With most sports teams coming back from the long COVID-19 pandemic layoff, there's more questions than answers with regards to what to expect this season, and the Concordia Stingers football team is no different.
When head coach Brad Collinson and his team take to the field to meet the Laval Rouge et Or in the home opener this Saturday, it will mark the first time the Stingers have seen action in 672 days, and there will be more new faces on the roster than old faces.
To address all the uncertainty, Collinson and his coaching staff have established a solid philosophy, one that focuses on what they can control.
“We have a 13-week plan,” said the head coach, now in his fourth year at the helm. “We’re going step by step and concentrating on where we want to go, controlling what we can. We can’t get ahead of ourselves. We want to compete every week with the goal of getting to November and peaking at the right time.”
On offence, there’s a good mix of returning players and newcomers.
“We have a lot of talent at the skilled positions,” said Collinson. “Our recruiting efforts have helped create a lot of competition in camp.”
Key returners to look for on the attack include fourth-year offensive tackle Alex Hall and a stacked group of receivers including team captain Jacob Salvail, 2019 U Sports Rookie of the Year Jeremy Murphy and Vince Alessandrini, also a captain, who was drafted by the Montreal Alouettes and went to training camp with them in July.
First-year players to keep an eye on are running back Dwanté Morgan (Vanier College), offensive lineman Shayne Godbout (Collège de Valleyfield) and wide receivers Kharl Estinville (Collège de Valleyfield) and Louis-Félix Doyon (Cégep Limoilou).
The defence is younger overall, but the defensive backs will provide a lot of leadership.
“We’re very athletic on the defensive side,” said Collinson. “The additions we made are paying off. We have backs with experience, especially with Khadeem Pierre, a team captain, back for his fifth season.”
Veterans to watch for include Pierre, an all-star in 2019; third-year linebacker Mason Paleck and defensive back Ahmadou Boubacar who joined the Stingers in 2019 after graduating from high school in Rolla, Missouri.
Young talent to watch closely includes: linebacker Zach Philion (New Mexico Military Institute), and defensive end Dominic Soucy and defensive back Justin Vales, both who played Cégep football in the Campus Notre Dame de Foy program.
The Stingers host the Laval Rouge et Or in their home-opener on Saturday, Sept. 4 at 2 p.m. Tickets are only available online and the deadline to purchase them is midnight on Sept. 3. Vaccination passports (bring photo ID) are mandatory and will be checked at the entrance.
