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March 12, 2009
Gladiators back on solid ground
by Randy Pascal / sudburysports.com
New Sudbury Gladiators' head coach Brent Richer is clearly excited by the challenge at hand, but he enters the role with a definite sense of gratitude. "They definitely paved the road for us, a very nice road last season", Richer recently acknowledged.
"They" would refer to football coaches Frank Rocca and John MacLean, along with countless others who provided assistance both on the field and off to re-kindle summer varsity football in Sudbury. "I think what they did last year was nothing short of miraculous given some of the background", says Richer.
With the shadows of a Sudbury Northerners football organization that struggled to avoid contraversy lurking over their shoulders, the Gladiators rose from the ashes, cut sharply to make the move from the OVFL (Ontario Varsity Football League) to the OFC (Ontario Football Confederence) and landed on their feet.
Now Richer and a host of well-known Sudbury football coaches are looking to take the next step in the progression as the Gladiators prepare for a second (official) summer of football. A long-time member of the Sudbury Spartans and defensive co-ordinator at St Charles College for the past five years, Richer was fully prepared to jump aboard and assist with the Gladiators, regardless of the role that was needed.
As rumours circulated that Rocca might step aside to enjoy a little more personal time, Richer contacted team president Ed Azzola, expressing an interest in head coaching duties. But he knew enough to surround himself with quality people. "I wasn t going to do it unless I had my guys that also wanted to do it", Richer explained.
"Out of the 12, eight of us played with the Spartans...and two others (Mike Fabiilli and Chris Bartolucci) coached us with the Spartans. We ve all known each other and we ve all discussed how we would love to coach together during the summer as a group."
In fact, the coaching hierarchy of the Gladiators reads as a "who's who" of gentlemen currently involved in SDSSA high-school football:
General Manager - Chris Bartolucci
Head Coach - Brent Richer
Offensive Co-Ordinator Brandon Dougan
Running Back coach Geoff Richer
Offensive Line Mike Venturi
QB Coach Reg Bonin
Defensive Co-Ordinator Ozzie Wilson
Linebacking Coach Mike Fabiilli
Defensive Backs Sam Cuomo
Defensive Line Kevin White
Offensive Jr Coach Aaron Rehel
Defensive Jr Coach Kevin Garbuio
And don't be the least bit surprised to see a bevy of other familar faces wandering by games and practices, offering helpful advice from time to time. While these guys love to go toe to toe each and every fall, there is no mistaking their unwavering passion for wanting football to succeed in Sudbury.
With a solid foundation in place, Richer and staff are looking to move the program forward. "Our goal is to try and be better than last year", said Richer. In 2008, the Gladiators posted a record of 5-3, enjoyed a semi-final showing where they lost by 10 points. "We have to be at least 6-2 and hosting a playoff game minimum goal", states Richer.
That won't be easy. Playing in a seven team loop (the Stratford Saints step in to replace the North Bay Centurions who could not survive an initial summer of competition), Sudbury will face an unbalanced schedule that finds them going toe to toe with the Burlington Stampeders and Toronto Jr Argonauts for a home and home series.
That means twice as many matchups against what are likely the league's top two teams. But with the quality of coaching staff in place locally and the enthusiasm that has been generated by the early interest in the team, Richer concedes that expectations are naturally high.
"Numbers wise, we're expecting more than sixty players. Thirty-six are eligible to return from last year's team (based on age eligibility)", notes Richer. And we're sure to see a different wrinkle or two thrown in as Richer gets his feet wet handling the head coaching reigns.
In fact, even a component of his staffing chart catches the eye initially. Just a few years removed from playing high-school football in Sudbury, Kevin Garbuio (Lockerby) and Aaron Rehel (St Charles) find themselves on the opposite side of the coin, now being asked to provide direction to teenagers only a few years their junior.
"This is my most exciting project", gushes Richer of the inclusion of the tandem who both still play at the Canadian University level. "They both approached me asking if they could coach this summer they would both like to be coaches one day", explained Richer.
"They will work as an intermediate between us and the kids. Kevin and Aaron can talk to the kids, and being just five years apart, understand more where they are coming from." Just another positive sign in a series of indications that summer football may be starting to turn the corner in the Nickel City.
"The stability of the program has never been better. It looks great for the future, which is most important", says Richer. The Gladiators open their 2009 campaign playing four of their first five games on the road, including visits to Burlington on May 24th and Toronto the following weekend before launching their home campaign on June 7th, welcoming the Stratford Saints to Queen's Athletic Field.
Gridiron Gab: With the transition to three-down summer football comes the obvious questions about whether SDSSA will soon follow suit. The North Bay league has already made the conversion, adopting a set of rules that are more closely aligned with both the CIS (Canadian Interuniversity Sport) and the CFL (Canadian Football League).
While acknowledging that the topic was discussed at the year-end meeting of SDSSA coaches, Richer sees no imminent movement in the cards locally. "As long as NOSSA, and specifically the Soo being the powerhouse it is, remains stubborn on the four down issue, I can t see Sudbury switching. I don t think it will be any time soon."
Although the move from the OVFL to the OFC was played out as a positive due to the difference in rules, the reality also existed that there were some financial constraints to remaining in the OVFL given some unpaid debt dating back to the summer of 2007. And while the Northerners struggled at times, the league did provide a glimpse of plenty of top end competition from across the province in a loop that still numbers more than twenty teams strong (including Sault Ste Marie).
That said, perhaps the winds of change are shifting ever so slightly. The Ottawa Sooners organization, long regarded as one of the most stable amateur football groups in the country, have rejoined the Ontario Football Conference this year, although they will not yet field a varsity squad.
With both leagues (OFC and OVFL) providing what appears to be extremely viable options for the local brain-thrust, it will be interesting to see how this plays out over the next five to six years and beyond.
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