Sherbrooke Vert & Or look to surprise QUFL in 2010

MONTREAL – Depth and stability are the two words that best define the 2010 edition of the Sherbrooke Vert & Or who open their Quebec University Football League (QUFL) season on September 2 against the Montreal Carabins.

Hopes were high for the Sherbrooke squad a year ago when they broke camp, but a rash of injuries derailed the team in its’ quest for a playoff berth. Despite the many obstacles that André Bolduc’s squad faced in 2009, the Vert & Or were in the race for a place in the post-season up until the final down of the campaign, falling 14-9 to the Carabins.

As such, Sherbrooke concluded the 2009 season in sixth place in the ever-competitive QULF with a 3-5 record.

“We’ve turned the page on what was a difficult 2009 season,” sums up head coach André Bolduc. “We’ve added depth a many key positions which was something we desperately lacked a year ago.”

Even though the Vert & Or struggled to put up wins in 2009, there were many individual performances that merited national attention. Running back Pascal Fils was the leading rusher in Canada racking up 1331-yards in eight games for Sherbrooke but is now wearing a different shade of green and gold as a member of the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League (CFL).

“We’re all happy for Pascal because he’s worked incredibly hard to get to the professional ranks,” said Bolduc. “Others now have to step up to take his place, but I’m not worried one iota because we have the personnel within our team to march forward.”

With the return of veterans such as fifth-year quarterback Jean-Philippe Shoiry (Montreal), the Vert & Or should be a team to watch in 2010.

“There is a real parity in the QUFL which makes it difficult for me to predict where our team will finish in the standings,” comments Bolduc. “But one thing that we have in our favour is stability and it’s something that everyone in our program appreciates. There have been a lot of changes in personnel around the league so I think we have a bit of an advantage in that area.”

The Vert & Or are expecting big things out of their defensive pillars Kevin Régimbald-Gagné
(Rouyn-Noranda, Que.) and Filipe Fonseca (Montrel) who respectively enter their third season at linebacker. Kicker William Dion (Drummondville, Que.) will continue to play a pivotal role on special teams.

“Our success this season will be due in large part to a core of veteran players who now have the required experience and maturity to be successful in the QUFL. Players like Shoiry, Yan Genest (Quebec City) and Yannick Sage (Sherbooke, Que.) will all play major roles on our team season,” estimates Bolduc. “On defence, we’re going to continue to be aggressive and try to create as many turnovers as possible in order to put the ball into the hands of our offence who need to take it to another level to compensate for the loss of Pascal Fils”

2009 in review:
Regular season record: 3-5
Regular season standings: 6th
Playoff record: Did not qualify
Playoff result: Did not qualify

Coaching record – André Bolduc
Number of seasons as head coach with team (including 2010): 4
Number of seasons as head coach in CIS (including 2010): 4
Career regular season record with team: 12-12
Career regular season record in CIS: 12-12
Career overall record with team (reg. season & playoffs only): 12-13
Career overall record in CIS (reg. season & playoffs only): 12-13

OFFENCE
Offensive coordinator: David Lessard
Key returning players: QB Jean-Philippe Shoiry (Montreal), REC Simon Charbonneau-Campeau (Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que.), REC Alexandre Poirier (Victoriaville, Que), OL Yannick Sage (Sherbrooke, Que.)
Key recruits/transfers: REC Francis Lapointe (Boucherville, Que. – Collège Edouard-Montpetit), RB Jean-Christophe Beaulieu (Trois-Rivières, Que. – Cégep de Trois-Rivières)
Key departures: RB Pascal Fils (Montreal), FB Benoît Boulanger (Sherbrooke, Que.), OL Francis Daneau (Montreal, Que.)

DEFENCE
Defensive coordinator: Marc Loranger
Key returning players: LB Felipe Fonseca (Montreal), LB Kevin Régimbald-Gagné (Rouyn-Noranda, Que.), DL Steve Paquette (Lahr, Germany), DL Yan Genest (Quebec City)
Key recruits/transfers: DB Dave Boucher (Saint-Georges, Champlain College-Lennoxville), DB Alexandre Branco (Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que. – Cégep de Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu), DL Mathieu St-Pierre Castonguay (Collège Champlain-Lennoxville)
Key departures: DB Ludovic Kashindi (Montreal)