The Estevan Comprehensive School (ECS) Elecs football team will boast an influx of athleticism on its roster this season, but more players are still needed to ensure 2016 is a success on the field.
Mark Schott, head coach of the Elecs, said the team needs upwards of 40 players to have the depth to be able to properly compete in the Moose Jaw High School Football League. He said the Elecs’ numbers are up from a spring camp the team held in early May that saw roughly 17 players a day participating, but they’re still not where they have to be.
“We can always use more big bodies and that still seems to be an area that we are hoping to get some more players out for,” said Schott. “I’ve tried to recruit some guys over the end of this past school year and over the summer and I know that our returning players have been working hard to get some guys to come out, so over the next week we’ll see what has materialized and if we’re still short in that area then recruiting will have to resume within school over registration day and that first week of September.”
The Elecs begin fall camp this Thursday with an equipment handout session at the ECS practice field before the team hits the turf for its first practice of the season on Friday. The coaching staff will then run the recruits through two weeks of practices and a scrimmage with the Weyburn Comprehensive School Eagles on Aug. 26 in an effort to prepare the team for their regular season home opener at Woodlawn Field against the Eagles on Sept. 1.
Schott said interested players do not need previous experience to join the Elecs football team as the coaching staff will begin the fall camp with an emphasis on the game’s fundamentals. He said the coaches will make sure everyone knows how to tackle properly and is on the same page in terms of skill development before they get into more advanced lessons such as offensive and defensive plays.
Any students in grades nine to 12 regardless of size or gender at ECS or in schools at Carlyle, Lampman, Oxbow and Carnduff are eligible to play for the Elecs football team this season. Accommodations for other interests such as work, sports or hobbies will also be made for players during the football season that culminates with the Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association finals on Nov. 12.
“Football is very unique in the sense that really anybody can play,” said Schott, noting interested players can contact him at [email protected]. “Bigger guys who may have a hard time finding a sport to play, football is a great opportunity for them to get out and be part of a team and really play a key role. Those big guys on the offensive and defensive line are really crucial to the success of the team and that’s something that we’re continuing to search for.”
