BONNYVILLE - Some would say football is in his blood.
With a family that has deep roots in the local football commity, it was no surprise Jacob Bourget found himself on the very field where his uncles at one time set records.
His passion and drive to make his family proud has resulted in an opportunity that is getting him one step further toward his goal of joining the Canadian Football League (CFL).
Next season, the 18-year-old defensive lineman will be slipping into an Edmonton Huskies jersey for the first time.
“It makes me feel accomplished, because there aren’t very many linemen that go on to play for the Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL). It’s usually a lot of Canadian all-stars that get picked for the team because the Edmonton Huskies are number two in the country,” Bourget said.
He continued, “For me, the accomplishment was about making my family proud, because my family is one of the older families in Bonnyville and to be able to say that another Bourget is doing something big just makes me so happy."
Currently, Bourget is completing his Grade 12 education at the Bonnyville Off-Campus School. He said he decided to take his studies a different route because "it gives me more time to train and focus on football.”
The local athlete hit the field for the very first time as a Bonnyville Renegade in 2013.
He continued playing after his family moved to Camrose, until he suffered from an injury and was forced to take a year off.
It was at this point the Bourget's packed their bags and moved back to town and he began wearing the Voyageurs jersey with pride.
"I played here for the season and I have multiple CJFL teams talking to me, and [on Jan. 14] I made my commitment to the Edmonton Huskies,” detailed Bourget. “If the CJFL ends up working out for me, I’m going to stick with it and hopefully see if I can make it onto a practice team for the CFL."
Bourget said while joining the ranks of other CFL athletes is his ultimate goal, he would also be happy playing on a United States university-level team.
“I’ve always wanted to go to the next level, and high school was just the first stepping stone,” he expressed.
According to Bourget, when meeting with the Edmonton Huskies' head coach earlier this week, Iain MacLean said it was the his aggressive gameplay and body size that made him standout amongst the rest.
Bourget told the Nouvelle he simply kept his head in the game with the mindset that the tryouts weren't just for any team.
"It was all about pushing for bigger things."
“You have to stand out or else you won’t make it. That’s the biggest thing for me, is high school isn’t where I’m going to end things."
He hopes his achievements will resonate with other young players, and act as an inspiration to those who one day hope to find themselves in his cleats.
"If I can do it, why can't they?"
Meagan MacEachern, Bonnyville Nouvelle
