The Regina Thunder junior football program is going to have a strong local flavour next season.
The Thunder announced on June 1 that two students graduating from the Estevan Comprehensive School (ECS) Elecs – wide receiver Nigel Mack and linebacker Brennen Stubel – would be joining their team for the 2020 season.
June 1 is the national signing day for junior football in Canada.
Also added to the team was veteran Canadian Junior Football League player Troy Leptich. Leptich, who graduated from ECS in 2018, has spent the past two seasons on the offensive line for the Winnipeg Rifles.
They will join Kolby Janssen on the Rifles.
Mack said he wanted to play for the Thunder because the coaches have a good plan for what they want to do, and they seemed like the best option for him. Other programs had approached Mack, but he talked to the Thunder the most.
He also considered university football.
Mack has been playing football for five years. He started as a bantam, and spent three years with the Elecs.
“I love everything about it. I love the speed and I love the intensity of it,” he told the Mercury.
The local youth football programs have been instrumental in his development, as they taught him leadership, commitment and dedication, as well as what it takes to be a team player. Mack also appreciates the family aspect of the programs.
“I’ve come so far. I knew nothing about football when I started, and now I’m playing junior football.”
During his youth football career, he has also played running back and defensive back, but wide receiver is his favourite position, and it’s the position he committed to play for the Thunder.
Mack is not only looking forward to playing junior football, but to be joining a team with a lot of local talent, because he believes it will help with his adjustment to the program.
Stubel will be joining the Thunder after playing the sport for just two seasons. He joined the Elecs in 2018 because his buddies were playing, and he wound up having a great season in Grade 11, winning the club’s top rookie award and the ECS Football Success Award.
He played for the South Saskatchewan Selects football team at the International Pigskin Classic in San Antonio, Texas, in 2019, which allowed him to play against teams from throughout North America. Saskatchewan reached the final that year.
His Grade 12 year for the Elecs was even better, as they had the most successful season in program history, winning the Tier 2 title in the Moose Jaw High School Football League.
Stubel credited Janssen for getting Stubel to play for the Thunder, and he’s looking forward to seeing all of the local talent on the team.
“It’s good to have someone there that can keep you motivated, and you’re going into it with some friends already. It makes the transition easier from team to team,” said Stubel.
Janssen spoke highly of the program and the atmosphere when talking to Stubel. It’s a larger time commitment than high school, and Stubel expects he’ll be in the gym more often.
Also, one of the coaches on the Thunder was part of the staff for the Selects when Stubel played with them.
Stubel has played defensive back and wide receiver for the Elecs, but he found his love of the game after he started playing linebacker. That’s the position he’ll play for the Thunder.
“I love the atmosphere football gives you. I love being with the boys. I didn’t have any brothers growing up, and then joining this football team, it almost felt like that brotherhood. You see each other every single day for at least two hours a day. It brings you together so much with these people that, honestly, I’d probably never hang out with if it wasn’t for football.”
He loves playing hockey, but the thrill of getting a sack and hearing his name called out is at a completely different level.
Stubel believes he will need to spend more time in the gym and work on his footwork with his speed before the start of next season.
