The talent and depth of the South Delta Sun Devils football program is evident in the list of invitees for upcoming Team B.C. selection camps.
The reigning provincial "AA" champions have six players combined named to the U16 and U18 tryout sessions, slated for Victoria Day Weekend at the Richmond Olympic Oval. Ryan Marquardt (defensive line), Mark Dykstra (defensive back), Curtis Garlough (linebacker) and Mitch Dino (receiver) were members of the championship team who have been invited to the U18 camp. Receiver Jack McDonald, who helped the South Delta Rams win the provincial Bantam title last December was also selected.
Meanwhile future Sun Devils and Bantam Ram members Ryan von Ende (offensive line) and Michael Mann (receiver) were named to the U16 camp.
In the program's first-year, the U16s will compete at the Red River Cup in Winnipeg. The U18s will be at the FBU International Games in San Antonio in January 2014.
Graduating Sun Devil seniors David Mann and Dennis Oliveria were members of the 2013 U18 Team B.C. squad that went undefeated in Texas.
"We are very excited to be adding the under-16 category to our existing high performance profile this year," said Football B.C.
Technical Director, Dino Geremia. "We expect our under-16 program to be able to compete and have similar success like our under-18 team has enjoyed over the past few years.
"By integrating both tryouts into one camp, we expect our older age group to lead by example and show the younger group the commitment, dedication and hard work that is necessary to have the privilege to be a part of Team B.C. We will also be able to more effectively utilize our coaching resources in this format."
The players invited to the camp were predominantly selected from players who participated in Football BC's provincial evaluations that took place throughout the month of February across the province. Of the 210 total players invited to the tryout camps, 83 are vying for a spot with the U-16 Team BC while 127 are vying for a spot on the U18 Team BC.
The final roster for both provincial teams will be announced at a later date.
Sun Devils head coach Ray Moon will also be returning to the U18 Team B.C. coaching staff as defensive line coach.
End Zone... David Mann (receiver) and Danny Stanger (defensive back) were confirmed this week as being part of the UBC Thunderbirds' 2013 recruiting class. They are expected to join returning Sun Devil alumni Chris Adams, Josh Cochrane, Riley Jones and Steve Zakrzewski.
