Resilient Ravens pivot to new plan
Receiver Lew-Henriksen taking over duties under centre with top talent headed to U.S. schools
Back in the good old days of last spring, when Matt Lew-Henriksen was a receiver for the Terry Fox Ravens, he wondered about developing a rapport with the incoming quarterback after hearing his team was losing its top two pivots for this season to prep schools in the United States. He has other goals now. “I was going to track and field with him,” the Grade 11 student said of Martin McDonnell, who shares the coaching reins with Tom Kudada, “and he was like, ‘We think you’re going to be the quarterback.’
“It’s a big switch-up from receiver to QB, but I enjoy it. It’s fun.”
The move for Lew-Henriksen is part of the Ravens losing four players to American schools, the most notable being quarterback Jevaun Jacobsen, who was arguably the most talented Grade 11 in B.C. a year ago. He has since transferred to a Florida prep school.
McDonnell and Kudaba maintain they haven’t scaled back on expectations for the group and the rest of the B.C. high school football universe doesn’t appear to look at them much differently with their season set to begin Friday.
Terry Fox sits at No. 2 in the triple-A rankings, which you can find at Howard Tsumura’s varsityletters.ca. Surrey’s Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers are No. 1, while the New Westminster Hyacks are No. 3.
The Hyacks beat the Ravens 15-14 on a controversial late touchdown in last year’s provincial final. Terry Fox won the triple-A crown in 2016, edging the Notre Dame Jugglers 17-14 in overtime.
The prep school premise makes for a lengthy debate. We’ll save it for another time. Today, we’re throwing a little backing behind the idea that sports is a teaching tool.
And it’s easy to suggest the Ravens are learning here about adversity sneaking up on you and still trying to find ways to succeed.
“It’s a good obstacle to defeat,” said towering Terry Fox offensive lineman Matt Hewa Baddege, a 6-foot-7, 330-pound Grade 12 student. “This year we have a lot more returning players than last year. It’s more of a Grade 12 team.
“I feel confident that we have the strength and we have the knowledge to go even further than we did last year and even without those guys. Our mindset will take us where we need to go.”
Hewa Baddege lauded Lew-Henriksen for his quickness and said he has the arm strength for the long ball. Lew-Henriksen is a rangy 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds and he played quarterback in community football years ago.
Lew-Henriksen wants to play at university. He knows that receiver is probably his spot there, but this current Terry Fox setup puts his athleticism on display.
And any university coach will probably realize the Ravens players are getting a chance to figure some things out that they hadn’t planned on a year ago.
“You move forward. You just do. Bring it on,” said McDonnell, whose team opened its season on the road last week, beating a team from Concrete, Wash., 52-7.
“We have had some adversity. That’s OK. We’re missing some guys. Let’s move on. We still have talent. And we aren’t the only team this has ever happened to.”
We have had some adversity. That’s OK. We’re missing some guys. Let’s move on. We still have talent.” Coach Martin McDonnell