o understand the kind of Westshore Rebels team new head coach Charly Cardilicchia plans to field, you have to understand what sort of player Cardilicchia used to be for this franchise. Despite his slight five-foot-10, 175 pound frame, he wasn’t afraid of going into heavy traffic, and became one of the greatest clutch receivers in the history of this Greater Victoria junior football franchise.
“I had more passion for the game than I did for my body . . . it’s all about work ethic,” said Cardilicchia, who replaces the departed J.C. Boice.
“Nobody is going to outwork us,” added the 32-year-old, who brings 19 years of coaching experience from youth levels.
And you don’t even have to ask a former receiver about offensive tendencies: “We will like to throw the ball. We will be extremely aggressive on both offence and defence.”
Cardilicchia expects to have 76 players out to training camp this weekend. Of the eligible returnees, only three are not reporting. One of those is a big name — quarterback Ashton MacKinnon. Cardilicchia gave no reason why, but said he is still working on changing MacKinnon’s mind.
The defending B.C. Football Conference champions, and 2016 Canadian runners-up to the champion Saskatoon Hilltops, open training camp for the 2017 season today at Goudy Field with it looking like the load under centre may fall to former UBC pivot Gabe Olivares.
First practices are today from 4 to 6 p.m. and 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. at Goudy Field. Practice Saturday is 9 to 11:45 a.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to noon at Goudy Field.
Notable returnees include offensive linemen Tyson Thompson and Christian Krause, and on defence, Byron MacKinnon, Jeremie Drouin and Kent Hicks. Major losses include star running-back and 2016 B.C. MVP Jamel Lyles to the University of Manitoba Bisons, offensive lineman Aarmin Purewal to the York University Yeomen and Lorenzo Ihanza to the St. Mary’s University Huskies among a group of 2016 Rebels headed this season to U Sports.
Cardilicchia has been busy restocking.
“I drove 2,200 kilometres in six days from Toronto to Windsor and back through Hamilton to recruit eight players from Ontario . . . and then 700 kilometres in three days through Manitoba,” he said.
“There are so many recruiting sites out there now but I am old school. And our team has really built up a buzz across the country because of what it accomplished last season by playing in the Canadian championship game.”
The Rebels 2017 opening game, a reprise of last year’s B.C. Cullen Cup final won by Westshore, is against the Okanagan Sun on July 29 at the Apple Bowl in Kelowna. Because of scheduled turf replacement at Westhills Stadium, it is the first of three road games to start the season for Westshore. The second week takes the Rebels to Nanaimo for the always-contentious derby against the Vancouver Island Raiders and the third week to the Fraser Valley to meet the Chilliwack Huskers.
That will be followed by four consecutive home games against Langley, Chilliwack, Kamloops and the Raiders from Aug. 19 to Sept. 16.
