The Write Call -
It will be a far different Mountie machine that takes the field in Wolfville on Saturday afternoon than the one that opened the Atlantic Universities Football Conference (AUFC) season in 2008.
You may wonder why and the answer is simple - this time there will be no Kelly Hughes at the controls as he, for personal reasons, has decided to forego his final season of eligibility.
Hughes established all-time passing records last season and was the league's third leading rusher, demonstrating an unparalelled toughness. He was the undisputed team leader with experience and a take-charge attitude that commanded respect.
But there is a shared sense among the players that a new signal caller, a young man by the name of Jake Horchkis from Edmonton, will more than fill the bill.
So we asked one player who should be able to shed some light with an unbiased opinion.The incomparable Gary Ross, who arrived here the same time as Hughes and who was the main receiver of the quarterback's largesse, feels the situation will work itself out quite nicely.
"I was naturally quite disappointed when I first heard Hughes was not returning," he said. "But after seeing the two new quarterbacks that coach Jeffrey has recruited I feel we will be fine and that the Mounties will be in good shape at that position for years to come."
Ross says that both Hotchkis and Jason Bertrand are classic quarterbacks whereas Hughes won primarily with toughness. He feels both newcomers will become better, overall, than their pedecessor. Hotchkiss has shown quick feet and reminds some of Eric Glavic who had all the tools before sustaining a serious injury at St. Mary's.
As coach Kelly Jeffrey says, "you play with the hand you have" and he, too, is comfortable with his signal callers, especially with his outstanding band of receivers with some surprisingly quick running backs to compliment the passing game.
One area that should be much better in 2009 is the offensive line with only Peter Nicolajen and Josh Hamilton not returning. In returnees Chris Munn, Aaron Harper and Mike Filer, the team has a trio in the 300-pound range. Mario Basque, a former CEGEP star, was red shirted last year and shows promise and line coach Gaetan Richard says the returnees have improved immensely and the newcomers are smart and quick and he is confident they will provide excellent protection. He has had 13 prospects to check out and feels people like Nick Jones and Bruce McEachern of Truro, Alex Healy of Toronto and Matt Hood of Halifax will provide plenty of reserve.
With speed in the backfield provided by the likes of Matt Pickett, Scott Brady, Nick Cuda and Aubrey Ellis it is expected opposition teams must be prepared for a more diversified attack from the Mounties.
So, Peter Estabrooks, can your defense prove it is up to the task? "Pat LePain has his work cut out for him in assembling a strong front four," he says, "but after that we should be in good shape, at least in the starting lineup. As usual, there will be a problem with a lack of depth."
There may be some new faces among the "hogs" but in nose guard Etienne Dupont the team will have a 6'3," 300- pound defender to provide some protection for 225-pound middle linebacker Ben Halpern, a rookie of the year in 2007.
Josh Chrvala, a transfer from St. Mary's has lived up to billing while Rakai Augustus, a green 305-pound Bermudian, has shown power and determination in adapting to the variety of schemes being offered. Ryan Downe and Zack Nixon are returnees who'll provide the backup for what could be an experience.
Estabrooks is rather pleased with a linebacking corps that will feature Halpern in the middle with Ontario rookie Shawn McGilly and former lineman Adwasi Antwi on the outside positions. Justin Richard of Sackville, along with Devin Taylor and Peter Nicolajen, provide solid insurance.
The rock solid secondary has suffered a major crack with academic miscalculation resulting in the loss of all-Canadian safety Callan Exeter counted among the missing. Exeter led the nation last year with 77 tackles. However, Brad Daye has returned after sustaining a massive knee injury early last season to take command of one corner spot with Jermaine Oram a solid fixture at the other. Jeremy Snider and Luke Ekoh are back in their familiar positions at half and Estabrooks has inserted another half, Matt Thompson of Quebec, into the safety slot.
With three-time all-Canadian Gary Ross heading an exciting array of receivers, it is expected the Mounties will utilize their weapons often. Joining Ross is all-Conference Adam Molnar, Jared Collette and Jarret King, with Ben Stiehr having had a brilliant camp, showing he is ready to push the others.
And the return of Daye provides kicker Olivier Eddie with a sure-handed holder for extra points, a key especially in close situations.
Jeffrey declines to be drawn into the predicting game but expects to show up at Acadia on Saturday to see his young charges perform well as he, with the help of others, sets about to rebuild the program once ranked in the top echelon of the nation.
