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It’s officially football season in Kelowna.
The Okanagan Sun’s main camp got underway last week and the team is preparing to kick off their season in Kamloops against the Broncos on Aug. 5.
With more than 100 players at camp, including 40 returning players and 55 new recruits, there won’t be room for everyone on the final roster.
Head coach Ben Macauley, along with defense coordinator Nathan Mollard and new offensive coordinator Johannes Van Leenen, have been recruiting hard in the lead up to the season.
“We approached it in a similar fashion (to previous years), which was using the connections we had, but really starting to flesh them out and spend more time in areas where we’ve planted seeds in the past,” Macauley said of the recruiting process.
“Not really a whole lot new, but it was the culmination of the time investment that we’ve made over the last couple years, that’s starting to come to fruition.”
With added depth on the field, there’s battles for every position heading into the regular season.
The team’s staff see this as one of the best groups the Sun have ever had heading into the season, according to Macauley.
Over the next two weeks, the Sun will practice every weekday around 5:30 p.m. at the Apply Bowl, with a scrimmage set for 4 p.m. on Saturday.
Here's a full camp guide with regards to player personnel, contributed by the Okanagan Sun:
Quarterback:
One of the team’s high profile signings was quarterback Jakob Loucks, a former U Sports rookie of the year during his time at Mount Allison University, who’s from Cornwall, Ontario.
Second-year Sun Matthew Mahler is back to battle for the number two spot, along with a group of other recruits.
Bailey Tisdel from Dalmeny, SK, Dylan Coveney from Calgary, AB, and Kai Sampson from Lethbridge, AB are the other quarterbacks competing for spots.
“We’re going to have a difficult decision to make heading into gameday, how do we cut down from 4-5 guys and dress a maximum of three,” said Macauley. “We certainly want to help guys develop and build experience, but we also want to win right now.”
Last year’s quarterback Keith Zyla will move into the defensive secondary, likely as a safety, for 2018.
Running Back:
Back from last season are Brendan Hansen, Kelton Kouri, and Joseph Okunlola.
Pushing them for playing time will be recruits including Lawrenzo Dissee out of Calgary (pictured, middle), and Andre Goulbourne from Toronto.
Other running new faces at camp are Jude Oh (Okotoks, AB), Brayden Anderson (Kelowna), and Matt Labelle (West Kelowna).
“Lots of guys to work into that mix, and I think we won’t miss a beat,” said Macauley.
Receiver:
With familiar names like Kyler Mosley, Nate Anderson, and Liam Crane moving on, the receiving corps will have plenty of newcomers in 2018.
“Some of the young guys we’ve had waiting in the wings are going to get their opportunity to play,” said Macauley.
He pointed to Javen Kaechle, Dakota Cartier, Spencer Schmidt, and Tyson Mastrodimos as players to see expanded roles this season.
Recruits include Malcolm Miller from Toronto (pictured), who was a teammate of Loucks at Mount Allison.
Other names to watch will be Adam Burton (Raymond, AB), Reid LeClaire (Lethbridge), Cole Stroud (Lethbridge), Blaise Beauchemin (Kelowna), and Kyle Zakala (Kelowna).
The Sun have also just added Dayton Moore, a West Kelowna native who’s coming in from McGill University.
“I think if you were to drop by practice, you’ll see the level of physicality that these guys have. They’re in great shape and well-conditioned, there’s definitely some size there,” said Macauley.
Offensive Line:
Size is a theme for the Sun on both sides of the line of scrimmage. For the O Line, a veteran core remains, with starters from last year’s team returning in Marshal Klein, James Harney, and Liam Hamlyn.
A (literally) big addition this year comes in Daniel Townsend (pictured) from the University of Calgary (6’7” 325 lbs). Macauley says he would likely have started for the Dinos this season.
Another USports recruit is Josh Pinnock (6’4” 320 lbs) from the Western Mustangs in London, Ontario.
He’ll be joined by Danil Balan (Montreal, QC), Brendan Barnes (Calgary, AB/UBC), and Jmin Pelley (Calgary, AB).
“(Pelley) is an exceptional athlete, who will likely play both ways for us,” said Macauley.
“He has the size, and he’s spent some time on the practice roster with the Calgary Stampeders, so a very talented young man who we expect to dominate both sides of the ball.”
Defensive Line:
With the loss of key linemen like Mitch Lyons and Cole Klughart, the Sun had spots to fill on the D-Line heading into the season.
One of the team’s marquee recruits was defensive end Nicholas Dheilly (pictured) from the University of Regina Rams. Dheilly was the rookie of the year in Canada West football in 2016, and led the conference in sacks last season.
“Anytime you can put that kind of a talent on the end of the line, it’s a huge feather in our cap,” he said.
“University-level tackles and guards have a very difficult time playing against him, and he’s going to have a chance to go against junior-level guards and tackles. They’re going to need to at least double team him in order to be effective.”
Other recruits on the defensive line include Matthew Ibbetson (Kamloops/Mount Allison), JJ Heaton (Vernon), and five players out of Calgary – Daniel Tasie, Jesse Boa, Ovie Uloghobui, Wonder Olabanji, and Jack Proskow.
Linebackers:
A big boost comes in the form of Conor Richard, who will return to the Sun this season. The All-Canadian was also named a top linebacker in the BCFC, and had 29 solo tackles with a fumble recovery, forced fumble, and one blocked kick last season.
He’ll join a deep returning linebacker core that features Tyler Going, who’s fresh off a gold medal win with Team Canada at the U20 World Championships in Mexico City.
Other returnees are fifth-year veteran Cody Thompson, Miguel Wood, and Brenden Ripco.
The major recruit is Nick Cross, who was a teammate of Dheilly’s at the University of Regina, and was named USports Rookie of the Year in 2017. However, he’ll be sidelined with an injury until midway through 2018.
Other players competing for a spot in camp are Bradley Hladik (Vernon), Austin Daisy (pictured, Calgary, AB), Evan Bruynzeel (Okotoks, AB), and TJ Bucel (Calgary, AB).
Defensive Back:
Size will also be a factor with the DB’s this season, especially with another big name back in the mix.
All-Canadian cornerback Tye Kitzman returns to the Sun this season, after a breakout season last year.
He’s joined by Trey Adams, who Macauley describes as “quietly one of the best DBs in the country,” as well as Casey Pyper, Dustin Magee, and Zyla.
A top recruit is Jordan Rae (pictured), who comes from Calgary, and formerly suited up for the University of Alberta Golden Bears.
Other DBs in camp include Josh Orhue (Calgary), Ethan Guilbault (Calgary), Seth Nelson (Okotoks, AB), Warsay Andom (Calgary), and Kayden Kurylo (Grande Prairie).
“It’s a very experienced group, very talented and skilled, and a hard-hitting bunch. It’s going to be exciting to watch them play,” said Macauley.
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