The countdown begins to CanadaFootballChat.com’s Ontario Prospect Challenge (OPC) on the April 29th weekend at Tim Horton’s Field in Hamilton. In the days leading up to the OPC, CFC will preview the teams and the players participating in the big event.
If you give Nicholas Kaptein, a member of Team Central Grade 7s, a little bit of room, he will make sure the ball carrier winds up on the turf.
Kaptein had the opportunity to suit up for Team Central Minors in last year’s Ontario Prospect Challenge. “It was an amazing experience and I wanted to play the OPC again,” he said.
The young player said the highlight of last year’s OPC was when he sacked the Team East Minor quarterback twice.
Nicholas Kaptein (#95) makes the block. Courtesy of Ted Kaptein.
Kaptein currently plays for the Durham Dolphins of the Ontario Varsity Football League. Standing at 5’11, 250lbs, he finds himself playing as a defensive tackle. “I really enjoy tackling quarterbacks and running backs,” he said.
Despite being the one to hunt down whoever has the ball, Kaptein said he draws inspiration from Cam Newton, a quarterback for the Carolina Panthers and Odell Beckham, a wide receiver for New York Giants. However, he also picked Cameron Wake, a defensive end for the Miami Dolphins, as a football inspiration.
When the OPC weekend rolls around, Kaptein will have another shot at playing in a CFL stadium when he hits the turf at Tim Hortons Field. “It will be a great experience as this will be my third CFL field that I will be playing on,” he said.
When asked about how he would handle the pressure, Kaptein decided to answer a question with another question. “What pressure?” he said.
Kaptein will be a member of the Class of 2022. His goals are to receive a full athletic, football scholarship to a NCAA Division I school. After that, he wants to play in the NFL. His NCAA school of choice is Notre Dame. His backup plan is to play CIS ball and he chose McGill University.
In the meantime, Kaptein has his sights set on the OPC. He said he wants to get two quarterback sacks and five tackles. He added that, “[I want to] contribute to my team with another punishing victory over our opponents.”
As for the team, Kaptein said the goal is “to defensively shut down the opponent’s offense and secure a decisive win.”
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