EDMONTON – The veteran-laden Regina Rams were the majority choice among Canada West conference coaches in a recent preseason football poll.
With coaches not permitted to vote for their own school, Regina picked up four first-place votes, with the three-time defending Hardy Cup champion Calgary Dinos receiving the other two top selections.
Here are the complete voting results, based on a 10-7-5-3-1 system (first-place votes in parentheses):
1. Regina (4) 47
2. Calgary (2) 37
3. Saskatchewan 334. UBC 21
5t. Manitoba 9
5t. Alberta 9
The Regina Rams are ranked No. 1 in the Canada West preseason football poll. Ranked No. 6 on Tuesday by Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS), the Rams are led by a host of veterans on both sides of the ball. Fifth-year quarterback Marc Mueller, who attended training camp with the Canadian Football League’s Edmonton Eskimos, along with running back Adrian Charles and slotback Brenden Owens form the nucleus of a potent offence. On defence it’s a who’s who of All-Stars… cornerback Jamir Walker (3 returnd TDs in 2010), defensive tackle Akiem Hicks and outside linebacker Chris Sciog all return. Special teams will have the experience of Chris Bodnar, the league’s leading punter last season.
Despite losing several top 2010 players to the pro ranks or the end of five-year CIS eligibility, the Calgary Dinos still command respect from around the league, placing second in CW voting and No. 4 in CIS voting earlier this week. The Dinos have won three consecutive Canada West finals and appeared in the last two Vanier Cup games. With Eric Dzwilewski taking over for much of 2010, the sophomore pivot appears ready to be a leader for years to come. Running back Matt Walter, fifth all-time in conference rushing, along with fellow tailback Steven Lumbala, form a solid base on offence. President’s Award nominee Sam Hurl, and All-Star defensive back Tye Noble anchor on defence. Gone are QB Erik Glavic, R Anthony Parker (CFL), R Nathan Coehoorn (CFL), OL Alex Krausnick-Groh (CFL), OL Paul Swiston (CFL) and kicker Aaron Ifield.
The Saskatchewan Huskies, third in the preseason conference poll and No. 5 at the national level, finished atop the regular season standings in 2010 and wound up with nothing to show for it after a shocking fourth quarter rally by visiting Alberta in last year’s semifinal. While Jahlani Gilbert-Knorren had an outstanding preseason, Trent Peterson comes in as the experienced QB. Ben Coakwell, Rory Kohlert and Braeden George will be reliable targets for the young signa-callers. Along the o-line will be Dareen Hinds, back from an injury that ended his 2010 campaign early. All-Canadians Bryce McCall (S) and Ben Heenan (G) highlight a strong defence, combining with All-Stars Peter Thiel (LB) and Zach Hart (DE) to shut down the opposition.
In Vancouver, the UBC Thunderbirds and head coach Shawn Olson look for a return to the post-season for the first time since 2006. With the 47th Vanier Cup going November 25th at the newly renovated B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver, the Canada West fourth-ranked T-Birds would like nothing better than to make a playoff run. Keys to success will be the play of fourth-year QB Billy Greene and the ability to use more than just the talent of 2008 All-Star Spencer Betts at wide receiver. Running back Dave Boyd will head-up the ground game. All-Canadian DL Serge Kaminsky, All-Star CB Sam Carino and DB Chris Mark need to a healthy, strong season as the defensive unit looks to gel and make strides through the year. Kicker / punter Billy Pavlopoulos was second in punting last season (39.9-yd avg.) and was third in scoring among kickers, with 57 points.
Coaches’ votes have the Manitoba Bisons and Alberta Golden Bears tied for fifth in the training camp poll.
While the Bisons are young, they are forming a good nucleus of players who will grow as a team. Fourth-year pivot Khaleal Williams gets the ball and top targets are a series of veteran receivers – Brendon Bowman (4th), speedster Quincy Hurst, who was second in Canada West all-purpose yards last season, and SB Stu Scholaardt (5th) with his 32 catches and 491 yards one year ago. Missing will be graduated RB Matt Henry. All-Star DB Pete Adams is back on “d”, along with DBs Teague Sherman and Grayson Wells, and LB Thomas Hall.
For the Golden Bears, the loss of All-Star kicker/punter Hugh O’Neill to the CFL will be tough on a team that, at times, has had trouble finding the end zone under now fifth-year QB Julian Marchand. All-Canadian sack-attack leader Craig Gerbrandt is no longer with the team, leaving safety Jason Hetherington (5th) and third-year LB Duncan Morris to lead on the defensive side. The offensive line is bolstered by fifth-year All-Canadian Nicholas Ternovatsky, with Marchand looking to connect with Jess Valleau (3rd) and big-play receiver Ryley Richardson (2nd). RBs KK Sonuga and Shayne Samoil are expected to lead the running attack, with a series fresh faces making up the rest of the backfield.
The 2011 Canada West season kicks off Friday night when the UBC Thunderbirds face the Rams at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, the first conference action to be aired live on www.CanadaWest.TV. Also on Friday, the Alberta Golden Bears head east to Saskatoon for a rematch of their thrilling 2011 semifinal against the Saskatchewan Huskies. To complete gridiron action on opening weekend, the Manitoba Bisons host the three-time defending Hardy Cup champion Calgary Dinos at 1:00 p.m. CT, live on Shaw TV’s “Game of the Week”.
