With August almost reaching the midway point, Cochrane football players are preparing themselves at their respective training camps for their upcoming university, college and junior football seasons which will begin at the end of the month. Off in the United States are former Cochrane Cobras standouts Justin Sambu and Dale Cummings. Sambu is in his first season with the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division 1 Maine Black Bears, where he'll be lining up on the Maine defensive line in the very near future. He won back-to-back provincial titles with the Cobras, played for Team Alberta at the Canada Cup and also suited up for Team Canada in the International Bowl in 2016. He originally committed to the University of Calgary Dinos but jumped shipped to Ontario to play at Clarkson Football North, a decision that allowed him to commit to the Black Bears. On the other side of the country, Cummings will be playing this season for the Montana State University-Northern Lights of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), his fifth and final year with the team. Cummings said he's been hard at work these past few months preparing for the season, which will begin Aug. 25 at home against the Mayville State University Comets. "I feel great coming into camp this year and I'm very excited for this season," Cummings said. "It's my senior year and we have an entirely new coaching staff. We are all very eager about how this year is going to be and we're looking to make great strides every practice to get better." "My goal is to work as hard as possible to prepare myself physically and mentally to hopefully get a chance with a Canadian Football League (CFL) club. As for the team, I really just want all us seniors to go out and play as hard as we can and try to enjoy our last year of college football and quite possibly the last year of football all together." North of the border, the Canadian college division called USports is littered with former Cochrane footballers. In the Canada West Conference, the University of Calgary Dinos have five former Cochrane Cobras on their roster for the upcoming season in receivers Erik Nusl and Zach Rabe, running back Kane Boklaschuk as well as defensive lineman Dylan Gingrich-Hadley who are all heading into their second years with the Dinos and are expected to play bigger roles with the team while Jackson McLean who is fresh off a provincial title with Cochrane High will also be joining the squad. Nusl played the most out of his peers, lining up on special teams where he returned 15 kickoffs for 236 yards while also fielding 17 punts for 76 yards. In Saskatchewan, the Regina Rams also have their fair share of local products on the roster. Two Cochrane receivers in Kyle Moortgat and Adam Rask will be sporting the green and gold of the Rams once again this season. Moortgat had a stellar campaign with the team in 2017, seeing time at both receiver and slotback where he recorded 37 catches for 408 yards and two touchdowns in eight conference games. Moortgat also suited up for Team West in the 2018 U Sports Valero East-West Bowl on May 12. Rask played in six games catching four passes for 55 yards in 2017 but expects to play a much larger role in the Regina offence this season. To round off the Canada West Conference, former Cochrane Lions quarterback Des Catellier will be playing in his second season with the University of Manitoba Bisons. Catellier played in five games as a first year with the Bisons, completing 87 of 147 passing attempts for 1,142 yards and five touchdowns while also rushing for 94 yards on 11 carries. In Eastern Canada, three former Cochrane Cobras will begin play in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) conference. Tae Gordon will go into his second season with the Queen's Gaels while Brett Conlon will start at the University of Windsor with the Lancers and Jack Tocher with the Guelph Gryphons. In the Canadian Junior Football League's (CJFL) Prairie Football Conference, wide receiver Daniel de Bruin, linebacker Will Eilers and offensive lineman Cody Pickering will be playing for the Calgary Colts while defensive back Cole Avery is in his second season with the Kamloops Broncos of the British Columbia Football Conference (BCFC). In the team's first game on Aug. 4, Kamloops lost 55-6 to the Okanagan Sun ... Avery was held off the score sheet during the game.
