CJFL: Jason Orey is looking forward to hitting a quarterback

Now, on Sunday, Aug. 5, everyone gets to play in anger, as it were.
The Colts journey up to Edmonton for a three-team Prairie Football
Conference exhibition against the Huskies and Wildcats at Clarke Park.

“We’ve been going against the same guys since February every week. It
gets old,” said the 6-foot-2, 250 pounder, who is in his second year.

“It will be nice to be across from someone new and actually be able to
hit somebody. In practice you have limits to how far you can go. When
you go up against a different team, now that’s another story.”

The Colts will play one half against each of the Edmonton teams.
Following that they will return home to get ready to open the regular
season, which they will do Aug. 12 at the Gordie Howe Bowl in
Saskatoon against the two-time reigning Canadian junior champion
Hilltops.

Calgary’s home opener is Aug. 19 at McMahon Stadium. The Regina
Thunder visit at 1 p.m.

Head coach John Stevens and his coaching staff will be evaluating 80
players in Edmonton. The Colts normally have 65 in uniform at home
games and take 40 on road trips, but since this weekend marks the only
opportunity for them to assess players in game conditions, they will
be convoying up north.

One of those players is new quarterback Kiefer Olson, who has spent
the past two seasons with the University of Calgary Dinos. He missed
2011 following knee surgery. The Wilcox, Sask., native is one of four
QBs in Colts camp, along with returnees Jeremy Long and Derek Cooper
and British Columbia import Cole Meyer, who is fresh out of high
school.

“This week we started running scout teams so essentially we are
practicing against the two Edmonton defences,” Olson said.

“It helps a lot when you get a good look and you get in the game and
recognize a lot of stuff.”

Aside from assessing their talent level, Stevens’ coaching staff wants
to see who among his players can best execute their game plan.

“We also want to reduce as many errors as we can in terms of offside,
holding penalties and unnecessary roughness, that sort of thing,”
Stevens said.

“We want to be a hard-nose but discipline team.”

Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant expects the Colts to be tough.

“Calgary is a very good football team. The top two teams in the
league last year, we smack it up right off the bat. That will be an
interesting one,” he told the Saskatoon StarPhoenix on July 30.

Sunday’s exhibition in Edmonton starts at 1 p.m.