Peter Ordinelli is someone who can truly say the game of football changed his life. The talented offensive lineman just finished his final season of high school football for the J.L. Ilsley Judges, and he has developed into a player who’s on-field ability matches his heart and passion for the sport.
Ordinelli’s football journey has been a special story. Having started playing during his grade 10 year for the Judges, Ordinelli quickly took the game and was awarded the Judge award for leadership. Ordinelli has gone on to represent Nova Scotia at the 2016 Canada Cup, and has played for the Halifax Argos spring league team. Most recently, Ordinelli was named a tier-1 All-Star for his outstanding play during his senior season.
Playing at multiple positions on both the offensive and defensive lines, Ordinelli always has an impact at the line of scrimmage and has been a crucial part of the Judges again this season.
“I’ve been having a very good season,” Ordinelli said. “I’ve been having a lot of fun and I have been able to experience different positions across the field. Playing provincial football really helped me improve a lot for this season and it’s made me a lot better.”
The best part about playing on the line for Ordinelli is having the opportunity to test himself against the opposing lineman, and be a vital part of his team’s success. Ordinelli understands how important a solid offensive line is to an effective unit.
“I like the challenge of being one on one with the person across from you,” Ordinelli said. “Being an offensive lineman is a big key to a team in general because without a solid line, no drives can be produced so it makes me go one hundred percent each rep because you never know what can happen in the game.”
Getting into the sport of football was a major turning point in Ordinelli’s life. Like so many others who have benefited from the game, Ordinelli’s football journey has helped him off the field as much as it has on it.
“My parents really pushed me to it, growing up I wasn’t athletic at all and I really needed a change,” Ordinelli said.
“I wasn’t super social and I would spend most of my days inside playing video games. Football really made me go out and interact with people but learn new things about the sport and life in general on the daily. I also really love meeting new people as it has worked really well for me playing football.”
Ordinelli says that football has really helped him develop into the man he is today. From making good life choices to having success in the classroom, lesson’s from the game have helped guide Ordinelli over these past years.
“I’ve matured a lot over three years just from playing football,” Ordinelli said. “It’s taught me to make good decisions and give full effort in everything I do, on the field and off. It really shows and it makes me want to push harder in everyday life because it is very rewarding to me.”
“Academically I wouldn’t be doing as good as I am,” added Ordinelli. “I never tried hard in school before football because I thought I would just breeze through fine with under average marks.”
Looking ahead to football after high school, Ordinelli is excited to get an opportunity to play the game he loves at the next level. As it stands right now, the versatile lineman is still testing the waters and looking into the recruitment process.
“I’ve filled out a couple recruitment forms for coaches but I haven’t made anything solid or made any choices so far,” Ordinelli said. “I’ve personally talked to Acadia, but I’m still open and considering other universities.”
With the importance of academics in mind, Ordinelli knows that his first priority will be his education no matter where he ends up.
“I’m really interested in Criminology programs, but I’m still very open in what I can take because I have many options in different universities,” offered Ordinelli. “But I hope to play university football while I’m getting an education.”
While he has the ultimate goal of playing football at the next level, Ordinelli knows that he will have to continue the progress he’s been making on the field and improve his overall game moving forward. But if Ordinelli has shown anything during his time playing football for the Judges, it’s that he has the qualities of character to rise and meet any challenge head on.
“If I have the chance to play university football, I’m going to have to perform at a higher level as it is way more advanced than high school,” Ordinelli said. “Like everything it will take time to adapt to, as it would be a whole new change in my life and football and I will have to be a lot more dedicated towards the game in the next level.”
Fully aware of what areas he needs to improve in, Ordinelli is focused on becoming the most complete offensive lineman he can be. Coming from an offence that operated primarily through the air, the talented lineman recognizes that the other side of his game needs refining.
“I need to improve my run blocking a lot more,” Ordinelli said. “Most of the year we have relied heavily on the pass game but the whole offensive line as a unit needs to step up in the run because it hasn’t worked very well for us this season.”
Ordinelli’s most important influences in life have been his family at home, and his family in football. The talented lineman says he has both his parents and coaches to thank for always keeping him motivated and believing that he can achieve what he is capable of.
“When I am down they always pick me up and pushed me to do better,” Ordinelli said about his coaches. “My offensive line coach has a lot of trust in me when I’m out on the field, making me really motivated and makes me play to my full potential.”
Despite not being a fan of the sport until he began playing in high school, Ordinelli is now really into the game. Like a constant student of the game, Ordinelli takes notice and observes the techniques and abilities of some of the best lineman in the business.
“Growing up I never watched any sports in general,” Ordinelli said. “But now that I’ve gotten more involved in football I usually study what the offensive lineman do each snap no matter what team is playing. Nate Solder for the Patriots really interests me.”
Wherever Ordinelli’s journey takes him next, one thing is for sure: football has had a major positive impact on his life and given him the tools to succeed in whatever area of his life he pursues in the future.
“I wasn’t athletic at all because I didn’t participate in any type of sport in my life, before I joined football. I wouldn’t have my teammates who are like brothers to me, and they really mean a lot because being interactive with them, it’s taught me to be more open to people as I wasn’t a very social or friendly kid.”
Peter Ordinelli
OT/DE/DT
6’2”, 235 lbs
Teams: J.L. Ilsley Judges (NSSAFFL), Halifax Argos (HGFA)
Commitment: None
Official Visits: None
Considerations: Open
Class: 2017
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