#CFCOPC PLAYERS TO WATCH: Team West Grade 7 DB Shoniker ready for the best

The countdown continues 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.

To be the best, you have to beat the best, and Jack Shoniker, a member of Team West Grade 7s, is ready to do just that.

When the Ontario Prospect Challenge commences, Shoniker will be surrounded by a wide arrange of talent. “I chose to play in the OPC because I get to play against the best players in Ontario,” he said.

“The highlight of the OPC so far has been the last practice because it was good to get the equipment on again,” Shoniker said. “It was also great to be coached by different coaches from who I learned a lot from.”

Shoniker, who is 5’5, 105lbs, has been a part of the Guelph Junior Gryphons (Ontario Football Association) and the Cambridge Lions (Ontario Varsity Football League). His current position is defensive back, but more specifically halfback and corner.

“I like my positon because I get to hit, make big tackles and make players with the rest of the defense.”

Shoniker chose Lawrence Taylor, a former linebacker for the New York Giants, Odell Beckham, a wide receiver for the Giants and Tom Coughlin, the former Giants head coach, as his football inspirations.

The OPC will take place on Tim Hortons Field, the home of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The young football player is excited to have the opportunity to play on a professional field. When the game begins and the pressure beings to rise, Shoniker said he is going focus on the game and the job he needs to do.

Shoniker is set to graduate in 2021. “My goals in football are to keep playing no matter what. My ultimate goal is to play in the NFL,” he said. “I would like to go to Notre Dame in the U.S. or the University of Guelph in Canada.”

While Shoniker is still young and his future is open to all possibilities, the OPC is right around the corner. “During the OPC, I want to be a good teammate and complete with the best players in the province and help my team win.”

He added, “My personal goal is to make lots of players and get an interception and a sack.”

As for the team, Shoniker said the goal is to “play a good game and win.”

Advocating for football prospects one story at a time.

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