The Okanagan Football Academy showed out at its seven-on-seven tournament, taking home multiple trophies.
Okanagan Sun head coach and regional director of the Okanagan Football Academy Jamie Boreham said the academy swept the podiums at the 7 on 7 Western National Championships in Calgary.
“We ended up 14-5 overall. The U12s won their age division and got MVP, and our U15s placed first, second and third. We also got the MVP there too,” said Boreham.
Seven-on-seven football is padless, focusing on the passing element of the game. Games are 20 minutes in length filled with fast-paced play.
“(Seven-on-seven) allows kids to focus and hone their skills in the positions they want to (play). Lots of times in football you have players playing out of position until they get to university,” said Boreham.
“So, if a kid wants to focus on playing quarterback, we let them play quarterback and we’ll coach the player the best we can.”
Raine Fenske, the U12 quarterback at the academy, was selected most-valuable-player for his age group.
He said the championship win was one he won’t forget anytime soon.
“We went into overtime, and my friend Mason got a pick, stopped the game and won it for us,” said Fenske.
The academy has Okanagan Sun junior players helping out, sharing their years of experience with the younger generation of players in the area.
“It’s really enjoyable, it’s nice to give back to the community,” said Sun player Garrett Kape.
“The community has done so much for us. So, it’s nice to give back to the younger guys.”
The Western National Championships featured teams from across Western Canada, solidifying the Okanagan Football Academy as one of the powerhouses of seven-on-seven football, in the region.
The tournament ran from July 2-4 in Calgary.