Thunder’s Sich ready for full-time starting role
His skills as a pivot will be tested when team opens to visiting Hilltops squad
For the first time as a member of the Regina Thunder, Brock Sich is the team’s unrivalled No. 1 quarterback.
But he is not a first-time starter. In fact, his initial start in the Prairie Football Conference was one for the ages.
Sich threw for 352 yards and five touchdowns — in only 2 1/2 quarters of duty — on Oct. 16, 2016 to lead the Thunder to a 69-18 victory over the host Edmonton Huskies. It was an auspicious start, to say the least, for the rookie pivot as he filled in for injured starter Sawyer Buettner.
On Oct. 1, 2017, Sich drew another start when Buettner was sidelined with the flu. The Thunder again won handily with Sich at the controls, defeating the Calgary Colts 33-15 at Mosaic Stadium.
In last year’s start, Sich completed 11 of 19 passes for 190 yards in addition to scoring one of the Thunder’s four rushing touchdowns.
So now, with Buettner having joined the University of Ottawa Gee- Gees, Sich is poised to begin the 2018 season as the first-string quarterback — with two immensely positive starts already on his resume.
“That helps out a lot,” Sich said leading up to Saturday’s regularseason opener against the visiting Saskatoon Hilltops.
“When I’m in there, it’s like, ‘Yeah, I’ve done this before.’ It’s a confidence-boost and it gets you ready. You get more familiar with the guys, too, and you build chemistry.”
The regular-season opener is a natural building block. It is also an instant barometer, considering that the archrival Hilltops are beginning pursuit of an unprecedented fifth consecutive national championship.
Saskatoon’s streak began in 2014, when the Thunder was dethroned as the Canadian Junior Football League kingpin.
“This is a test this week,” Thunder offensive co-ordinator Stefan Endsin said.
“(The Hilltops are) the best team in the country and the best in a long time.
“But no matter what happens, Brock will be able to handle it.”
That is in keeping with his mindset, one of many reasons Endsin is impressed with the former Miller Marauders signal-caller.
“Brock is a really intense kid, but he lets things go,” said Endsin, referencing his ability to focus on the present and shrug off any misfortune within a game.
“That’s really important. That’s a skill you can take from football into life. I’m actually jealous of that skill.”
Endsin is also a little sheepish. When asked about Sich’s first start — the five-td -pass gem — Endsin attributed one of the rare miscues to the offensive co-ordinator.
“His first pass was an interception — on a bad play call by me,” Endsin said with a laugh.
So, should Sich receive credit for the five TD passes, with the interception going to Endsin?
“Well, yeah,” Endsin replied, “because that’s 100 per cent what happened.”
Sich is 100 per cent focused on Saturday’s game (7 p.m., Mosaic Stadium), as opposed to issues such as the challenge involved in succeeding a quarterback of Buettner’s calibre.
“My main goal is just to win a championship,” Sich said. “That’s what we’ve always been striving for. We got there before (in 2013) and now we’re hoping to make that happen again.”