The BCFC Continues to Be a Pipeline for the BC Lions

The BC Lions have long used the CJFL, and especially the BC Football Conference, as a way to identify local talent. Some players have arrived as depth signings or camp projects, while others have developed into major contributors. A few stand out above the rest.

At the top of that list is Paul McCallum, one of the greatest special teams players in franchise history. The Lions have pointed to his Langley Rams roots when highlighting the local junior pipeline. With stints in Saskatchewan and BC, he ended his career ended with Hall of Fame recognition after a legendary run in the CFL.

Another clear success story is current Lions kicker, Sean Whyte, who originally joined the club in 2007 as a territorial exemption out of the South Fraser Rams. Whyte is one of the clearest examples of the team turning BCFC talent into a long-term CFL asset and also played in Montreal and Edmonton before returning to the Lions. With 828 points in his Lions career, he sits third on the club’s all-time scoring list behind only Canadian Football Hall of Fame inductees Lui Passaglia and Paul McCallum.

Among modern Lions, Jevon Cottoy is one of the best examples of the pipeline still producing real results. Another find with the Langley Rams after starting his junior career with the Calgary Colts, Cottoy has become one of the leagues most well rounded recievers, a reliable and big bodied target for Lions quarterback, Nathan Rourke.

More recently, receiver Kieran Poissant of the Westshore Rebels and Jacob Bond of the Okanagan Sun have impressed as roster additions. The Lions coaching staff are very high on Bond and expect to to play a bigger role in his second year with the club.

There are also several other CJFL signings worth mentioning, even if they did not have the same long-term impact in BC. The Lions have previously signed players such as Andrew Pocrnic and Jesse Walker from the Langley Rams, along with Steven Shott, Bobby Davis, and Steven Doege from the Okanagan Sun, which shows how often the organization returns to the BCFC looking for talent.

Andrew Harris deserves a special mention. He is one of the greatest players ever to come out of the BCFC/CJFL, having starred with the Vancouver Island Raiders and won the 2009 Wally Buono Award as the top junior football player in Canada. He did get his start in BC, and won a Grey Cup with the team in 2011, but his biggest CFL legacy ended up being with his hometown Bombers. Regardless, he may be the best player to ever come out of the BCFC.

On March 31st the club held it’s local combine, working out more players from the BCFC, and as a result extended a rookie camp invite to Okanagan Sun offensive lineman, Kaiden Kerntopf.

The Lions and Saskatchewan Roughriders are the two teams that have really taken advantage of the territorial pool of players, thanks to strong junior football programs and representation in each province. Some feel that other teams should scout the CJFL more, and even have a supplemental Junior draft.

But for now, the Lions have done well scouting in their own back yard, and those efforts continue to aid in their roster construction and show the quality of junior football in Canada.

For more on the BCFC visit their website.