New field, new players and a renewed sense of optimism have Bow Valley High School Bobcats bounding into the 2015 Rocky View Sports Association (RVSA) football season.
Opening training camp Aug. 24 on Spray Lake Sawmills Legacy Field at Bow Valley High, twenty-five players were passing, catching, running, blocking and tackling their way into the new season on the brand-new FieldTurf surface installed in spring.
Gone to graduation are running back/linebacker Scott Haigh (University of Calgary Dinos); receiver/defensive back Grayson Javorsky (Calgary Colts junior football); lineman Eddie Tingley, running back/linebacker Marshall van Iderstine, Sebastien Paul and starting quarterback Zach Kibzey.
The ball is in Grade 11 quarterback Simon Vincent’s hands now.
“I’m feeling really good,” says 16-year-old Vincent. “This group is having a lot of fun, which is always good. I’m feeling way more confident than last year.”
Part of that confidence is having guys like Nathan Hiller, Brad Hillier and Marcus Hiebert reeling in passes and Kole Martin toting the rock this year. Working under coach Cam Cote, who’s in charge of Bow Valley’s offence this season, is also a confidence-booster. The veteran coach has years of experience coaching in the Cochrane Lions community football program and at Cochrane High.
“He’s been to a bunch of camps. He’s been working out,” Cote related of Vincent’s preparation for his first season as Bobcats starting QB. “He’s looking really good.”
As for where he intends to take Bow Valley’s offence this season, Cote won’t say yet. He’ll evaluate the offence at the Sept. 4 RVSA pre-season football jamboree and go from there.
“It’s exciting,” Cote enthuses. “We have a lot of talent. We have some very good talent we’ll evaluate in the next two weeks, take a look in the jamboree and then design an offence. On the fourth, you’re going to see some very basic football.”
Bobcats coach Scott Allard is confident his team can improve on its 1-4 division record last year. Chestermere and Alrdrie’s Bert Church also managed just a win last season, so Bow Valley has the potential to improve its record this year.
“When it comes right down to it, what’s our goal?” Allard asks. “Get into Tier 4 provincials. Rocky View has a great structure for us. It’s a structure that will allow us to be competitive in Tier 4.”
