5 Alberta commits, including 3 CFC100s, join UBC

The Thunderbirds welcome five out-of-province commits to their Class of 2017.

The University of British Columbia Thunderbirds have done a little shopping over in Alberta and have snagged CFC100 Ted Kubongo, a running back from St. Matthew High School, CFC100 Kene Ezekeke, a receiver from St. Mary’s High School and CFC100 Alex Fedchun, a defensive lineman from Ernest Manning High School.

The team’s Alberta commits don’t end there, however, as Nick Richard, a receiver Notre Dame High School and Payton LaGrange, an athlete from from l’École Secondaire Notre Dame High School, will also be joining the team in September.

 Ted Kubongo

Although Calgary-resident,Ted Kubongo, will be heading out to Vancouver, BC, it’s still a shorter distance than say going out east. He said he chose UBC because of “the coaches, players and it’s close to home. The campus had a huge impact too and the city.”

The future business student added that he is excited to work with Head Coach Nill and Coach Paul. Sometimes, the opinion of others can play an important role in your decision making. “I have a lot of friends that were coached by him (Paul) before and told me a lot of good stuff about him and the results show,” Kubongo said.

The 6’0, 195lbs five-year veteran has played for the Calgary Hilltoppers and the Notre Dame Pride (Calgary High School Athletic Association). He then took a trip to the nation’s capital and played with the St. Matthew Tigers in the National Capital Secondary School Athletic Association. In 2014, he won a city and provincial championship with the Pride. The following year, he was the Pride’s team MVP. This past season, he won a city championship and the OFSAA Metro Bowl.

#BlueChip .. big night for @ubc @ubctbirds @UBC13thMan .. Team Canada’s @TeddyKubongo1 .. one of the nation’s best commits to the Birds!! pic.twitter.com/V7zZyQHgr8

— Blake Nill (@CoachNill) February 9, 2017

Kene Ezekeke
Kene Ezekeke, another Calgary product, is a 6’2, 180lbs slotback for the St. Mary’s Saints (CHSAA). Along with tearing up the football field, he is also a track runner.

“I chose UBC because they have one of the top academic systems in Canada, the campus and weather, the (fact that the) track team competes in the US and I feel the football team is a place where I can develop as a player,” he said. “I want to be able to add my skill sets and help the team achieve success.”

Ezekeke only started football in grade ten. But, the potential business student knows good coaches when he seems them. “I’ve met with Head Coach Nill and talked to Coach Primeau a couple times and they were both very enthusiastic towards me coming to UBC and they seem like the type of coaches that would keep you in check and push you to limit to be even better,” he said.

In 2014, he was offensive MVP and a silver and bronze medalist in the 100m and 200m race in the Track and Field Youth Nationals. In 2015 and 2016, he was a division all-star. This past season, he won a bronze medal in the 100m and 200m races at the Youth Nationals.

#BlueChip..Duo Sport Commit..Kene Ezekeke is a football MVP / All-star @STMHS_cssd also national sprint medalist in the 100 and 200 meters. pic.twitter.com/ylfis3stwH

— Blake Nill (@CoachNill) February 13, 2017

Alex Fedchun
In the CFC100 hotbed that is Calgary, Alex Fedchun has also emerged to try and put his mark on Thunderbirds football. He is 6’5, 245lbs and spent his high school days with the Ernest Manning Griffins (CHSAA) as a defensive end and middle linebacker. In 2016, he played as a defensive end and defensive tackle in the U18 edition of Team Alberta at the Football Canada Cup. In January of 2017, he travelled down to Orlando to play in the International Bowl.

This is not his first International Bowl showing. At the age of 15, he went to Arlington, Texas with Team Canada. He has also taken part in the Alberta Summer Games. In grade nine, he was part of the Calgary Select team that played against local teams in St. Louis. He can run 40-yards in 4.91 seconds, has a vertical jump of 31’ and can complete the 5-10-5 shuffle in 4.64 seconds. He can bench 260lbs and squat 425lbs.

#quiet night in YVR..NOT! Earnest Manning / Team Canada DL’man just commits to the @ubctbirds!! Alex Fedchun.. “@ubc was the right choice” pic.twitter.com/hDYE5wkOAe

— Blake Nill (@CoachNill) February 12, 2017

Nick Richard
Nick Richard is the last Calgary commit in this group to join the Thunderbirds. Standing at 6’2, 190lbs, he played with the Notre Dame Pride (CHSAA) in high school as a slotback. He has also played with the Calgary Mavericks (Calgary Area Midget Football Association).

#BlueChip .. Calgary Midget All-Star @MavsfootballYYC and ND offensive player of the year Nick Richards just commits to @ubctbirds !! pic.twitter.com/NTZT8uczG9

— Blake Nill (@CoachNill) February 12, 2017

Payton LaGrange
Payton LaGrange will be heading to BC from Red Deer, Alberta. He played with the Notre Dame Cougars (Central Regional Central Alberta Schools Athletic Association). He was a witness to the team that became the first Tier 1 Red Deer team in 21 years advance to the regional finals. In 2015, he played with Team Alberta in the International Bowl in Dallas, Texas.