Mid-summer football brought out some of the region’s top high school talent to Okotoks.
Next Man Up Football built three teams from students in Okotoks, Chestermere, Strathmore and Airdrie to get back on the gridiron for 7-on-7 football over the month of July.
“With COVID we haven’t seen each other that much,” said Michael Eagle Bear, a wide receiver entering Grade 11 at Foothills Composite. “And our coaches sent an email or text out to all the players about a possible 7-on-7 league.
“You see 7-on-7 a lot in the U.S. and not as much in Canada for football so we were really interested in it and we really like the fact you can make your own team so we brought about seven or eight of us to make a team for the Comp.”
Okotokian Rob Jenkins launched Next Man Up Football a few years back after seeing his son Julian, a commit to the UBC Thunderbirds for 2020, left wanting for football options during the traditional off-season.
“When football season was over there was kind of nothing for him to do, that’s actually where it was born five years ago now,” Jenkins said. “I did some research into touch leagues and camps and found that 7-on-7 down in the States is absolutely huge down there. It’s really great for quarterbacks, receivers and DBs (defensive-backs) especially.”
Eagle Bear, a standout freshman receiver and special teams returner on the Falcons in 2019, has enjoyed the emphasis on the skill positions in the 7-on-7 game.
“You get to work a lot more on the skill of the position and it’s less about running around and hitting people,” he said. “Also, I think 7-on-7 is good for people who don’t know if they want to play football, with all of the hitting. With this I don’t think there’s any contact at all.
“I think it’s a great option for kids who aren’t able or don’t want to play contact sports.”
The 7-on-7 version of the gridiron game caters to the skill positions with teams taking turns on offence and defence. On offence, there are six receivers and one quarterback who is required to pass on each play with no running or pass rushing with a four-second timer for the signal caller to get the ball out of the backfield.
There’s no hitting allowed, rather offensive players are ruled down when they are touched with one hand below the neck.
“I heard about it through some friends and thought it would be a great opportunity to get out and play some football,” said Grady Hale, an outside linebacker on the Tier II defending provincial champion Holy Trinity Academy Knights. “And get competitive and showcase what a lot of the good football players in Okotoks can do.
“I find it really helpful that it kind of replaces that competitive couple weeks we would have with spring camp, but it also allows to play against other schools.”
Hale, a hard-hitting linebacker entering his Grade 12 year, has enjoyed the opportunities to play on both sides of the ball.
“I really like the amount of cardio we’ve got in and it’s super fun being able to pal around with players from other schools,” he said. “I’ve gotten a lot crisper, a lot better with my route running. Being a linebacker and now being able to try being on offence for the first time, I really liked it.
“It allows us to develop that knowledge on different sides of the ball.”
Jenkins opted to have the 2020 season occur over July, with games and skill-based training occurring twice a week.
“It’s been great to see and the players seem to really be enjoying themselves,” Jenkins said. “They’re very thankful to get out and I know talking to a few of the parents as they come in, they’re just so thankful that the players have had somewhere to go and get competitive and get those juices flowing.
“And the players have been very dedicated, we’ve had very few missing, they’re always coming out, they’re always excited.”
If high school football does get the go ahead, with seasons getting going in late August, the work done the month prior will be a nice head start.
“It’s going to be pretty helpful,” Hale added. “It’s giving a lot of kids out there an opportunity to work on their cardio, work on their football knowledge.”
To ensure the July schedule to go ahead and meet the Football Alberta and Alberta Health guidelines a number of COVID-19 mitigation measures are in place.
Athletes are required to check in and answer questions about recent travel, interactions and symptoms before entering the field of play at Holy Trinity Academy.
The 7-on-7 league players and coaches are part of a 50-person cohort of athletes with three teams in the 2020 version of the league.
“They maintain everything very well,” Eagle Bear added. “It’s sanitizing all the time, asking questions, making sure everyone has their own waterbottles, things like that.
I wouldn’t say it’s been hard or difficult it’s just taking those extra steps.
“It’s the new normal.”
For more information go to nextmanupfootball.ca
