Marauder, Crusader march on elite football camp


St. Mary Marauders linebacker Gaétan Lalonde and Carlton Crusaders quarterback James Thorpe will be key cogs in their respective teams’ wheels next season.

Read More: [URL]http://www.paherald.sk.ca/Sports/2010-06-17/article-1345154/Marauder,-Crusader-march-on-elite-football-camp/1

They were both invited to Football Saskatchewan’s Roughrider Bowl – a development camp for the province’s top-100 returning high school players – on the weekend.

“I’ve been to some camps before, so I figured I had an idea of what I was going up against,” said Thorpe, a Grade 10 student who started under centre for the Crusaders last season. “But there was some really top-notch payers, some guys that were phenomenal.”

Both Lalonde and Thorpe, along with the other 98 students pegged as the best non-senior players in the province, received instruction from a host of elite post-secondary coaches.

“I learned lots at linebacker – a lot,” Lalonde said. “A lot about positioning and the basics.”

The six-foot, 185-pound Saskatchewan Roughriders fan made the switch from defensive back to linebacker at a recent Marauders spring camp.

“We decided to move him to linebacker because of his athleticism and size and playmaking ability,” said Marauders coach Curt Hundeby. “He’ll be a huge part of (our) defence (next season). Teams will have to pay attention to where he is.”

One of Lalonde’s greatest attributes, said Hundeby, is his toughness.

Proof-positive of Hundeby’s claim was found at the camp on the weekend.

“I broke my hip last year, and injured it at spring camp,” Lalonde said. “I thought I was going to be good going into this camp, but I guess I wasn’t. It was tough to run and I didn’t want to complain because they would think I was making excuses, so I did the whole thing.”

Thorpe, in contrast to Lalonde, was 100 per cent healthy heading into the Roughrider Bowl.

After two days of practice on Friday and Saturday, the players were divided into teams for a scrimmage Sunday.

Thorpe played well in the game, as he had all camp, and was subsequently named the Roughrider Bowl’s most valuable offensive player.

“I just went into it and said to myself, ‘Go in and have some fun. Worst comes to worst you’ll come out learning a bit,’ ” Thorpe said. “I had a really good game. I was pretty pleased with myself.”

The positive mindset Thorpe put to use on the weekend is something his coach at Carlton, Rylan Michalchuk, wants to see more often.

“He’s too hard on himself sometimes, but he’s working on that,” Michalchuk said of Thorpe. “He’s coachable, and he’s got a lot of potential.”

Neither Thorpe nor Lalonde know exactly how far football will take them, but they’re both looking forward to the ride.

“If I end up playing football somewhere (after high school), I’d be extremely happy,” Thorpe said.

“But I don’t know long-term … I’m just taking it as it goes.”

PICTURE: Gaétan Lalonde, attended the Roughrider Bowl, a football camp for Saskatchewan’s top 100 returning high school players, on the weekend. Herald photo by Marty Hastings.

Advocating for football prospects one story at a time.

Leave a Reply