Thunder starting to make some football noise
Small Spectrum program gaining strength
They are Tier II in terms of their B.C. high school football category, but are all-pro in heart.
With 20 on the roster, several players on the fledgling Spectrum program have to play offence, defence and special teams. Picking up towels, cones and balls after practice comes with the deal, too, for this spunky squad.
“It’s Ironman football,” said head coach Darren Vaux, whose son Carson Vaux is a receiver and defensive back on the Spectrum team.
That necessitated multi-tasking hasn’t stopped Spectrum from opening league play at 2-0, with a 34-13 win over Eric Hamber and 25-0 shutout of Howe Sound, heading into Saturday’s game against Frank Hurt on the Lower Mainland.
Another player who exemplifies the Spectrum ethic is team co-captain Sahjun Sehmi, who plays cornerback on defence, receiver on offence and is the holder for converts and field goals on special teams.
“This team is absolutely amazing. This is a brotherhood,” said Sehmi.
“We are like a family, with every player playing for each other.”
The omni-purpose nature of the Spectrum squad is fine by him because, for Sehmi, it defines the very essence of football. The Mount Douglas transfer student also plays for the Spectrum soccer team, will play on the school basketball team when hoops season begins and played at the provincial level in field hockey. Yet, football is his greatest passion.
“That’s because football demands all of you, with so many different skill sets required,” said the wiry Grade 12 all-rounder.
“There is not one superstar on a football team that can take a game over, like in basketball. It takes everybody working in unison.”
It’s that unselfish attitude that has impressed head-coach Vaux: “We were delighted to have Sahjun join us, and he has been accepted into our group, and has found a home here.”
Spectrum, which began its football program in 2013 under Roy Vollinger, looks to the rising Belmont program for inspiration. The Bulldogs began from scratch a few years ago, as well, and are now playing in the highest-level triple-A division of B.C. high school football and have produced players such as NCAA Div. 1 Fresno State-recruited lineman Dontae Bull.
“It’s the same thing. We have aspirations of double-A or triple-A, too, and that is the path we want to stay on,” said Vaux.
Part of that long-term vision involves eventually having a turf playing field laid at Spectrum, he added.