A massive year of development earned a Golden reward for an Okotokian.
Holy Trinity Academy Knights Grade 12 receiver Nick Dielissen was awarded a scholarship offer from the University of Alberta Golden Bears after starring at the school’s football Elite Prospects Camp over the weekend.
“I knew they were using the camp as a way to look at players, but I didn’t know they were offering any scholarships or anything,” Dielissen said. “I was just going into it as a learning opportunity to get better so I was kind of surprised.
“It’s pretty cool and nice to know my hard work and dedication has paid off.”
Dielissen, a deep threat 6-foot-2, 185 pound receiver, earned the scholarship offer along with Cold Lake’s Cole Priestly, Lacombe Composite’s Cam Wetzel and St. Joe’s Xander Matheson.
“I had a lot of fun, learned a lot, it was pretty intense, it was challenging and a good learning environment,” Dielissen said. “We had classroom meetings to learn plays and go through stuff before and after the meeting we had on-field sessions where we did drills and scrimmages.”
Dielissen enjoyed a tremendous Grade 11 season as a big play receiver for quarterbacks Ben Leggett and Noah Gutek after splitting time on both sides of the ball as a freshman.
“Him and his brother (Adam) before him work very hard in the gym and just have a great attitude and passion for the game,” said Knights head coach Matt Hassett, a Golden Bears alumnus. “I’m not surprised that he got offered a scholarship.
“Last year was kind of a coming out for him, being out of his brother’s shadow as the only Dielissen on the team. He followed his brother up all the way and they’re very close and you see that sometimes with brother combinations, the younger one flourishes after the older one moves on a little bit.”
Nick credited older brother Adam, a member of the Calgary Jr. Colts and 2018 Knights graduate, for helping him get to this level.
The brothers are both fiercely dedicated to conditioning and weightlifting.
“I always looked up to him, he’s always been there if I had any questions or asked him for tips he would help me or show me what to do,” Nick said. “If I ever wanted to go out to the field and play he would come out with me and kind of coach me.”
Dielissen, who has not yet accepted the U of A scholarship offer, expects to weigh his options as the football season and Grade 12 year academically progress.
“I’m seeing how this year’s school goes, finding out what I want to do as a career in the future and seeing what other offers come out, but it’s definitely a great start with the U of A, it’s a good option,” he said. “It’s easing to know that I have people looking at me already and it confirms I am good enough to play at the next level.”
The Knights, provincial finalists in 2018, get football season underway with practices opening next week followed by game action in the form of a scrimmage on Aug. 24 in Cardston. HTA’s home opener is Aug. 29, the first day of school, versus Lethbridge’s Catholic Central Cougars.
“We’re all just excited to get back into it,” he said. “We have pretty big shoes to fill from last year. We made it to provincials so that’s kind of our goal again, to make it to provincials and take home the win this year.”
