Being a smaller school can make fielding a football team challenging. No one knows this better than Valley Heights Secondary School. The Bears are not a part of the high school league this year, but they are rebuilding their program. The Langton high school is trying to get their team back on track after a few years off.
There has always been student interest in football, but sometimes it’s a numbers game and you just can’t make it work. Geordie Thompson, a teacher involved with the team, thinks it’s just the right mix this year.
Another teacher coordinating the program is Jeff Samborski and he raises the point that coming out of Covid students want to get out and have some fun.
The school has had strong football teams in the past and they hope to recapture some of that past glory. Head Coach Joel Smith is a volunteer and well known by the players and the community.
Coach Smith mentioned that it has been a challenge to get players out to practice, as many are involved in multiple sports. For the most part they have seen good participation and the team is coming along well.
Coach Smith was positive going into the game, encouraging players with an emphasis on fun and learning the game. As Coach Smith mentioned Cayuga’s team is in the same situation as Valley Heights. Cayuga’s head coach Mike Forster had this to say about rebuilding a football program.
Teachers, coaches and volunteers are important to any football program, but the most important piece to all this is the athletes themselves. Jeremy from myFM spoke to the Bear’s quarterback Brady #18 and tight end Joel #29, before the game. Both are seniors and men of few words, focused on the game.
Unfortunately, for the Bears and the devoted fans that drove from as far away as Port Rowan, the Cayuga Warriors came out on top. The final at Cayuga Secondary School was Warriors 23 the Bears 6.
Written by Jeremy Hall