Saturday, January 31, 2009

Top Returning Players 09

Ok folks, spring ball is still four months away and and the opening kick-off of the 09 season a distant seven months. Hec, last year's mud is still caked on most peoples cleates! But hey! If you are reading this Blog you are thinking ball and that is always a healthy thing to be doing.

Sitting over a cup of coffee this morning I poured all of last year's statistical information in a gold pan and started sifting out the 12's. Pretty soon a few nuggetts from last year's group emerged and this is going to give us a statistical look at some top returning players for 2009. Now lets qualify this right out of the gates. These are stats based, from a league that was different from what is going to occur this coming year and it does not take into account the "supporting cast" that was around last year or that is going to be around this year. Still, this is an early look at one piece of 2009's puzzle.

Top Returning AA Varsity Offensive Players

QB: Greg Bowcott: Rick Hansen: Lots of playoff experience, tall, and no statistical peers amongst returning QB's.

WR: Graeme Schultze Timberline: Tall, vertical stretch player who is always a threat to make the big play catch.

WR: Jarvis Marson: OKM: Has all the tools to post big numbers in 09. Will be breaking in a new QB in 09 which could lower production.

RB: Ryan Aselstyne Norkam: Prototype I-Back. Will post big numbers across a weak Interior schedule.

RB: Buddy Hutchison Seaquam: Good size, great acceleration ,and a slashing runner. Proven two way player. Pound-for-pound as tough as anyone in BC. Will be feature guy for Seahawks.

Defense

LB: Matt Gabrick Seaquam Tackling Machine

LB: Mark McCutcheon Rick Hansen: Productive tackler-defends well versus pass.

LB: Dillon Chapdelaine John Barsby: Hitman, always around ball with good pressures on QB.

LB: Buddy Hutchison Seaquam: Hitman, great perimeter tackler.

DB: Sam Livingston South Delta: Returns as provincial leader in interceptions. Iron-man two-way player with big offensive numbers as well. An early example of S. Delta's 2009 "Re-Load".

DB: Mitch Lesyk Rick Hansen: Always around the football, ball hawk.


**Of note: The next topic on this blog is going to be a fun one! Stay tuned....

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

AA Varsity League Schedules 2009

2009
AA FOOTBALL SCHEDULE


Week #1 September 11-12


Coastal League Mainland Leaque


Mt. Douglas @ Frank Hurt
John Barsby @ South Delta
Belmont @ Windsor
Timberline @ Ballenas
Handsworth – BYE


Week #2 September 18-19

Windsor @ Timberline
John Bars by @ Belmont
South Delta @ Mt. Douglas
Frank Hurt @ Handsworth
Ballenas – BYE


Week #3 September 25-26


Handworth @ John Barsby Abbotsford @ Hugh Boyd
Windsor @ Frank Hurt Langley @ Seaquam
Ballenas @ South Delta Sands @ Mission
Belmont @ Timberline Pitt Meadows @ Rick Hansen
Mt. Douglas -- Bye


Week #4 October 2-3

Ballenas @ Belmont Mission @ Langley
Windsor @ South Delta Sands @ Abbotsford
Frank Hurt @ John Barsby Seaquam @ Rick Hansen
Handsworth @ Mt.Douglas Hugh Boyd @ Pitt Meadows
Timberline – BYE


Week #5 October 9-10

Windsor @ Mt. Douglas Rick Hansen @ Hugh Boyd
Handsworth @ Ballenas Seaquam @ Sands
Timberline @ Frank Hurt Abbotsford @ Mission
South Delta @ Belmont Pitt Meadows @ Langley
John Barsby – BYE


Week #6 October 16-17

South Delta @ Timberline Pitt Meadows @ Sands
Frank Hurt @ Ballenas Mission @ Seaquam
Handsworth @ Windsor Langley @ Hugh Boyd
John Barsby @ Mt. Douglas Abbotsford @ Rick Hansen
Belmont – BYE


Week #7 October 23-24


Ballenas @ John Barsby Langley @ Abbotsford
Mt. Douglas @ Timberline Hugh Boyd @ Mission
Belmont @ Handsworth Seaquam @ Pitt Meadows
Frank Hurt @ South Delta Sands @ Rick Hansen
Windsor – BYE


Week # 8 October 30-31


Belmont @ Frank Hurt Mission @ Pitt Meadows
Timberline @ Handsworth Abbotsford @ Seaquam
Mt. Douglas @ Ballenas Sands @ Hugh Boyd
John Barsby @ Windsor Rick Hansen @ Langley
South Delta – BYE


Week #9 November 6-7

South Delta @ Handsworth Langley @ Sands
Mt. Douglas @ Belmont Hugh Boyd @ Seaquam
Timberline @ John Barsby Pitt Meadows @ Abbotsford
Ballenas @ Windsor R ick Hansen @ Mission
Frank Hurt -- BYE

Sunday, January 25, 2009

2009 AA Varsity...A Look Ahead

2009 AA Varsity
A Look Ahead

This year's BCSSFA AGM saw a realignment that represents a fundamental and historic shift in how high school football is structured in BC.

A little background and context. Historically, AA ball has been the level in which new teams/programs entered play at the varsity level. This, combined with the exit of teams to AAA ball and AAA teams dropping down to AA has kept the league in a constant state of flux. Further instability was created by weak and unsustainable AA programs folding at the beginning of the season or in mid-stride. As the number of AA teams has grown in past years, two tiers of programs within it really became pronounced and this has led to lots and lots of blowout scores.

In 2008 a third tier of AA ball was created. This was named Tier 2 and it was composed largely of those programs who by virtue of structure, limited coaching resources, challenging demographics or a combination of all of these factors, just could not compete week in and week out. The first year of play in this tier was by and large a resounding success. There was much parity and a playoff challenge vs the Prince George/North champions was a close affair. Congratulations Vanderhoof!

Looking back at 08, the tier 2 league has shown much promise and AA gained a large measure of stability. In fact, there is so much stability that AA for the first time in many, many years has been able to have a schedule complete by the January AGM putting it on par with its AAA bretheren. Further, the alignment within AA has it composed of programs with the most competitive parity in the history of the league. Tier 2 has also grown in numbers and will likely continue to grow in size as new programs feel that it is competitively safe to begin play at that level.

From an administrative point of view, there is now a climate whereby very important tasks can be addressed at a far earlier time in the year. For instance:

  • Exhibition can be arranged in Jan/Feb
  • The AA Varsity and AAA Varsity schedules can be posted on the BCSSFA Website
  • Rosters can be posted in early spring as opposed to mid to late summer.
  • The JV and Tier 2 schedules can be made earlier and once complete THE BCOFA CAN VET THE SCHEDULES IN EARLY SPRING.
  • With the website updated and organized, BCSSFA members can by and large be registered on-line prior to school being out in June. This means that when coaches are at their busiest in the Fall, online registration is a matter of tweaking instead of a time consuming monster.
  • With registration done in June, statistical entry on the site will be current right from the outset.
  • Provincial and local media can milk the site to enrich and add accuracy to their reporting which benefits the profile of the sport.
  • More time is spent by all parties on playing better football than on administrative duties.

Hopefully our BCSSFA executive will act decisively along these lines. They should be pushed to do so.

Back to AA football.

2009 is going to be the most muscular AA league ever. In fact, an argument can be made that the parity within the conference will be the best at any level in BC as the gap between the "haves" and the "have nots" will be the most narrow.

Below is the structure for 09 accompanied by boys g. 11/12 in 2008.

Coastal Conference Valley Conference

John Barsby (158) Mission (225)

Ballenas (261) Seaquam (275)

Timberline (270) Langley (308)

Mt. Douglas (289) Rick Hansen (252)

Belmont (516) Abby Collegiate (354)

Windsor (186) Hugh Boyd (211)

Handsworth (277) Pitt Meadows (195)

Frank Hurt (262) Sands (174)

South Delta (290)

Interior

The Interior/North will be playing a mixed AA/Tier 2 Schedule with teams declaring this spring as to which playoff tournament they will be seeded into. There will be two (2) quarter-final playoff berths coming out of the Interior-North wild-card playoff. There will be 6 berths from the Coast and Valley conferences into the quarter-finals after wild-card weekend sorts itself out in week 10.

When you look at the divisions it is plain to see that the league games are going to be intense and competitive! The Coast conference will be playing for keeps in week 1! How important is a good spring and pre-season going to be!! All I can say is WOW! Folks are going to be fighting for their football lives every week.

At the end of the year, one thing will be certain, everybody in AA will have gotten a lot better from a competitive standpoint and the playoff teams will be battle hardened. This will serve as a great launching pad for the league in 2010 with greater things to come thereafter!

My next post will contain the AA Master Schedule for 2009 along with some thoughts.