Red River impact

Nationals standout Onyebuchi open to recruitment offers.

Coming off a thrilling time at the Red River Cup, Keenan Onyebuchi hopes that his preseason jitters builds excitement as he begins his first season of midget football.

Keenan Onyebuchi

Position:
Safety

Height/Weight:
5’10, 170 lbs

Teams:
Transcona Nationals (midget, bantam)
East Side Eagles (Bantam)
Winnipeg East

Commitment: 
None

Official Visits:
None

Consideration:
Open

Class:
2016

 

Though Manitoba’s Keenan Onyebuchi’s high school doesn’t have a football team of its own, he is very involved with the community league for the past three years. The Winnipeg safety started out at the bantam level with the East Side Eagles and, a year later, with the Transcona Nationals. In his first year with the Nationals, Keenan was named Defensive Player of the Year.

He went on to earn similar defensive accolades at this year’s Blue and Gold Game, which is part of the tryout process for the Red River Cup – one of Canada’s biggest under-16 football tournaments. After scooping Defensive Player of the Game in the Blue and Gold Game, Keenan represented Winnipeg East in the tournament itself and earned a spot on Red River Cup  All-Star team for his efforts.

One of Keenan’s most memorable experiences with the sport came during the Red River Cup, when he got the chance to play at the newly-constructed home of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Investors Group Field.  He described as “amazing.” He loved the intensity of the tournament and the feeling of playing at an official stadium as well as the thrill of knowing he was being watched by scouts.

Keenan knows he would like to play football in university if he gets the chance; however,  he hasn’t put any serious thought yet  into where he wants to go.

“I’d like to go anywhere that gets me better,” he says.

In the off-season, Keenan enjoys other sports such as hockey and soccer, and says he would like to train to be a firefighter after he graduates high school.

“I just think it would be a good job helping people,” says Keenan.

However, Keenan has more immediate concerns. He has already started practicing in his second year with the Transcona Nationals, and the season opener is this weekend. Keenan is honest about his preseason nerves.

“I just want be noticed for how I play,” he says.

However, that pressure seems is making Keenan more eager than ever to perform at his best this season.