Kicker Fritsen one leg up on the competition

Pair of CWUAA schools under consideration by Panthers standout.

Spruce Grove Panthers kicker Sebastian Fritsen is always one kick ahead of the pack

Sebastian Fritsen

Positions:
Kicker, Punter

Height/Weight:
6’1, 140 lbs

Teams:
Spruce Grove Panthers (high school: ASAA)
Spruce Grove Cougars (peewee, bantam)
Spruce Grove Predators (peewee)
Parkland Predators (midget)

Commitment:
None

Official Visits:
None

Considerations:
Alberta, Manitoba, Open

Class:
2017

Sebastian Fritsen has the drive to the future of his place in the sport.

The beginning of this road was with his pee-wee team where the coaching staff saw Sebastian’s ability for kicking and punting. With that small recognition and some encouraging words from his coaching staff the future was then laid out for him.

Sebastian has been lucky to have a few wonderful moments in his young football career, but notably the most recent would be when he was picked for the senior team with the Panthers being that he was only 14 and in Grade 10. His current coaches have seen the strength and determination of this young man, to the point that they have indeed structured a convert playing into the playbooks.

Sebastian has other notably mentionable like kicking training camps in Regina with CFL alumni like Luca Congi and Jaime Boreham and at the University of Alberta with alumni Hugh O’Neil. He has also benefited with meeting and training alongside many of the Edmonton Eskimos kicking team. Then add his team winning a city championship with a convert kick and then heading to the provincial championship with another win while all in with the Cougars pee-wee. The Cougars went on to repeat the city championship in 2011 but lost in the provincial’s finals. When he moved onto bantam football with the Parkland Predators that team’s success continued for Sebastian, the team went on and won the Tier 3 championship.

With the all of these accolades of winning teams it is no surprise that he has enjoyed the same amount of success with the Panthers and although they missed the playoffs, his kicking and punting has only improved. Sebastian’s highlight for the last season was his 30 yard field goal, breaking his distance record.

Sebastian does have a lot of outlook on the future with looking into both the University of Alberta and the University of Manitoba and hoping for longevity in the world of the sport. He would like to be participating for as long as he can.

“I want to go onto University or College and play football as long as I can.”

His other option is to be behind the scenes with either a place in coaching or equipment management. Sebastian is also with NCSA and has been in contact with post-secondary schools in Canada and United States.

This young man’s training and dedication is impeccable. With all of his extra training camps and he diligence to succeed at being a kicker, it shows through his determination during the off season.

He is constantly working on the fundamentals of his form by going to an indoor soccer field where he can practice his full kicks, kickoffs and punts. There is also a training program that Sebastian does and designed by Grant Shaw, a mentorship that started at one training camp, and both have set the goal to work on leg strengthening.

“All the coaches that I have worked with me have told me that I got the fundamentals down but I just don’t have the leg strength.”

Sebastian isn’t only a diligent kicker but also lends his time to the sport he loves

“I’ve been an equipment assistant for 10 years with Spruce Grove minor and I have been giving back to the minor team by helping them find a kicker and develop them to be better in their positions.”

All of this comes from the loyal people who sit and rally him on.

“My Grandpa was the most influential in life and my dad in football because the both pushed me to be the best person in both life and football.”