Youngest Lion has a lot of commuting ahead of him
Position coach wants Steve Doege around, but defensive end still has two years of junior eligibility remaining
KAMLOOPS — His position coach — Carl ( Big Daddy) Hairston — wants him. As a result, the youngest player at B. C. Lions training camp might have to purchase a new set of wheels.
Defensive end Steve Doege, 21, still has two years’ of junior eligibility remaining with the Okanagan Sun. But Hairston, the defensive line coach who spent 30 years in the NFL as a player and coach, wants the chance to instruct and mould him this season at the Lions’ training facility in Surrey.
The problem is Doege drives a 1995 Ford F- 150 pickup which, he admits, “is a pig on gas.” He might use a lot of it this summer and fall, commuting between his junior team in the B. C. Football Conference, based in Kelowna, and Surrey.
“Looks as if I’ll be in the market for a smaller vehicle,” said Doege, looking ahead to a succession of 10- hour, round trip commutes between two teams.
Because of his junior status, Doege can practise with the Lions as a territorial protection without the need to use up a roster spot.
Running back Andrew Harris went through a similar initiation earlier in his football career, playing with the BCFC’s Vancouver Island Raiders on weekends and practising with the Lions during the week.
“He’s [ Doege] got some talent. He’s just raw,” Hairston said. “Once he learns how to play the game, he’s a kid you could use in so many ways. I would love to have him around because of his energy. Once he figures the game out, he’s going to be a force on the field. He never gets tired. It’s very seldom you find a player like that.”
Gavin Lake, Doege’s junior coach, has made it a point of reminding his old college teammate, Lions head coach Mike Benevides, that he wants his player back. Lake and Benevides have a history together as players with the York University Yeomen ( now known as the York Lions).
“I want him for the Sun,” Lake said. “Steve’s got a bright future ahead of him, no question. But I want him to help win some football games. No question he can do both.
“Andrew Harris was able to practise with the Lions [ 2009] and play in Nanaimo [ V. I. Raiders]. And he had to go back and forth by ferry. The pros practise in the morning. We practise in the evening. He doesn’t need to see us until Thursday, every week. It’s more than achievable.”
“We could go through that, in terms of working him, developing him,” Benevides said. “Coach Hairston didn’t want to take him off the field. That’s how much he likes Steve. I think we’ll go through with that [ plan]. It will be good for him.”
• Offensive lineman Matt Norman, the Lions’ third pick in the 2012 draft, is facing a dilemma of his own making.
His play has been so strong — Benevides calls him “the surprise of camp” — that Norman is close to nailing down a roster spot. His value is even more apparent, given the rash of injuries along the team’s O- line.
“Matt Norman’s not going anywhere. I’m not the least bit worried about Matt Norman’s professional career,” said Dean Valli, a veteran starter who is recovering quickly from a knee injury.
Educational priorities, however, weigh heavily on Norman, who has picked up a degree in history from Western Ontario. It was his intention to return to Ontario and enrol in a one- year course to earn his teaching certificate. Next year, the requirements change, however, and an Ontario teaching certificate will require two years of postgraduate study.
“There are lot of moving parts in this whole thing,” Norman explained. “It’s a one- year program. I can’t do it in segments. I can’t split it up. I tried asking SFU [ Simon Fraser] but they won’t accept transfer students. Besides, I wouldn’t be able to do it there, time- management wise. There’s too much time commitment for both [ football and the teaching program].”
“I think Matt is pretty determined to attend teachers’ college,” said his position coach at Western, Chris Bertoia, who was a guest coach at Lions’ camp this year. “He’s a smart kid. He loves football. But he knows there’s an end to football.” END ZONE — Lions announced the release of five players on Sunday: LB Beau Bell, DB Troy Butler, OL Bradley Shedd, DE Jeremy Geathers and WRs Michael Moore and Correy Earls.