The last week of spring training for the Cyclones Football teams has come to an end and players and coaches are now looking forward to September when they will suit up to begin the 2011 season.
Close to 40 pee wee players have signed up for football this year, a number that is up significantly from 2010, said Wally Genz, head coach of the pee wee team.
“This is the most we have had registered for spring camp ever,” said Genz about the three week camp which ended with a scrimmage against two other pee wee teams on Saturday.
This season will be one of building for the Innisfail football program because although they have such strong numbers at the pee wee level there will be no bantam team this year.
With only four players who moved up from the pee wee level, a number of players who graduated to the Innisfail High School team, and a number of players who are not returning to the sport, there will not be enough players to form a full bantam team despite organizers attempts to recruit players from the surrounding area.
Last season the bantams were forced to forfeit one of their games, due to a combination of having too few players due to injuries and players dropping out. The program ended up falling through for the season but organizers are very hopeful they will have a strong bantam team next year. They were also unable to find a head coach for the bantam team this season, which is a problem that will also be remedied for the 2012 season.
“We will have at least 20 kids who will be moving up to the bantam level from pee wee next year and a strong coach that will most likely be moving up with them,” said Genz.
However, for now, coaches will be focused on working to build the program through the growing pee wee team.
Last season the pee wees went undefeated until the first round of the playoffs where they were knocked out by the team that went on to become provincial champions. The team also ended the season with the best defensive record in the league.
This year, Genz said they would have more of an upper hand with a team that will be able to match the numbers of the ones they played against last season.
“Everybody is going to have to hold onto their hats because we are going to come out with guns blazing,” said Genz.
The next time the players will step onto the field will be for the summer skill and drill camp beginning in the second week of August. The camp will prepare the players for the season, which begins in the second week of September.
This year the football association is planning to do two more football days where the pee wees and the high school team will play back to back in Innisfail.
