MONTREAL’S STING OPERATION
Regina footballer to Concordia
Matt Halbgewachs is completing the trifecta.
Last season, the 6-foot-5, 295-pound offensive tackle played with the PFC’s Regina Thunder and practised with the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders. Starting in the fall, he’ll add a third level of post-secondary football experience when he suits up for the Concordia University Stingers.
On Saturday, the Stingers announced Halbgewachs had signed a CIS letter of intent with the Montreal-based team.
“I just had a gut feeling,” the 21-year-old Regina product said Monday when asked why he chose Concordia. “Everyone out there really wants to win. There’s something special happening there and I want to be a part of it.”
Halbgewachs was named a PFC all-star in 2014 and ’15. He also was named the PFC’s outstanding offensive lineman and a CJFL all-Canadian in 2015.
He considered offers from a number of Canadian universities this off-season, including Regina and McMaster. He went on a few recruiting trips, but decided Concordia was the right fit for him.
At McMaster, Halbgewachs could have been reunited with former Thunder quarterback Asher Hastings, but even that wasn’t enough to sway the big tackle.
“He is the No. 1 recruit for us,” Concordia offensive co-ordinator Matt Connell said in a media release. “He will have an immediate impact on our team and on the RSEQ conference.
“It’s like Christmas came early for us. Guys like him come around once in a decade.”
Last season, Halbgewachs attended the Roughriders’ training camp and then worked out with them during the CFL season. He participated in Saskatchewan’s meetings and practices in the mornings and afternoons and then practised with the Thunder in the evenings.
Had he decided to return to the Thunder for his fifth and final season of junior eligibility in 2016, he may have had the opportunity to keep practising with the Roughriders. Instead, he decided to head for the CIS.
“After talking with the Thunder coaches, with the Riders’ coaches and a couple of veteran players there, I felt I wanted to finish school before trying to make the CFL a full-time thing,” said Halbgewachs, who studied business at the U of R for three years before taking a year off.
“I wanted to make sure I finished school and had a backup plan. That was crucial for me. After this year, I decided I wanted to go finish my degree — preferably at a well-renowned business school — and play some football while I can. You never know when your last play is going to be.”
At Concordia, Halbgewachs — a graduate of Winston Knoll Collegiate — is to study at the John Molson School of Business.
As for the football, Halbgewachs expects it to be faster and more complex than junior. But he also believes his time with the Roughriders will give him a head start when it comes to preparing for the university game.
As luck would have it, his stint with Saskatchewan also could ease the stress of adjusting to the Stingers’ style.
“Their O-line coach (Ted Karabatsos) told me that he likes to model his schemes and drills after Coach (Dan) Dorazio with the Riders,” said Halbgewachs, who’ll have three seasons of CIS eligibility.
“A lot of it is very similar. They have a lot of protections that are the same as the Riders, so I felt it was going to be easier to transition that way rather than to something brand new.”