Cochrane High School Cobras quarterback Cody Stevens and Bow Valley High School Bobcats receiver/defensive back Grayson Javorsky have made the main-camp cut for the Calgary Colts junior football team.
Javorsky, Stevens and Cobras receiver Kyle Chittick attended Colts three-day tryout camp April 24-26 at Calgary’s McMahon Stadium. Of the 122 tryout attendees, 91 made the first cut, including Stevens and Javorsky. They return to the team’s main summer camp starting late July. By the time Calgary Colts kick off the Canadian Junior Football League Prairie Football Conference season Aug. 16 at McMahon, the team will be down to its final 84-man roster.
“I started out on Friday (April 24) at receiver,” Javorsky related. “There were a ton of receivers there (40). Then I switched to defensive back.”
Javorsky played wide receiver and defensive back in his senior year at Bow Valley. At 5-foot-9, he could be considered vertically challenged, particularly covering 6-foot-2 receivers.
“Doing coverage is what I’m really good at. Deep balls, jump balls, tall guys think they have me,” Javorsky, who has a 34-inch vertical leap, related. “I can leap up there and get at the ball.”
Running a sub-five-second 40-yard sprint, Javorsky also has the speed to break to the ball.
Stevens, Cochrane High’s graduating Tier 3 provincial-champion QB, opted out of joining University of Alberta in the fall, deciding to stay closer to home and try out for the Colts.
Colts head coach Matthew “Snoop” Blocker couldn’t be happier.
“Cody’s in a position right now to play right off the bat,” Blocker said. “That doesn’t happen very often coming right out of high school. He’s very very well coached and groomed and ready to make the jump.
“I can’t tell you how excited we are. We couldn’t be more happy.”
Cochrane Lions linebacker Dan Teitz is heading to Football Alberta’s main selection camp with a spot on Team Alberta in the offing. The Springbank Community High School Grade 10 made the main selection-camp list of 130 players (20 linebackers) vying for 40 Team Alberta roster spots. Team Alberta travels to Montreal this summer for the Football Canada Cup under-18-year-old (U18) national football championship.
“A lot of players trying out. A lot higher level. It’s way more competitive,” Teitz said of the provincial U18 football tryout process. The best U18 players up to Grade 11 from across Alberta are trying to make the grade. “If you are a linebacker, it’s six spots. There are 20 people trying out. I’m looking forward to it.”
Des Catellier (Cochrane Midget Lions/St. Francis High Calgary) and Tae Gordon (Cochrane High Cobras) are two of eight quarterbacks from across the province getting a look at the May 8-9 main selection camp in Calgary. Cobras/Midget Lions lineman Justin Sambu is getting a look on defensive line with Lions/Cobras Sam Cook (injured) auditioning at linebacker.
