Skip to content

Lions send four O-linemen to provincials

Four Lion’s football players have made the Zone 4 Summer Games football team.
86902sylvanlakeLineshot
Offensive linemen Brody Duperon

The future is bright for Central Albertan football, as four Lion’s football players have made the Zone 4 Summer Games football team.

Ardan Kasha (guard), Brody Duperon (guard), Jacob Weller (tackle) and Tristan Loewen (center) made up 80 per cent of coach Victor Sloboda’s offensive line and will all be playing together for the Central Alberta team at zones.

“The advantage of having four of them from the same team is that they already know each other they know their tendencies; they know their weaknesses; they know how to help each other and know how to support each other,” Sloboda said.

He added that after many years of coaching, the regular zone team is usually only made up of one lineman from each team in Central Alberta, so it is very rare indeed to have four of the five line positions made up of Lions players.

“That’s pretty special,” he said. “I don’t know if that has ever happened before to have four guys on a all-star team like that.”

According to their coach, Kasha, Duperon, Weller and Loewen are finding success both on and off the field.

“They are just really solid young men that is what you find about the guys that start advancing and making all-star teams,” Sloboda said. “I couldn’t speak highly enough about those four guys.”

The Zone 4 team will compete in provincials in Leduc and will be lucky to have four guys that push each other, according to Coach Sloboda.

“They have played three years together,” he said. “They push each other to do the right thing and that is really encouraging.”

Having four guys who are so in tune with each is a real bonus for their quarterbacks and running-backs, although they may not have noticed at the time.

“I don’t think they realized what they had last year because you didn’t hear them talk about it,” Sloboda said. “It’s only now that they realize what they had. They realize it was something special.”

With Weller playing for Notre Dame in Red Deer in next year, Loewen playing for H.J. Cody and Kasha and Duperon returning to the Lions Coach Sloboda sees a bright future not only for these four boys, but for football in Central Alberta.

“For years, Central Alberta was this wasteland where no one ever went to CIS no one ever took notice of them,” he said. “The quality of coaching and the quality of players coming out ofCentral Alberta now is really making people stop and make note.

“That’s what I hope for these guys that someone stops and takes notice.

He added that he could easily see all four of these guys playing CIS one day.

“They are passionate for the game and they are passionate about their academics,” he said. “The knowledge they have of the game is an attribute to there ability to study and be academically strong.”

reporter@sylvanlakenews.com