (Gold Medal Game)

(twitter: http://twitter.com/vohra_ameeta)

 

 

 

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