HOME WITH REDBLACKS
Biewald taking his shot
John Biewald got a taste of CFL life a year ago.
Now, in 2017 after an all-star season with the Western Mustangs, the 22-year-old defensive end, who’s from Ottawa, is back home, hoping to make an impression and stick with the Redblacks.
“Being a CFL player, that’s my dream,” said Biewald on the first day of the Redblacks’ three-day mini-camp on Thursday. “I’m going to do everything I can to get there. I’m in a unique position in terms of growing up and living here as well as being a fan of the team. It’s a pretty special opportunity and you want to do everything you can to capitalize on it. I just like to play, I love the game of football. I want to be able to play the sport as long as I can.”
Leaving the Redblacks late in training camp in 2016 gave Biewald the chance to return to Western, where he dominated — with seven sacks and a couple of fumble recoveries among his impressive stats. But the powerful Mustangs stumbled badly in the final quarter of a 43-40 loss to Laurier in the OUA final.
“I owed it to my teammates to go back and finish strong,” said Biewald, who’s 6-foot-4, 235 pounds. “I’d only started for a year and a half, two years before coming into camp with Ottawa. I thought a bit more game experience would do me good. I figured getting another year under my belt would do me good.
“It was a pretty rough ending to such a great season, but that’s football for you. We don’t have a sevengame playoff series. You have one game. Sometimes it doesn’t go your way.”
Biewald is learning on the fly, hoping his tenacity and desire to improve give him a shot at the next level. Having been here before, having been through a camp, he’s feeling more comfortable.
“When you first come in, you have some nerves because of the unknown,” he said. “But when it comes down to it, it’s pretty similar to what you’ve been doing. I’ve only played D-end for a couple of seasons. I’m picking new stuff up every day.”