Laurier coaches selling point for commit

Laurier adds an Ontario commit to their 2019 class.

Owen Somerville, an offensive lineman from Southwood Secondary School, will be reuniting with some familiar faces when he joins the Laurier Golden Hawks.

“I chose Laurier for two reasons. They were my first choice for academics, and they have a great coaching staff that I’m very familiar with,” he said. “Playing for Zach Scotto and Jackson Yanchus with Cambridge has been a real pleasure. I’ve learned so much from them and to have the ability to continue playing for them in university was something I just couldn’t pass up.”

The product of Ayr, Ontario, had more praise for Scotto, his offensive line coach on the Lions from 2017 to 2019. “He has been a great influence on me as a person and as a football player. His coaching ability is excellent, and I’ve learned so much from him,” Somerville said.

“The rest of the staff at Laurier, while I’m not as familiar with, I’ve heard great things about,” he added. “Head Coach Faulds has done a great job with this Laurier team in the last several years and has moulded them into one of the top programs in the OUA. I’m very excited to be apart of his team.”

Somerville, who is 6’2, 260lbs, will be studying political science with an option to take business management.

The 6’2, 260lb offensive tackle started playing Cambridge house league football in 2010. Four years later, he joined the Cambridge Lions (OPFL) and spent the next five years with the team. He also was a member of the Southwood Secondary School Sabres from 2015 to 2017. Last season, the football team folded.

In his freshman year, Somerville won a WCSSAA B Division championship with the Sabres. He was also a WCSSAA all-star in 2017.

“It’s a great honour to be going to the university level in football. When I started with the Lions back in 2014, I never thought I would get to this point,” Somerville said. “While my high school team folded my senior year, I was still able to sign with great school, Laurier, despite this setback.”

He added that, “I really owe a lot to the great coaches and volunteers of the Cambridge Lions as they are a big part of my football journey and I wouldn’t be here today without the opportunity to play for their program.”

While with the JV Lions, Somerville said that Eric Krebs showed him that university was a possibility. “I learned a lot about the game from him,” he added.

Before taking the next step, Somerville would like to thank his parents, family, and fiends. He said that, “Whether it be sitting in the snow to watch our championship game at Southwood or driving me to all those practices through my younger years, they have been there throughout the years, helping me to reach my goals.”

Excited about the addition of local OL Owen Somerville from @CMFALions & @SSSAthletics to this 2019 @LaurierFootball recruiting class! #WeAreHawks pic.twitter.com/WjtGMzwg2Q

— Michael Faulds (@MichaelFaulds) May 27, 2019