Half-dozen off to Junior Bowl

By Medicine Hat News on April 20, 2019.

A half-dozen local football players have been chosen to take part in Football Alberta’s first-ever Junior Bowl next month.

Xavier Bueckert, Walker Entz, Abdul Kiawen, Blake Rose, Lucas Semrau and Tesema Veurink were all named to Team South following a tryout camp in Calgary. The game takes place May 20 at McMahon Stadium, following a few days’ worth of practice sessions.

A spin on the Senior Bowl for Grade 12 players, the Junior Bowl’s focus is on those earlier in their high school careers, as well as give them a first step towards making Alberta’s under-16 provincial team.

Veurink, a receiver, and Rose, a defensive lineman, hail from Redcliff. Hat players Entz, Kiawen and Semrau also got picked for the D line, while Bueckert made it as an offensive lineman.

Bantam Hawks coach Darren Klein was part of the staff responsible for picking the defensive lineman and said more than 20 Hat-area athletes tried out.

“It was an extremely good showing for Medicine Hat at something that the whole football community (should be proud of),” wrote Klein in a press release. “What it reaffirms is that football in Medicine Hat is competitive with the entire province and that ability for us to have our own leagues and produce athletes that can impress the provincial community is profound!”

7
-6