Fresh recruits will be joining the Lions’ football team in 2016 after being signed on to the program over the winter holidays. Defensive lineman Skye King from Calgary and linebacker Damian Jamieson from Oakville were recruited by Warren Craney, the optimistic head coach of the Lions’ struggling football program.
“I feel very fortunate to be joining a team that is on the up right now,” says King. King is six feet four inches and 285 pounds, the type of strong player that Craney has been trying to recruit. He was formerly a teammate of Lions’ rookie Colton Hunchak, who is also from Calgary and was one of the Lions’ top performers this past season. King says that Hunchak was “very instrumental in [him] getting looks from York’s coaches.”
King and Hunchak’s team at Notre Dame High School in Calgary has dominated football in Alberta in recent years, winning back-to-back provincial championships in 2013 and 2014. Hunchak then made his way to join the Lions, while King played a season with the Calgary Colts for the Canadian Junior Football League.
For Jamieson, playing university football has always been a dream, one that will now come true at York. The six-foot-two, 205-pound linebacker previously played several seasons with the Halton Cowboys and Mississauga Warriors in the Ontario Varsity Football League. Last summer he participated in York’s high school sports camp, where he won the top linebacker award. “Ever since that, York has truly made me feel special and wanted,” he says, “and that was one of the big reasons why I chose to play for York.”
Both King and Jamieson are aware that the Lions’ football team has really been struggling in recent years. King believes one of the key issues is the team’s size. “The team is still very young and very talented in the skill positions,” King says, “now they’re just looking to revamp their big men on the field.” Meanwhile, Jamieson recognizes that the Lions have a lot of talent as well, but believes there isn’t enough individual innovation. He says that after speaking with some of his new teammates, he realized the importance of every player seeing the big picture.
King is ready to contribute to the Lions’ improvement starting this upcoming season. “I hope to contribute my size and power to the team,” he says. “I want to come in and bring a sense of nastiness and aggressiveness to the d-line.” King’s teammate has set more broader goals for himself. “I am willing to work my butt off in school and leave everything out on the field in games and practices,” says Jamieson. “In return, I hope to influence and set a positive and productive example for my team.”
Both players recognize that ultimately their attitude will determine what they bring to the football field. “I bring an aggressive and enthusiastic attitude to every game,” says Jamieson. King doesn’t mince his words, either. “The attitude I go into every game with is that I’m going to go out on to the field and try to dominate every play I’m in on,” he says.
“I come with the attitude of imposing my will over any opposing players who gets in my way.”
Hassam Munir, Sports and Health Editor
Featured image courtesy of York Lions
