Three players from the Westlock Thunderbirds made the Alberta football all-star team.
Jacob Gaede, Tyson Watson and Desmin Duniece all featured for the North Alberta all-star team in their game against the Southern Alberta all-stars in Lacombe on May 18.
Another player, Christopher Ladouceu also made the team but was injured prior to the game and wasn’t able to feature.
“I’m just really proud of them. It's a tough thing to show up for three and a half hours to show what they could do. They were able to come out and show that they could play,” said Thunderbirds head coach Jared DeJong on the tryouts for the all-star team.
The three players all play in different positions on the field.
Running back Jacob Gaede from Athabasca played for teams in the US and BC prior to his time with the Thunderbirds. Gaede featured primarily for 12-a-side teams but made the transition to 6-a-side seamlessly with the Thunderbirds.
“Jacob's greatest strength really is his overall football IQ. He's just one of those guys that has such a high level of understanding of football and he's just so versatile and you can trust him with a lot,” said DeJong. “He's seen a lot, he's been around a long time and he's got physical attributes and a great amount of speed. He understands leverage, he knows how to get low and initiate contact and receive contact. As a running back, he has it all.”
The all-star game was Gaede’s final high school game having graduated this year.
“The team had almost a different feel, a different kind of a swagger this year. There were a lot of seniors this year, so I feel like that's where the bond was,” said Gaede. “I was just really happy to be a part of it. I was pleasantly surprised by the skill level. Like all these kids out here are athletes and know what they're doing. It was an honor to play for them. It was a great experience and after 12 years of football, they were one of my favorite teams, if not my favorite team to play for.”
Center Tyson Watson from Westlock was the youngest of the all-stars having just finished grade 10.
“It made me feel pretty confident in my abilities to be the youngest there. It felt weird because I thought there'd be more people in my age range,” said Watson. “You want to practice 100% all the time. If you're practicing hard, you're playing hard.”
Watson began as part of the Thunderbirds defensive line in his first season but made the switch when the regular center picked up an injury.
“We tell our guys the quarterback gets all the love, but the most important guy on the field is the center because that change from center to quarterback is the most important exchange in football,” said DeJong. “Tyson was one of those guys that we saw progress throughout the season and really improve, really work hard on his craft. He really made the team in the first half hour of the tryout because he was right on the money for all his snaps. I think for him especially being a younger guy still having two more seasons with us, we're super excited for what he's shown already.”
Tight end Desmin Duniece from Athabasca rounded out the Thunderbirds all-stars. Duniece also finished his high school football experience with the all-star game as he graduated this year.
“Desmin’s one of those guys that we've had for three years and we've seen him grow and progress every year,” said DeJong. “He's one of those guys that’s a little bit under the radar. When you look at him, you wouldn't think he's the fastest guy, the biggest guy, or the strongest guy, but he surprises everybody all the time. He's got a fantastic set of hands. He catches the ball exceptionally well, he's very, very fast, he blocks well. He's one of those guys where you can put him in a bunch of different spots and give him a whole bunch of different responsibilities.”
The Thunderbirds recently wrapped up their spring season which was primarily focussed on development for their junior team.
Registration for the Thunderbirds' fall season will open in August with the senior and junior teams playing from August to November.
