Bisons Gear Up For New Season
Quarterback and tailback two big question marks
ROBERT MACEACHERN STAFF
The 2006 Bison Football training camp kicked off on Saturday August 19, with 82 players showing up to take their shot at making this year’s team. With only five starters not returning, the Bisons are looking to field a veteran team in 2006 and improve on last year’s 4-4 record. All 12 starters for the Bisons defence will be returning, and they will try to maintain last year’s solid play that saw them finish at or near the top of every Canada West conference defensive category.
Even with the enormous number of returning players, starting jobs are still up for grabs. Donald Oramasionwu and Jonathan Wade are battling to earn a regular spot on the defensive line, while linebackers Michael Kissinger and Jim Jeavons are pushing for a starting role. Newcomers Garrettt Zazula, from the Okanagan Sun, and Eric Gustafson, from the Winnipeg Rifles, will put pressure on last year’s starters for a spot in the Bison’s secondary.
The offence will have to adjust to a handful of key losses, including two offensive linemen and record-setting quarterback Ryan Zahara, who graduated last year. With Zahara — a two time Canada West Offensive Player of the Week and one time CIS Offensive Player of the Week — no longer in the mix, the starting quarterback job will go to either John Makie or Nathan Friesen.
Makie played second string to Zahara, completing two of six passes for 18 yards in limited action during 2005, but he led the country in junior football passing yards during 2004 with the Vancouver Trojans. He is the early favorite to win the job.
“John Makie is a classic drop back quarterback,” Bisons head coach Brian Dobie said, “He’s got a rifle for an arm tremendous touch on the ball.”
Friesen, who is coming off an MVP season with the Winnipeg Rifles, will look to give Makie a run for his money. The more athletic of the two quarterbacks, Friesen will look to move around in the pocket and create plays with his feet.
Whichever player wins the starting pivot job will need to perform well if the Bisons hope to make the playoffs and be a force to reckon with in the post-season.
“When the bullets start flying, the quarterback who becomes our starter between those two has got to be able to come through,” said Dobie.
Not only will the Bisons have to cope with a new quarterback, they will also have to make due without the services of running back Darwin Thompson, who graduated in the spring and just announced that he will not be returning for the upcoming season.
“He warned me in the spring that he wasn’t sure where he was at,” Dobie said, “We were prepared for it.”
Karim Lowen will take over the starting tailback position. Last year Lowen ran for 310 yards on 40 carries and he scored two touchdowns on the ground. Jonathan McLaren will be the number two running back and Matt Henry, a highly recruited player out of Toronto, will push both Lowen and McLaren in camp and throughout the season.
Special teams will also be pushed to perform during the upcoming season. The Bisons made only 14 of 26 field goal attempts last year, placing them last in the Canada West Conference in terms of percentage.
“Our kicking game has to take a step up this year,” said Dobie.
The Bisons will host the St. Vital Senior Mustangs in a pre-season game at 1pm on August 26 and the training camp will continue until August 31. The regular season kicks off in Regina as the Bisons take on the Rams on September 2, and the homecoming game is on September 16 against the University of Calgary Dinos.
