CanadaFootballChat.com would like to continue introducing you to the CEGEP’s next rising stars with this new series.

Next up is the newest addition to the Vanier Cheetahs, linebacker Kevin Teran Flores.

Arriving in Quebec in 2002, the Vanier Cheetah’s newest acquisition had no idea at the time he would eventually become one the top football prospects in the province just over a decade later.

The native of Mexico didn’t have an easy path to becoming a great player as he faced what he called some political problems. In fact, Flores never took part in Team Quebec, Team Canada or even Team Mexico over the course of his career.

But this vicious linebacker chooses to give harder hits than he receives on and off the field. Nowadays, he’s got his eyes set on nothing less than earning the title of Recruit of the Year next season.

Round Trip to Mexico

 

Flores began his football journey with the Chateaugay Raiders at just 8 years old. Having not yet fully learned French, you could say the first language Teran Flores learned in this part of Canada was learning the basics of football. Revealing himself to be a gifted athlete soon upon hitting the field, Teran Flores played every position his coaches wanted him to. His size, weight and especially his mobility gave him the luxury to do so without a problem.

In 2012, Teran Flores headed south to play for the Queretaro Cimarrones of the National Student Organization of American Football (NSOAF), the major college football league in Mexico. Played since the early 1920s, football is an increasingly popular sport in Mexico City.

The NSOAF is similar to the NCAA in that it has a hundred teams divided into four categories. Games are televised and acclaimed by the fans. The most important one is the Liga Mayor, which competes at the collegiate level and which is organized into two conferences each vying for a separate championship.

‘’Most people believe that the level of competition is weak there, but it is very high in reality,” explains Teran Flores. “Recruiters take only the best players and aren’t afraid to cut many of them.”

“Furthermore, tackles are harder in Mexico,” Teran Floes continued. “The smallest players don’t hesitate to sacrifice their body to distribute some big hits.’’

Mexico has the third best national junior at the junior level on the planet and is able to compete with United States and Canada. Mexico has won several medals over the years in the International Federation of American Football’s Junior World Cup, known as the NFL Global Junior Championship until 2007.  The Mexican team won back-to-back championships in 1997 and 1998, among others.

Teran Flores has already received an invitation to join the Mexican national team, but distance seems to have kept him from getting confirmation from a selection committee when he was back in Quebec. He can’t play for Team Canada either because of his status as a permanent resident.

“One of my dreams is to represent my native country,” says Teran Flores. “It’s a privilege to wear the colors of my homeland and walk onto the field to the sound of our national anthem.”

Incredible Debuts With the Aigles D’or

 

Playing defensive end, Teran Flores tried to earn his place on Team Quebec’s line-up in 2013. He impressed at the initial selection camp, but didn’t survive the round of cuts in the next one despite recording seven sacks – four more than the second-best performance of that camp.

“Honestly, I felt snubbed by Team Quebec. I know I was ‘unknown’ at the moment, but I demonstrated my abilities,” recounts the 5’11,” 220-pound teenager. “That showed to me the political side of football. At the end of the day, that motivated me to prove my doubters wrong.”

The next summer, he joined the Dalbe-Viau Aigles D’or in Division 2 juvenile, where he proceeded to be named Recruit of the Year.

Teran Flores switched to the middle linebacker position the following year and developed great chemistry with his teammate Michee Bayavuge, this time in Division 1-b. The duo started a competition between themselves with one goal in mind: be the best defenders in the league.

Teran Flores finished the year as the league leader in tackles with 82 solo and 101.5 combined. He amassed seven sacks, two pass deflections and one interception as well.

Bayavuge, meanwhile, ended the year second in the tackles category with 89.5 tackles in total, along with recording two sacks and one pick. More impressively, Teran Flores played O-line the first half of that regular season and was on all the special teams units aside from kickoff return.

As for Teran Flores, the youngster ultimately received Defensive Player of the Year honors and a spot on the All-Star team, where he was joined by Bayavuge.

“That was quite a good year for me,” says Teran Flores. “I want to give credit to Peter Carriere, my best coach ever, and my partner in crime Bayavuge. Playing with a player as talented as him was special and we simply dominated all year long.”

“Maybe it was because I wanted so badly to receive the best player all-around award and I felt disappointed at the time to not get it,” he continued. “I gave all I got for the team, like blocking even if I don’t like that. I got many cramps because I was too often on the field.”

Despite missing one game in his final season at Dalbe-Viau, Teran Flores managed to once again finish in the league’s Top 5 in tackles with 57 combined (46 solo, 22 assisted), two sacks, one interception and one defensive touchdown on a fumble recovery in 2015. He even recorded a touchdown on offense on a four-yard reception from the tight end position.

It’s no surprise that six CEGEPs sought to meet with him upon his graduation.

Moving On to the Next Level

 

After weighing his options for a few weeks, Teran Flores elected to go to Vanier College to pursue his football career to be able to stay near his family – and to learn from a coaching staff who has a high reputation for developing great linebackers, courtesy of head coach Peter Chryssomalis.

One doesn’t need to look much further than the Hamilton Tiger-Cats’ Byron Perez-Archambault or the Université de Montreal’s Brian Harelimana as proof.

Speaking of amazing linebackers, Teran Flores is set to pair up with versatile third-year veteran Kean Harelimana in 2016. Harelimana is a regular on both Team Quebec and Team Canada, and like Teran Flores, possesses the size and the speed to stop the run efficiently and cover the pass as well.

But the big draw for Teran Flores remains Chryssomalis.

“Coach Chryssomalis is a big football figure in Quebec and I have a lot to learn from him,” says Teran Flores. “He will definitely be able to help me reach my objectives and become a better player. “His coaching methods have proven their efficiency over the years.’’

The rookie linebacker figures to play a big role in helping the Cheetahs return to the playoffs after failing to qualify for postseason play for the first time in 30 years following an unexpected 3-6 record last season. It’s obvious that the winners of four Bol d’ors since 2005 want to bounce back quickly – after all, this is the team that has played in 18 championship games since 1978, winning eight of them.

It’s safe to say that the Cheetahs will be relying on back in shape veteran starting quarterback Dimitrios Sinodinos to revitalize the team’s attack. On the defensive side, Vanier has a number of solid veterans returning for another year, particularly in the secondary.

Teran Flores for one is certainly looking forward to having that veteran presence.

“I’ve never been able to count on that quality of defensive back’’, he explains. “For example, all our starting defensive backs with the Aigles D’or were rookies in 2014”.

“Without question, when you have such terrific athletes as Zack Fitzgerald, Tyris Lebeau and Redha Kramdi –a Dalbe-Viau product as well – it allows you to focus on your first job, stopping the run. We’ll definitely be a resilient defense”, Teran Flores says.

Now 18 years old, Teran Flores has come a long way since his beginnings in Chateaugay a decade ago. But he’s not looking to slow down anytime soon – Teran Flores trains hard every day knowing he’ll need a spectacular rookie year in the RSEQ if he hopes to catch the eye of NCAA recruiters. He hopes to become a professional player one day.

For now, he will content himself with helping out his new team reach its goals.

“I’m ready to help the Cheetahs to get back to being elite,” says Teran Flores. “I lost in the quarter finals 76-0 two seasons ago and my team missed the playoffs in 2015. I am tired of that.

I will be one of Vanier’s spearheads to help the team make the playoffs and go all the way this year.”