Photo from www.ticats.ca Hamilton Tiger-Cats long snapper and former Crescent Heights High School Viking Aaron Crawford is feeling a bit of pressure for the Ti-Cats to make the Grey Cup game -- his parents already have a hotel room booked.
rmccracken@medicinehatnews.com @MHNMcCracken
The Crescent Heights Vikings returned to the gridiron Thursday to prepare for another hard-hitting Rangeland Football Conference season, but when they arrived to the Methanex Bowl to start camp, they were greeted by a surprise guest —Hamilton Tiger-Cats long snapper and former Viking Aaron Crawford.
The Hat product opted to return to his stomping grounds over his bye week and spend a bit of time giving back to the team that helped shaped his career, Vikings head coach Sean Davis says it was the perfect way to set up the season to come.
“Having him around, it gives the guys a little morale boost, especially on the first day,” said Davis. “It’s a good feeling to have a guy like Aaron come back and work with our guys. It shows them that even at a smaller Tier 3 school like ours, it doesn’t really matter. The amount of work you put in and the things that you do translate not just in football but for the rest of your life. Aaron, with the exception of being an excellent athlete and football player, he’s a good person and a lot of those skills he learned here at Crescent Heights High School as a football player — and of course his dad has been working in tackle football in Medicine Hat for a long time.”
On top of interacting with his with his former high school, Crawford made sure his return to the Hat was unforgettable by dropping the knee and proposing to his future wife.
“Took her back to my hometown, my roots,” Crawford wrote on Instagram. “Shared a lot of past memories and stories. Then made a new one drafting her to the home team. She said yes!”
Vikings captain and defensive back Parker Duren added Crawford’s visit was inspiring, as it showed the whole team that hard work can pay off in a big way.
“It was actually really inspiring, just to see a former Viking who made it to the CFL and was able to put in the work and dedicated themselves to the time. I think it’s really inspiring for me and the rest of my teammates and will hopefully help us to work as hard as we can.”
Duren — who had last season cut short by a broken collarbone — added he truly believes this will be the year that Crescent Heights will take back the Hat on the gridiron.
“It was really rough having to watch us go out last season with a loss (to Brooks), but I think we’re really going to take it back this year and show everyone what we’re made of,” said Duren. “We have a really great, strong group of seniors this year and I think we’re going to lead the team into a great season.”
The Vikings will kick off their exhibition schedule Friday, though Davis says there are still a lot of uncertainties in regard to starting positions — primarily under centre.
“Nothing is really set in stone,” said Davis. “We’re still figuring that out. Garrett Little is in the mix, Kobe Willis is in the mix and we’ve got a couple other guys who are trying out. The best player is going to play. It doesn’t really matter if they’ve been here three years, two years, or it’s their first day, the best guy is going to play.”
