The Westlock Thunderbirds are back on the gridiron having already playing an exhibition game against the Bellerose Composite High School Bulldogs in St. Albert Aug. 31.
While the Bulldog’s much more established football program was obvious at they rolled to 60-0 win, Thunderbirds head coach Jon Kramer said that the opportunity for his club to play outside of the Wheatland Football league was a valuable learning experience.
He added he was most impressed by his club’s “never give up” attitude.
“Bellerose was really polished. This was probably the toughest opponent we faced in 12 years of our program,” said Kramer.
“We were really proud of our guys. They were really tough and focused; we made a few big hits and plays. To play such a good opponent and not mentally check out, we’re really proud of the boys and how they played.”
The team has been practicing since Aug. 18, though the season officially kicked off Sept. 1. Including their mini-camp, the team has clocked eight practices so far.
Kramer added that his roster was well stocked with players from as far away as Barrhead, and the community answered his spring call for coaches.
“We’ve had quite a few good young men who are established in the town step up,” he said.
“It’s going to be a good season.”
The club are taking a more leveraged approach to their training this year. Kramer explained he has been running his players through conditioning early in practice before getting to drills.
“They’ve been out and working hard, having fun,” he said. “We try to make sure we don’t just yell at them during practice. We like to make it fun for them.”
The club’s WFL season is set to start Sept. 8 in Vermilion against the Marauders.
And while the roster has been closed at 33, Kramer added that there was still time to get involved as a coach.
“We’re always looking for more coaches,” he said. “Anybody who is interested in helping or learning to coach is welcome.
“This is a good year to learn, we’ve got a big staff and we run a mentorship program to help new coaches learn the ropes.”
Noting that the Thunderbirds are training six junior high players who are not allowed to play regular season games, Kramer said that the long-term goal is to get a bantam program going.
“We have a need to get younger football going,” he said. “That way, as soon as they hit high school they can start playing. It would be awesome for them but also for the program too.”
Further ahead is the sixth annual Friday Night Lights, the club’s traditional kickoff game, which is set for Sept. 22.
