Ontko gets lessons from Bighill
Linebacker eyes Lions starting spot after training with idol during off-season
If Cameron Ontko reminds you of Adam Bighill this coming B.C. Lions season, it’s completely intentional.
Ontko began researching the Canadian Football League during his senior season with the Cal Poly Mustangs in 2014, came across some tape of the undersized, workhorse linebacker Bighill and started to model his game after him.
When Ontko signed with B.C. last season, he told Bighill of the connection. The pair became fast friends and training partners.
They worked out together extensively this off-season, and now the 25-year-old Ontko is in the hunt for a starting spot with the Lions that’s up for grabs due to Bighill, 28, signing with the NFL’s New Orleans Saints.
“I was just talking to him last night,” the 5-11, 220-pound Ontko said after the Lions wrapped up a three-day mini-camp on Friday morning at their Surrey facility.
“He’s someone that I can go to about anything. He’s a true role model in my life. He taught me how to pay attention to detail, put in the work and trust the process.”
There are various options to take Bighill’s spot alongside Solomon Elimimian at the centre of the Lions’ defence come the June 24 season opener against the visiting Edmonton Eskimos. There’s Tony Burnett, 26, who signed with B.C. as a free agent in February after spending the previous two seasons with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. There’s Dyshawn Davis, 24, who spent last season on the B.C. practice roster. And there’s newcomer Micah Awe, 23.
Of course, there’s Ontko, too. He led the Lions in special teams tackles last season with 18. He’s also tutored under Bighill, a 5-10, 230-pound all-star who recorded a whopping 489 tackles over 99 games through six Lions seasons.
“I’ve never worked so hard in my life,” Ontko said of his time this off-season with Bighill and trainer Rob Williams of Sportcore Performance.
“It took me back to the college, 6 a.m. workout days. Right when you think you’ve got nothing left in the tank, that’s when Bigs would pick me up or Rob would pick me up.
“Physically, it’s a night and day difference with me from last year. Last year was good. I had a solid base, but I didn’t know how to use my entire body. I was mainly focusing on my extremities. Now I’m learning how to move from the centre, the biomechanics of the body, how to move efficiently. I’ve learned so much about being more explosive.
“It was six, seven days a week, all off-season. That’s why I stayed up here. I was preparing for this season.” Ontko, originally from the Cleveland suburb Seven Hills, got into four games with the Calgary Stampeders in 2015. They released him before last season and B.C. ended up signing him.
He says that when he met Bighill he told him, “Man, this is crazy. I studied you. I respect so much.”
Ontko added: “He’s so humble. He’s so modest about it. He’s got the ultimate underdog mentality. He doesn’t want to accept that he’s a great linebacker. He’s always looking for things to improve on.
“He accepted it with a smile and, after that, he was awesome.”