Go east, young man
Highly-recruited Myer offensive lineman Noah Spadafora opts to study business at Queen’s
Queen’s University head football coach Pat Sheahan was in his element when he visited A.N. Myer Secondary School.
While the venue – a crowded main lobby at the high school in Niagara Falls – was unfamiliar turf, Sheahan had the game plan at the scholarship signing ceremony down pat.
It was the 28-year coaching veteran who directed a photo op held to celebrate the accomplishments of the man of the hour, highly recruited offensive lineman Noah Spadafora.
Like a quarterback calling audibles at the line of scrimmage, Sheahan arranged, in motor-drive fashion, photo after photo, all of them focused on the 17-year-old Niagara Falls native.
“Gather around, we’re about to celebrate a momentous occasion,” Sheahan told Spadafora’s Marauder teammates, coaches, classmates and well-wishers huddled in front of a portable table with a Queen’s poster serving as a backdrop.
“We’re inviting a member of your family to join our family.”
He pointed out 6-foot-5, 300-pound Spadafora played a big role in the Marauders’ success at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Association (OFSAA) championships.
“We’re hoping Noah will help us get into the win column, too.”
At the signing ceremony Spadafora had to squeeze into a Queen’s jersey, but fitting into campus life in Kingston won’t be a problem.
“They got a crazy reputation for school sports,” the son of Guy and Lyvia Spadafora of Niagara Falls said. “The coach is really open, they are straight with you, they let you know where you stand.”
Guelph, McMaster, Mount Allison, Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier also offered scholarships worth up to $4,500 annually.
However, while all except New Brunswick-based Mount Allison are much closer to his home in Niagara Falls, the highly regarded commerce program tipped the scales overwhelmingly in the Kingston school’s favour.
“I just think with the education and also with the team, Queen’s is just a better fit for me,” Spadafora said. “I think the extra (time) traveling will be worth it.”
Spadafora, now in his second season with Niagara Spears, played both ways in his four years at Myer, but he prefers to line up on the offensive side of the ball.
“There’s more to the game,” Spadafora said. “You get to see everything come together.”
Queen’s also sees Spadafora contributing on offence alongside Josh Mosley, a Lakeshore Catholic graduate who is returning for a second season with the Golden Gaels.
“He’s built like a CFL guard. He and Josh could be the left side of our line,” Sheahan said.
Spadafora first appeared on the Kingston university’s radar two years, when the Golden Gaels, along with other schools, were scouting quarterback Tre Ford and twin brother Tyrell.
Sheahan recalled that he couldn’t help notice “big guys,” such as Spadafora, who gave the Fords the time they needed to move the chains.
“I thought he was a pretty dominant player,” Sheahan said of Spadafora.
He becomes the eighth member of the 2016 Ontario champion Marauders team to earn an athletic scholarship, which are limited to student athletes who achieve at least 80 per cent in their final year of high school.
Spadafora said he knew what was expected of football players at Myer from the start of his high school playing career.
“Right from the get go, right from when I got here in Grade 9, they don’t want anything besides perfection and working toward team greatness,” he said. “We practised every day and it was just like work hard and you’ll get rewarded for it.”
The coaching staff’s concern for the players extends beyond the gridiron. Myer’s guidance department also is involved in the development of the players, helping to ensure that “student” comes before “athlete” in student athlete.
“They make sure we get things done in the classroom,” Spadafora said. “Mr. (Jamie) French in guidance, he can check up on all of our marks to make sure we’re getting things done in the classroom.”
Spadafora said coaches don’t use high marks as a carrot for more playing time on the field.
“No, nothing like that, but if your marks are too low you’re not going to get any playing time.”