ONTARIO PROSPECT CHALLENGE: Team West Minor HC Joe Sardo

 

ONTARIO PROSPECT CHALLENGE…4 GAMES…8 TEAMS…GREAT PLAYERS

GAME INFO: CLICK HERE

WHERE: Guelph – University of Guelph Alumni Stadium – $10 general admission, all-day pass

WHEN:  Sunday May 4 – Kickoff times are 10am, 12:30pm, 3:30pm, 7:30pm

BROADCAST: Live on Canadafootballchat.com & tape delay on ROGERS TV

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When talking to many of the players in this years ONTARIO PROSPECT CHALLENGE a recurring theme seems to be the quality of the coaching involved. When one takes a look at the playing and coaching resumes of the men that will be serving as mentors and teachers, it’s no wonder why. Ex-CFLer Joe Sardo will be heading up the Team West minor level (ages 10-12) entry in today’s game and with, there is little doubt as to why the kids have been raving about the coaching.

A native of Hamilton, Sardo started to make a name for himself playing locally with Bishop Ryan Secondary School. Talented enough to earn a D1 scholarship, Sardo left the harsh Canadian winters for the warmer climes of Hawaii. After playing for the then Rainbow Warriors (now just the Warriors) Sardo embarked on a CFL career that saw stops in Ottawa and Toronto. After a vaunted playing career Sardo made a smooth transition into coaching serving as the defensive co-ordinator for McMaster University and as an assistant with the CFL’s Hamilton Ti-Cats. After heading in to booth and doing commentary for Hamilton radio station CHML, Sardo has now returned to the grass roots level to give back to the game he loves.

“The game of football has been very good to me” said coach Sardo “I want to give back to it when I can, I’ve known Larry (team west manager, Larry Jusdanis) for a while, so when approached me, naturally I was more than happy to be a part of the OPC.” When asked what was his approach was Sardo responded “this is all about the kids, my goal is to give all the young players a chance to showcase their talents.” Asked to elaborate on how they would go about this coach Sardo commented on taking a straight forward approach. “There’s a limited amount of time to practice together, so we tend to focus more on implementing a system which allows our young players to rely on their instincts and allow their athleticism to shine.” “I’ve been really impressed with the skill and knowledge that our boys have shown for 11 and 12 year-olds, all our coaches were impressed with how quickly they picked things up. When asked if there were any standouts so far, Sardo was quick to say all of them. “There is a reason they are in this game, they’re among the best players their age, All the kids have been great!”

Catch the minor level game kick-off is at 10h00 at The University of Guelph.

Advocating for football prospects one story at a time.

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