Written by Jason Sperling
A DYK story about Rebels & Rams players separated after a Championship
Langford āĀ The CJFL game this Saturday between the Westshore Rebels and the Langley Rams at 4pm in Langley has more background than the game on the field.
In the spring of 2015 the Delta Long Horns, who play in the juvenile tier 2 level (ages 18-23) won Provincial Championships for the 4th time in a row.Ā What formed over the time together was a friendship of players that goes beyond the field.Ā These young men play football because they are amazing athletes and want to take it to the farthest levels of sport.Ā For most of them, the mainland is home but they were recruited by Canadian Junior Football League teams the Westshore Rebels and Langley Rams and at the end of their season parted ways.Ā Riun Fjeldstad of the Westshore Rebels has a long relationship with teams in the mainland and recruiting stars for the team he played with many years ago.
To some of the families, sending off their sons to southern Vancouver Island (Westshore) to play for the Rebels was a hard thing to do, but to continue playing football sometimes you have to go where they need you.Ā The Rebels have rebuilt their program with new Head Coach JC Boice and instilled new Unite and team philosophies while they hope to build for the future.Ā With 45 new players, its basically a new team and the perfect opportunity for players that want to excel their playing careers.Ā The team has endured struggles that go along with a young team, but have also managed some huge successes in their first 4 weeks
Orlando McCarty was the Head Coach of the Longhorns last season and has seen what it takes to win a championship together. āLast year wasn’t easy we had to work our butts off to win the Tier-2 Championship for the 4th time in a row. It was a great season and we had a good group of young men to help lead the team.Ā This past season was also special because we had a bunch of senior players who wanted to go out as champions. Every practice and every game it was about the team. Also this league is designed to help some of these young men get ready for Junior Football and to continue playing the game they love. ā
When this Saturday kicks off in Langley, 13 players from that tier 2 team will step on the field, where 8 will be playing for the Rebels and 5 for the Rams playing across from each other.Ā Many of these young men have played together for years. For the Westshore men, many of them were “Hometown heroes ” on the mainland, but with junior football and a new home, they have found they have to earn their status.
Westshore Rebels players: Ben Well, Bryce Couture, Elezer Joseph, Hunter Lake, Jorge Yarwood, Dendis Stamati, Tristan Melanson, Tyler Leader
Langley Ram players: Devoun Hallums, Conner Nolan, Ryan Godard, Shaiheen Brown, Nathan Carrol
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