Sought-after safety Berrington opts to begin CIS career at home (VIDEO)

After multiple CIS teams grappled over his talent, Brent Berrington has finally made his decision of where the next chapter of his gridiron career will be scripted.

Brent Berrington

Positions:
Safety, Linebacker

Height/Weight: 
6’3, 185

Teams:
St. Paul’s Crusaders (high school:  WHSFL)
Fort Garry Lions (Bantam)
Team Manitoba under-16

Commitment: 
Manitoba

Class: 
2013

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Though several universities across Canada expressed interest in him, Winnipeg safety Brent Berrington recently committed to his hometown team, the University of Manitoba Bisons.

“Staying close to home was very big for my family,” Brent says. “The facilities that the Bisons are getting this year are some of the best in North America.”

“We also found it would be significantly easier financially.”

Brent got his start in football with the Fort Garry Lions when he was 13 years old, and played two years of Bantam with the team before moving on to high school.

After a year with the St. Paul’s Crusaders, Brent took his Grade 11 year off football to focus on hockey. Aside from football, hockey is one of his biggest passions. He was drafted to the Manitoba Junior Hockey League and even got a tryout in the Western Hockey League and was considering pursuing the sport to the NCAA.

“If I wasn’t playing one sport I’d be playing the other,” Brent says.

In Grade 12, Brent returned to the football field. The Crusaders went undefeated on the season, putting up a record of 10 and 0, and taking home the championship. His first game back to football had a particularly powerful impact on him.

“I could really feel the brotherhood of football with my teammates you don’t get in other sports,” Brent recalls of his senior year. “The championship game this season was one of the best games to be a part of as our team took on some really talented players, and a coach that really understood his team.”

One of Brent’s most memorable experiences came in the Blue and Gold All-Star game. It was part of the try-out process for the under-16 provincial team, which he later played for.

“In the dying moments of the game I got an interception for a touchdown,” he recalls. “Unfortunately we couldn’t pull out the comeback, but it was a special feeling being able to bond with athletes from all around the city through that moment.”

Brent has been working out with fitness mentor Riley Dudar, owner and founder of Top Prospects Strength and Conditioning in Winnipeg, for the past three years.

“Dudar  trains me physically as well as mentally, teaching me nutrition, and is always on my back to do well in the weight room and the classroom,” Brent says.

His other influences include his parents and his coach, Stacy Dainard.

“He understands the importance of making a good decision for my future while also maintaining religious principles,” Brent explains.

Brent’s strong Christian faith has always been an important factor in his life.

Brent has many fond memories of his years in minor and high school football, and is excited to pursue the sport at the post-secondary level with the University of Manitoba Bisons.

“I’m really looking forward to just being able to continue to play,” he says. “It’ll be a great challenge for me to try and excel at the next level.”

“Being able to meet a group of guys that will really be like a family also will be great.”

 

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