Golden Bear takes on best in world
U of A linebacker Ralph’s stellar rookie season propels him into International Bowl in Texas
It may be the middle of winter in Edmonton, but for at least one University of Alberta Golden Bear, it’s still very much football season.
Linebacker Connor Ralph, who’s coming off a terrific rookie season with Alberta in which he made 44 tackles to go along with a trio of sacks and an interception, will take the field Wednesday along with some of the world’s best young football players at the third annual International Bowl in Austin, Texas.
The Raymond product will suit up for the World squad when they take on Team USA in the exhibition game created to showcase some of the best under-20 talent the sport has to offer.
“It’s good to see that there’s a lot of guys like myself and it makes you want to get better and work hard when I get back to Edmonton,” Ralph said. “It’s made me a better player, so it makes me more motivated in a lot of ways.
“We haven’t got a chance to see a lot of the city. It’s been a lot of football. It’s been good, but pretty focused on football and the task at hand.”
The American side, which pulled off a 21-14 victory in 2011, is made up of some of the best high school players in the country, many of whom are destined for top flight college programs around the country. They’ll take on a World Team made up of both high school athletes and players fresh off rookie seasons at the collegiate and junior levels, looking to hand Team USA its first loss in the event’s brief history.
With players from American Samoa, Australia, Austria, France, Japan, Mexico, Spain and Sweden, there’s certainly an international flare to the World Team roster, but with 28 of 44 players hailing from Canada, Ralph is just one of many Canadians on the squad.
Among the Canadians joining Ralph in Austin, where the team has been practising together since last week, are fellow Canada West players and Edmontonians Jordan Arkko and Jahlani Gilbert-knorren from the Saskatchewan Huskies.
“When it first started, the Canadians were the minority,” said Bears head coach Jeff Stead.
“The whole selection process changed this year … everybody had to send in a video.”
“There was an actual selection committee and I think that really changed the landscape in terms of the player selection and actually picking quality talent, as opposed to making sure it was somewhat even country-to-country.”
“It says a ton about Canadian football and where we’re at especially with the youth.”
After going through the selection process, which saw coaches from around Canada submit players for consideration, Ralph was among those lucky enough to get the call.
“Connor was ecstatic. The process took a while. He didn’t hear right away if he had made the team and then once he was selected he was really excited, not only to represent his country, but just the opportunity to play against the best in the world,” Stead said.
While the game won’t be played in front of 100,000 plus fans — what the University of Texas Longhorns draw for their games in Austin — Ralph and the rest of the World squad can expect to be playing in front of a big crowd by Canadian high school and university standards.
The game will be played at the Kelly Reeves Athletic Complex, a high school facility in Austin, but by no means will that mean an underwhelming crowd for the game. With a seating capacity of 11,000, the high school stadium is sure to draw its fair share of fans hoping to get a glimpse of some of the game’s best young talent, which should only add to the experience for Ralph.
“The atmosphere will be fantastic. It will be sold out, it’s on national TV, so it’s a great event. It’s evolved from just playing a game that you read about the next day, to a game now where they’re really trying to showcase the world’s best under-20 football players in a one-week camp and a game,” Stead said.
“Especially coming from a small town in Alberta, to have the opportunity to travel all the way down to Austin, Texas, and experience that — they visited the University of Texas — it’s a fantastic experience for him.”
“It’s good to see that there’s a lot of guys like myself and it makes you want to get better and work hard when I get back to Edmonton,” Ralph explained.
“It’s made me a better player, so it makes me more motivated in a lot of ways.
“We haven’t got a chance to see a lot of the city. It’s been a lot of football. It’s been good, but pretty focused on football and the task at hand.”
The International Bowl kicks off Wednesday night at 4 p.m. and can be seen on the CBS Sports Network on Bell channel 413.