Maples Doubles Down on Football Program

Football is about to become a much bigger deal at Maples Collegiate.

With the Winnipeg High School Football League’s decision to create a junior varsity division next season, head coach Peter Serrette is already knee-deep in preparations to field a second team in 2010.

Forty-two students showed up for a one-day junior varsity skills camp last Tuesday, and Serrette is expecting to field a roster of about 50 players.

"The two teams are going to practise together, but they’re going to play their games on different days," said Serrette, who will coach both squads.

According to the coach, only three of the potential junior varsity players would be getting any sort of significant playing time if they were forced to be a part of the varsity team next year.

He expects about half the roster to include players who are coming from the North Winnipeg Nomads with the other half having no prior football experience.

"Size and level-of-play wise this will be much better for them," Serrette said. "Our goal is to try to get kids who wouldn’t usually be interested in playing football. Most kids in Grades 9 and 10 don’t want to play against Grade 11 and 12 students."

Rhys Pfeifer, a Grade 9 tight end and slotback who played this season for the Marauders’ varsity team, said it wasn’t an easy adjustment after playing for the St. James Rods against opponents his own age.

"At first it was a bit of a challenge," said the Maples resident. "But I learned more after a while playing with the older kids who were good leaders."

Pfeifer said he’s hoping to continue playing varsity next season, but "either way, I’m just happy to play football."

Grade 9 quarterback Josh Pangman has spent his entire five-year football career with the Nomads, but is looking forward to wearing his school’s colours next season.

"It’s great to be around friends from school," Pangman said. "It’ll be nice to walk the hallways after a win."

The Maples resident also isn’t ruling out challenging for a spot with the varsity team, but is prepared to hone his skills for a year at the junior varsity level.

Unlike in other high school sports, Serrette said players won’t be allowed to move up from junior varsity to varsity football once the season begins.

In recent years, Maples has had the majority of its athletic successes in basketball and badminton, but Serrette is hoping that the coming changes will eventually make the school a football power.

"Our goal is hopefully, in two or three years, to make it to the higher (Potter) division, and to help us get football a part of the culture at Maples," he said.

The players will be practising once a week until May, when a spring camp will be held to determine the junior varsity and varsity rosters. Things get serious again in August in preparation for the WHSFL season.

avi.saper@canstarnews.com