Yes, itās that time of year again. The time of year where football season (high school) officially kicks off in Hamilton. While the excitement builds as the Hamilton Tiger-Cats preseason is right around the corner, all eyes shift to Ivor Wynne Stadium this Friday night as Hamiltonās brightest young football stars light up for the 22nd Annual Steel City Bowl.
Ivor Wynne Stadium is the site for the 22nd Annual Steel City Bowl
For those who are unfamiliar, the Steel City Bowl is an annual all-star matchup, which pits the best high school players from East Hamilton against the best of the West.
The head coaches for this yearās game will be Tiger-Cats Strength & Conditioning coach Darrell Adams representing the West, with York University and Cardinal Newman coach Joe Wade representing the East.
Although each of these men have taken a different path to get to this point in their respective football careers, each have several things in common, including a genuine love of teaching.
āItās an absolute pleasure to coach these kids,ā chimed Wade, āthis game isnāt about the coaches, itās about getting all the kids together and just learning. We try to teach them what we can, but they also learn from playing with each other and Iād like to think that we learn from them as well.ā
Coach Adams couldnāt agree more.
āItās all about the kids, getting them exposed,ā Adams explained, āgiving them a chance to learn from coaches who have coached and played the game for a long time.ā
Although the game is considered a friendly exhibition match, the coaches still want their guys prepared to play when the whistle blows on Friday night. Something that is easier said than done, considering that each team only gets one week of practice before the game. With such a short time for all these new players to gel as a team, what kind of approach needs to be taken?
āBecause it is such a short turnaround, we just want to focus on teaching the kids the fundamentals of football to build on what they learned in school.ā stated Adams, āweāre taking the practices one day at a time, focusing on getting better each day. I donāt want any of the guys to even think about the game until Friday.ā
Coach Wade agrees that the short week of practice presents some challenges.
āWe really only get 8 hours of practice before the game, so we just try to instill a package so that they understand what theyāre doing.ā He said, āI want them to play fast because when theyāre thinking out on the field, theyāre not playing fast.ā
While each coach is truly honoured to have been selected to participate in the Bowl, they both remain humble, stressing that the game is about the players on the field.
Coach Adams, a former Tiger-Cat defensive lineman, knows all too well what itās like to be in the spotlight and he wants his players to grab the opportunity to make plays on Friday night.
āWeāre going to roll everybody into the lineup. Nobody should be complaining about their playing time come Friday.ā he said with a grin, āweāre going to allow these kids to showcase their talents, because thatās what this game is all about.ā
Game time is scheduled for 7:00pm at Ivor Wynne Stadium. Whatever the outcome of this yearās Steel City Bowl, one can expect nothing less than a good game on Friday night. Letās get ready for some football.
WEST TEAM:
L. NAME | F. NAME | SCHOOL | POS. | |
3 | Leegstra | Joshua | Dundas Highland | QB |
4 | Brown | Michael | St. Thomas More | RB |
6 | Brown | Nathan | Ancaster | WR |
7 | Samek | Jordan | Westdale | WR |
8 | Thompson | A.J. | Dundas Highland | DB/RB |
9 | Rosenkrantz | Vanic | Westmount | WR |
10 | Sartori | Matthew | St. Mary’s | QB |
11 | Sirko | Zenon | Westdale | DE/SB |
12 | MacNeil | Zac | Westmount | QB |
14 | Malavolta | Sam | Westdale | QB |
15 | Ricottone | Joey | Westdale | SB/WR |
19 | Chciuk | Alex | St. Mary’s | WR/RB |
20 | Carey | Chad | Dundas Highland | LB |
21 | Price | Matt | St. Mary’s | DB |
22 | Timmermans | Ray | Hill Park | O/DL |
24 | Appleton | Tyrell | MacDonald | RB/LB |
26 | Guzylak | Isaiah | MacNab | CB/RB |
28 | Leslie | Jesse | Westmount | DB/MLB |
32 | O’Brien | Andrew | St. Thomas More | RB/C |
34 | Shallow | Kyle | St. Thomas More | RB |
43 | Wood | Mike | St. Mary’s | DE/OT |
44 | Ceolin | Eric | St. Thomas More | O/DL |
48 | Roper | Alex | Westmount | C |
51 | Figliola | Kyran | St. Mary’s | LB |
52 | Najak | Khaleed | Westdale | LB/DE |
53 | Nelson | Cole | Hill Park | O/DL |
54 | Doyle | Steven | St. Mary’s | OL |
55 | Chaisson | Brandon | Dundas Highland | OT |
56 | Brown | Ben | MacNab | |
59 | Canavo | Nico | Westdale | G |
63 | Lalonde | Jamie | MacNab | O/DL |
64 | Giannetti | Marco | St. Thomas More | OL |
66 | Cumming | Sheldon | Hill Park | DE/OT |
68 | Boyd | Ryan | Westmount | OL |
COACHING STAFF:
Head Coach: Darrell Adams ā Strength & Conditioning Coach/Assistant Defensive Line Coach (Hamilton Tiger-Cats), 2012 Defensive Co-ordinator (Hamilton Hurricanes)
Offensive Coordinator: Vince Luciani ā 2011 Offensive Assistant (Hamilton Tiger-Cats)
Defensive Coordinator: Dwayne Cameronā 2010-2011 Defensive & Special Teams Assistant (Hamilton Tiger-Cats)
Wide Receiver Coach: Dante Luciani ā Former CFL wide receiver 2008-2009
Running Backs: Dave Graffi ā CJFL Running Back Coach (Hamilton Hurricanes), Former CFL running back 1981-1986 (Hamilton Tiger-Cats)
Offensive Line Coach:Tom Sterling ā 2012 Vanier Cup Winner (McMaster)
Defensive Line: Branko Vincic ā Former CFL/NFL defensive lineman 1988-1991
Defensive Line: Jeff Hill ā Former OVFL Defensive Line Coach (Grenadiers)
Linebackers: Scott Campbell āCJFL Defensive Coach (Hamilton Hurricanes)
Defensive Backs: Jeff Brown ā Former CFL defensive back (Hamilton Tiger-Cats)
EAST TEAM:
L. NAME | F. NAME | SCHOOL | POS. | |
3 | Dhaliwal | Mani | Orchard Park | HB/LB |
4 | Rebelo | Tobias | Bishop Ryan | WR |
5 | Radway-Johnson | Antone | Delta | DB/SB |
6 | Ewan | Cameron | Cathedral | RB |
7 | Bekiaris | Jarret | Sherwood | QB |
8 | Marquette | Jacob | Cathedral | QB |
9 | Brenton | Lucas | Cardinal Newman | DB |
10 | Milon | Mark | Sherwood | K/P |
11 | Anderson | Bobby | Barton | WR |
14 | Kit | Austin | Orchard Park | R |
15 | Weston | Aiton | Cathedral | WR |
19 | Dugas | Tyler | Barton | DE |
20 | Joseph | Devin | Bishop Ryan | DB |
21 | Peterman | Daniel | Cardinal Newman | WR |
22 | Langley | Mike | Glendale | LB |
23 | Tornifoglia | Matt | Cardinal Newman | DB |
24 | Boucher | Tyler | Cathedral | DB |
26 | Swick | Tyler | Bishop Ryan | DB |
28 | Gomez | Andres | Orchard Park | DB |
30 | Justin | Lloyd | Cathedral | TB |
33 | LeDonne | Jason | Bishop Ryan | RB |
34 | Hayward | Randy | Orchard Park | RB |
35 | Boscher | Donnie | Churchill | MLB |
39 | Mezzolira | Eric | Cardinal Newman | LB |
42 | Zulak | Mark | Bishop Ryan | LB |
44 | Barbusa | Joseph | Cathedral | DT |
49 | Chora | Brandon | Bishop Ryan | OL |
51 | Bhogal | Amit | Orchard Park | OL |
52 | Bainbridge | Josh | Sherwood | LB |
53 | Martin | Brett | Bishop Ryan | OL |
55 | Terceira | Andrew | Bishop Ryan | OL |
56 | Terry | Alex | Bishop Ryan | DL |
59 | Logan | Jameson | Sherwood | LB |
60 | Baxter | Kody | Churchill | DE/LB |
62 | Crocker | Adam | Churchill | DE |
63 | O’Connor | Matt | Glendale | DE |
65 | McKay | Braden | Barton | C |
66 | Galan | Matt | Sherwood | OL |
67 | Lee | Jeremy | Barton | OG |
71 | Blake | Mat | Barton | O/DL |
77 | Price | Jalen | Barton | DT |
COACHING STAFF:
Head Coach: Joe Wade ā York University & Cardinal Newman
Offensive Coordinator: Pierpaolo Bianco ā Cardinal Newman
Wide Receivers: Ralph Viscoso ā Cardinal Newman
Offensive Line: Matt Kavanagh ā Cardinal Newman
Defensive Coordinator: Rob Tornifoglia ā Steel City Steelers
Defensive Line: Mike Yakazu ā Barton
Defensive Backs: Everton Squires ā Steel City Steelers
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