FCC2017 PREVIEW: Alberta
Team Alberta has set their sights on only one goal for the 2017 Football Canada Cup.
“It’s like everyone else going there, we want to win the national championship,” commented Alberta Head Coach Chris Morris. “That’s our goal.”
“Our goal is to improve every day but our goal is not to go out there and finish third.”
Despite having only four returning players, Alberta will showcase a team that has depth in all three facets of the game.
Morris says that the composition makes this one of the most exciting rosters Alberta will showcase in Wolfville.
“We’re a blue collar crew,” he assessed. “We have some top kids here that play the game hard so I expect us to bring our lunch pails and be a hard working, industrious team.”
“We have some good size, we have some good speed. The best thing about this group is how hard they’ve worked to get ready for the tournament.”
Offensively, Alberta has two quarterbacks that bring different playing styles but complement each other so well – Jonathan Ericson and Ben Hannaford.
“Jon’s got a really good arm, he’s got a strong arm, he’s a tall kid and he sees the field really well,” added Morris, who is also Head Coach of Alberta Golden Bears. “Ben is the quarterback from Bev Facey.”
“Bev Facey was in the provincial championship the last two years with Ben at the helm so he’s got a lot of experience in big games. He is a very good athlete, tall kid who can control the ball really well.”
Both quarterbacks will have a strong receiving core led by Segun Adeseye as well as tailbacks Jonathan Rosery and Matthew Peterson to create some big plays. Additionally, Tyler Duguid, Ben Stefanyk, Carter Johnston and Carson Lethbridge will guide the offensive line.
Lwal Uguak, Jonathan Dorocicz, Lamar Goods, Brayden Walz, Noah Perkins, Esteban Velazco Lugo and Jacob Biggs are the ones to watch for on Alberta’s defence.
“We’re pretty athletic all-around and the fact that the kids work so hard makes it a good team” Morris said.
Alberta will battle Manitoba on Saturday July 8th in the opening game of the tournament at 10:00am AT.
“Having recruited in Manitoba for the past few years, there are some very good athletes there,” offered Morris. “You take a look at their team from last year, and they could have easily won the national championship.”
“They had a tough draw; they faced Saskatchewan first who ended up winning the silver medal and they didn’t really lose after that. So that’s a very strong team so we have to be buckled up and ready to go because I know they are going to give us all we can handle.”
Overall, Morris cannot wait to see how this tournament unfolds in the coming week.
“That’s the best thing about the tournament is that the best kids from all over the country show up and get to play against each other.” he expressed. “This tournament is best on best so it’s really good for the development of kids.”
“It’s as good as an experience as you can possibly get for a high school kid looking to move on to the next level.”
TEAM ALBERTA
2016 RESULT: lost to Ontario 38-14 in bronze medal game, earned fourth place in tournament
HEAD COACH: Chris Morris (second year as Head Coach)
NUMBER OF RETURNING PLAYERS: 4
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
| Name | Pos | High School |
| Jonathan Ericson | QB | Lacombe Composite |
| Ben Hannaford | QB | Bev Faces |
| Matthew Peterson | RB | Brooks |
| Jonathan Rosery | RB | Harry Ainlay |
| Segun Adeseye | REC | Crescent Heights |
| Tyler Duguid | OL | Harry Ainlay |
| Carter Johnson | OL | Henry Wise Wood |
| Carson Lethbridge | OL | H.J. Cody |
| Daniel Stefanyk | OL | Henry Wise Wood |
| Jonathan Dorocicz | DL | Ernest Manning |
| Lamar Goods | DL | Father Mercredi |
| Lwal Uguak | DL | Harry Ainlay |
| Brayden Walz | DL | Bishop O’Byrne |
| Noah Perkins | LB | Bev Facey |
| Esteban Velazco Lugo | LB | Bev Facey |
