The Bonnyville Voyageurs high school football team has some big holes to fill on both offense and defense heading into next season.
Seven players graduated from the team last season leaving holes at quarterback, running back, receiver and linebacker.
“It is always hard when you graduate guys but as our feeder program gets establish we are having success just plugging new guys in,” said Voyageurs coach Larry Godziuk.
Spring practices started up at the beginning of May, with the team participating in a jamboree on May 30.
This has given Godziuk and the rest of the Voyageurs coaching staff some time to see just exactly what options they have to plug their open holes.
On offense sophomore Reid Skrypichayko is going to be given every opportunity to seize the teams starting quarterback position. Skrypichayko played a variety of roles for the 2014 Voyaguers, most notably as a reciever. He did however get into a few games late in the season as quarterback.
“Hopefully I can step up into it,” said Skrypichayko of the open quarterback slot. “I don't know what coach's plan is for this year for our team. If that's where he wants to put me I'll play. I am going to play my best anywhere I can.”
Skrypichayko was excited about the outlook for the 2015 Voyageurs squad after having gone through a month of spring football.
“We are looking really good,” said Skrypichayko. “We have got some good talent on the team this year.”
Marcel Chartrand, who was the first annual Lunchbox award winner last season, enters his last year as a Bonnyville Voyageur.
“I am trying to enjoy it as much as I can,” said Chartrand. “We still need lots of practice but we are looking really well.”
The Voyageurs 2015 outfit is going to look a little different thanks to some recruiting the players were able to do this past off-season.
One of those new players in Nolan Dallaire, who Godziuk feels can be an impact player. Dallaire, who is headed into Grade 12, is in his first full season of football and is expected to see some time at running back and linebacker.
“We have got a good crew returning on defense,” said Godziuk. “We have a couple holes in the linebacker core, but that's it.”
With last years returning players and the group of Bandits moving up all getting a chance to mesh throughout the spring, Voyageur Zachary Hesson has high hopes for 2015.
“I think we are going to do really well,” said Hesson. “We have some really good receivers, a pretty good quarterback and our defense is looking stellar. I think the coaches can mold us into something really good.”
