When it comes to Salmon Arm Secondary Golds Football, there is a lot to cheer about. Not only will two players be playing at the university level, but four players will play in the Canadian Junior Football League.
“We are really proud of the guys from this group. I don’t think we’ve ever had this many kids recruited in one year,” says Golds coach Rob Neid.
Triple A Varsity Provincial All-Star linebacker, Kody Penner, and AAA Varsity Provincial All-Star offensive line, Travis Colonna, are players who will get a taste of some university football action this year.
Penner, who was scouted by both the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University, has already signed with SFU where he will play for the Clan, while pursuing environmental studies.
“SFU plays American ball so that’s why I decided to go there,” said Penner. “It feels great to be able to go on and play more football.”
Neid said the coach at SFU considers Penner “the number one prospect in Canada” – quite a compliment for this versatile athlete.
Unfortunately, Penner says he will not play any games this year due to a torn ACL, an injury he acquired during the Golds last game versus Mt. Boucherie.
“I will be practising with the team but I won’t be playing in the games so I will still have time to catch up on my studies,” he says, noting he is working on recovering.
Penner says he’s thankful for all that he has learned while playing football at SAS.
“It pretty well did everything for me. I learned everything from here,” he said, adding that he’s sad to say goodbye to his Golds teammates.
“When the season ended I was pretty sad but it will be fun to meet a whole new group of people,” he said.
As for the idea of playing professional football, he says it’s always the dream – but you never know where the road will take you.
Unlike his teammate, Colonna hasn’t decided where he will attend university, but says he’s leaning towards Acadia University or the University of Calgary.
“Acadia has a really good academic program,” he said, noting he would like to major in history. He will be making a recruiting trip to Nova Scotia in early June, but says he hasn’t forgotten about Calgary which is much closer to home.
Colonna will make his decision in the next month or so, but no matter where he goes, he will take with him the tools SAS has given him.
“It has really prepared me, just the level of play,” he said, adding he would like to continue on with football whether it’s playing professional ball or coaching.
If there’s any advice he can pass on to next year’s seniors, it’s to treat school as seriously as football.
“Keep your grades up because if you don’t have good grades you can’t go on,” he said.
Neid says Penner and Colonna are “star” players because they can “play both ways – offence and defence,” which is valued by coaches.
Penner, a defensive linebacker, will most likely play offensive tight end at SFU and, Colonna, offensive line could play defensive line, he says.
Neid is also proud of those players who will continue on in the junior league.
Riley Connor and Matt Dickenscheid will play for the Kamloops Broncos, with Dwight Tait and Cody Wouters playing with the Chilliwack Huskers.
“As a coach I am really proud of these guys because one of the ways we like to measure our success is by how many kids move on and continue to play the game,” said Neid.
He gave honourable mention to running back Dickenscheid, who wasn’t only the team’s MVP and an Okanagan Conference All-Star, but is this year’s male valedictorian.
“It’s quite an accomplishment,” said Neid. “We stress that we want the kids to strive to be student athletes – and encourage them to do well in the classroom and on the field.”
Neid says he wants people to know football is a sport of opportunity. Since the program’s beginnings, he says 12 players have played university ball, 15 have been offered scholarships and over 30 have played junior football.
“We’ve been at it for 11 years so we feel like this year is a celebration for us,” he said. “It’s a credit to our overall program, from Shuswap Minor Football all the way up to the senior high school level. Good things are going on in this town for football.”
Neid says spring camp testing will kick off Thursday, May 26 and practice begins Monday, May 30, ending with a jamboree in Kelowna Saturday, June 11.
“It was a great year for us,” said Neid. “Our season finished at provincials and we are hopeful to make it back to provincials next year. We have a real strong group again but we are looking for more players.”
For more information, contact Neid at 250-832-2188.
