Western already courting Rams star Waugh.
Sean Waugh is a recent transplant to Vancouver Island, making his way to Victoria last year from Calgary. Sean has, however, put that year to good use, establishing himself after early difficulties as a key part of the South Island’s foremost football force. He was co-named as the Most Improved Player on the Mount Douglas Rams and plans to keep hitting even harder as he drives forward into his future.
Sean Waugh
Positions:
Cornerback, Wide Receiver
Height/Weight:
6’2’, 168lbs
Teams:
Mount Douglas Rams (high school:BCHSFA)
Centennial Coyotes (high school)
Calgary Colts (bantam/midget: CAMFA)
Team British Columbia
Commitment:
None
Official Visits:
None
Consideration:
Western, Open
Class:
2014
Sean had been honing his gridiron skills since the age of 14, playing bantam and midget for the Calgary Colts and serving as one of the captains of his high school team, the Centennial Coyotes. However, Sean’s move to the Mount Douglas Rams, 2012 Division 1 BC Champions, gave him a case of football culture shock.
“In July my family moved to Victoria and I started playing with the Mount Doug Rams,” Sean says. “The change in play style from the Coyotes to the Rams was staggering so it took me a little while to find my place on the team.”
Sean’s years of football in Calgary may not have prepared him for the Rams’ style of playing, but it prepared him to work through difficulties and he soon found his feet on the Mount Douglas High School field.
“After months of hard work we won the 2012 Division 1 BC Championships in a game where I racked up a total of 9 tackles,” Sean says. “After playing my first season with the Rams I was co-awarded the Most Improved Player award.”
Before he had to re-establish his cornerback credentials on the Rams, Sean had fight for his first place with the Calgary Colts as a Bantam greenhorn.
“I started playing football when I was 14 for the bantam colts in Calgary, since this was my first year I rode the bench.”
That year of riding the bench proved highly instructive for Sean. The following year he helped lead the Colts to a provincial championship victory and represented South Alberta in the Bantam Bowl. When Sean moved up to the midget leagues he lead the Midget Colts in interceptions. Sean’s success with the Colts led to a high school career that saw ever greater improvement on the gridiron.
“I started my high school football career playing for the Centennial Coyotes in Calgary where I was chosen to be one of the captains of the team,” Sean say. “Unfortunately, we lost in the semifinals after a hard fought game to Central Memorial.”
“That season I was one of three Defensive MVP nominees.”
Sean’s time with the Rams has seen him move from a culture shocked newcomer to co-winner of the Most Improved Player award. Also, he was selected to represent British Columbia in the first Alberta vs. BC All-star Game, and is currently a member of the Team BC’s fifty-six man roster.
As for what or who has driven Sean onwards when difficulties could have ended his football career, he gives all credit to his mother.
“The most influential person in my life would be my mother,” Sean says. “She is the reason why I have had success in both school and football.”
While his mother has had a profound influence on his life, Sean’s on-field play has been the result of the influence of his coach, Anthony Israel.
“The most influential coach that I’ve had the pleasure to work with is Coach Anthony Israel,” Sean says. “I would not be the player or person I am today without the time, effort, and dedication he has put into me and all his players alike.”
In addition to the guidance that Israel and others have provided Sean, he has added training sessions at Victoria’s elite National Athletics Centre.
“I currently train 6 days a week with former Olympian Dacre Bowen in preparation for what will hopefully be my best season of football so far,” says Sean.
Sean’s athletic pursuits also extend beyond the football field into the realm of track and field, Dacre Bowen’s home turf, where he has also managed to excel.
“This year my hard work paid off,” Sean says, “I was able to go to the BC high school track championships with both my 4×100 and 4×400 relay teams.”
Sean is set to graduate high school in 2014, and plans to enter university the following autumn. The road to university football is still fresh territory for Sean, but he has taken his first steps already.
“I have visited a few universities but as of right now there have been no official visits,” says Sean. “However, Western [London, Ontario] has mentioned an official visit this summer.”
Sean’s specific plans for his post-high school career are still in their earliest stages, but he hopes to reach the highest echelon of university football: Division 1 in the United States.
“As a 2014 grad I’m still rather early into the recruiting process,” Sean says, “I’m considering all my options, I have not cut out or set my focus on any specific school.
“Although playing Division1 in the States is my goal.”
As a young Canadian player seeking to compete in the highest level his sport has to offer, it is no surprise that Sean sees a bright future for himself and for football in Canada.
“With all the great training, players, and coaching staff in Canada, the future outlook of football seems greater than ever,” says Sean. “It would be foolish if schools don’t look within Canada for recruits.”
(Max Olesen’s Twitter: http://twitter.com/WritingOlesen)
Advocating for football prospects one story at a time.
