Junior Spartans U18s look after details ahead of season-opening swing to TO
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When it comes to managing expectations in a fan base, coaches sometimes opt to under-promise and over-deliver.
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Junior Spartans U18s look after details ahead of season-opening swing to TO Back to video
That may be out of the question for Alex Vendramin and his staff running the the Sudbury Junior Spartans U18 program this season, their roster that will kick off play this weekend being nearly identical to the group that won an Ontario Summer Football League U16 AA title in 2022.
That suits Vendramin just fine. A former assistant coach for those same U16s who is now entering his second season at the helm of the U18 program, he’s happy to hold his players to the highest standard possible — all while reminding them that climbing the provincial peak once again may be even more difficult.
“Our goal is always to go all the way,” said Vendramin, shortly before a practice at James Jerome Sports Complex on Wednesday. “I think we have a lot of skill, a lot of talent on this team that can take us to that spot, very similar to what the U16 team did a while back. We’re trying to make it a little more complex, to fit that U18 game.”
While the Sudbury U16s will see their first action of the year in Sault Ste. Marie on Saturday afternoon, the U18s will visit the Toronto Junior Argos for a 6 p.m. kickoff.
“I think the guys are really pumped up,” Vendramin said. “They have been practising pretty hard of the last few weeks, so it will be nice to finally go against an opponent that’s not either our offence or our defence.”
While offensive co-ordinator Matthew Mott and quarterback coach Shane Hutchinson have worked with starting QB Steven Sola and company to create a wider array of plays and to maximize the abilities of the likes of running back Zidain Allen and receiver Carson Huzij, defensive co-ordinator Dan Yoisten and his charges have been busy developing a more complex set of calls on their side.
Aiding them in that regard will be audio headsets, newly approved by Football Canada for coach-to-player communication at the amateur level. All three Spartans teams, including the men’s semi-pro squad that will open its season in the Northern Football Conference next week, plan to use the devices in 2024.
Among other adjustments, players new to the U18 ranks will have to prepare for opponents with stronger passing games, such as the Sarnia Sturgeon outfit that dealt Sudbury a defeat in last year’s quarter-finals en route to an appearance in the championship game.
“They had a really good quarterback and a really good receiver and they could sling it really well,” Vendramin recalled. “In U16, we played a lot of teams that were fairly run-heavy, but it’s a little bit more balanced at this level and it puts more stress on your DBs to be able to cover, as well as our offence to throw the ball and be able to match what any other team is doing.
“We’re also preparing a little bit more than we did in the past by running their plays, offence and defence, to make sure they’re prepared for anything they throw at us.”
Star safety Paolo Grossi, who has flashed his well-rounded skill set at positions on both sides of the ball, will surely be one of the Junior Spartans’ leaders once again, but certainly not the only one on a team that can tap into so much varsity football experience.
Vendramin named Owen Willis, the Lively District Secondary School product who even put in a year with the men’s team before the U18s first hit the field in 2023, as among the veteran voices on an offensive line that should be much improved.
While Sola and Allen will look to influence and inspire the offence, Grossi and the defence will also lean on players such as linebackers Michael McKernan and Chris Dore.
“There’s still lots of room for other guys to step up and be that leader themselves, as well,” Vendramin suggested.
Having started tryouts at the Lancer Dome in New Sudbury back in February, Willis and his teammates were enough eager to finally hit the James Jerome Sports Complex turf in April, but they’re practically champing at the bit to see some real game action this week.
Not that he doesn’t appreciate the extra practice time. Indeed, Willis is well aware that by finally having access to a proper indoor facility for off-season training, the Spartans have moved more closely in line with southern Ontario opponents who have enjoyed those options for years.
“It has definitely helped,” he said. “You can see guys getting better every day, whether you’re the best guy or the worst guy on the roster. Everybody is making huge improvements, which is awesome to see.”
It’s the little things that can be the difference, after all, in a league where players can no longer rely as much on their physical gifts as they did at lower levels.
“You have guys who are bigger, faster — if you towered over everybody in U16, there’s a lot of guys who have caught up to you now,” Willis explained. “You really need to use technique and not just raw size or speed.”
Saturday’s U18 contest, to be played at Esther Shiner Stadium in Toronto, is to kick off at 6 p.m.
Willis and his teammates are excited to test themselves against a quality opponent that played at the AAA level last summer.
“This year, we want to go get it,” he said. “We want a ring. That’s why we’re all here. If any of us didn’t think we could compete this year, we wouldn’t play.
“Our expectations are to go out there and win.”
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