OVFL PREVIEW: Bulldog QBs look to have nice seasons

Last year start through three weeks:
Varsity: 1-2
Junior Varsity: 2-1

Last year finish:
Varsity: Missed playoffs
Junior Varsity: League champions

Players to watch:

OL Dylan Wenzel
QB Spencer Kardash
LB Richard Carter
QB Chris Strong

Varsity

According to head coach Ewan Walker, the most important change to this year’s Brampton Bulldogs varsity team is a huge increase in manpower.

“Not only do we have bodies to have a practice that is a lot more functional, but with numbers you also get people looking over their shoulder knowing that there’s somebody waiting behind them to step up and take their position.”

Last year’s roster was depleted to only 30 players at one point and they had to forfeit a game because they couldn’t fully field a team. This year the team tripled that number, registering 90 players.

But not only are the Bulldogs getting an injection of bodies, they’re also getting some talent in those bodies. All but three of the players who won last year’s JV championship are making the move to varsity, something Walker says is a big boost.

“We have a bunch of young guys who are hungry to win a second championship, go back to back,” he said. “So with the mixture of the youth and the group of veteran players we’re quite excited.”

Walker says the offensive line is 12-players deep and very strong. The coach is expecting a particularly strong season from Dylan Wenzel. Wenzel is a returning player who will usually play centre but is versatile enough to fill in anywhere on the offensive line.

Wenzel is one of the smallest bodies on the line but Walker says that’s not a problem.

“He’s very technical, has speed and he’s worked really hard. He truly understands the position,” the coach said.

Walker is expecting Wenzel to be leaders on offense along with starting quarterback Spencer Kardash. According to his coach, Kardash is poised in the pocket and a quick learner.

“(Kardash) understands the system and what we’re trying to do and, what he doesn’t understand, he picks it up in a heartbeat,” Walker said. “We need him to be a leader on and off the field for us.”

On defense, Walker says the Bulldog linebacking corps is stacked. He’s expecting big things from Richard Carter in particular, a returning varsity player. Carter had 12 tackles and a sack last season.

“(Carter) goes 100 per cent every time, every play. Practice, games, never takes time off and he loves the fact that he has a lot more competition around him but he’s still a leader,” Walker said.

The Bulldogs are in a somewhat unfamiliar position this year, moving from the Wettges Conference to the Adam Conference during the off-season. Walker says the team will have to adjust but thinks they’ll still put out a good effort.

“It’s going to be a bit of a learning curve for us. We’ve tried to watch some films and tried to figure out the makeup of the other teams in this new division,” he said. “But, you know what, we’re going to be competitive. We’re going to be competitive in every game. We’re going to be disciplined we’re going to come after teams.”

Junior Varsity

When asked if he thinks his team can make it back to the championship game this season, JV Bulldogs head coach Bernie Defour answered with a definite “absolutely”.

“We’re deeper at every position I have more team speed than I did last year,” he added.

The junior Bulldogs have eight running backs on their roster and Defour says he has special sets for each of them. Highlighting the group is newcomer Bryan Deans, a back the coach says has “flat-out vision”.

At quarterback, Defour will start returner Chris Strong. Strong, on route to the Bulldog’s championship last season, threw for 1478 yards, had 13 touchdowns and a gaudy passer rating of 129.

On the other side of the ball, Defour says defensive tackles Amato Merendola and Devon Bowen will wreak havoc on other teams. Both players are new to the team but Defour already likes their games.

“(Merendola) is high octane, intense and quick off the ball. He pretty much is the emotional leader of this football team,” he said. “The other d-tackle Devon Bowen is just a nasty natural. He goes about his business quietly he’s not that ra-ra type. He leads by what he does on the field.”

While varsity starts with Sault Ste. Marie game one, the JV squad hits the road to face the Ottawa Myers-Riders. To get out with a win, Defour says he’ll try to keep things simple.

“Our game plan is very basic offensively: grind and pound, see what they’re going to give us and we can open it up because we have athletes to open it up,” he said. ”Defensively: relentless, we attack.”