Armed with a new coach, new offence and new defence, the Bow Valley Wolverines have already begun work on what they hope will be a championship season.
Former CFLer Gord Elser will now head the club after working as an assistant coach last season. Elser, 54, played four years in the CFL and won a Grey Cup with the 1983 Toronto Argonauts. A sales manager for Mountain FM, he’s coached high school football before with E.P. Scarlett High School in Calgary and is eager to lend his expertise to the Wolverines.
“It’s a lot of responsibility and a lot of fun. I’ve got big shoes to fill, but this is a great opportunity to teach the kids,” Elser said. “I hope to bring my knowledge, enthusiasm and perspective, and we’ve got some good people who have come out to help coach.”
He’s taking over from Chad McClenaghan, who coached the Wolverines for eight seasons and is now taking a paternity leave in Taber, Alta.
Under McClenaghan, the Wolverines ran a complex offence and defence, including several ingenious plays. Elser said the offence will keep some of those plays, but the defence will be stripped down and simplified into a basic 4-3 format.
“We’re sticking with one defence and if our players get beat, they get beat physically, fair and square, not because they didn’t know the play. In spring, we ran that defence and we looked really good. Even our second-stringers looked good,” Elser said.
On offence, the Wolverines will see their biggest change, as starting quarterback Mark Grain has returned to Saskatchewan. Elser said he’ll hold quarterback tryouts this week, and has a few options in mind from within.
“We’re going to keep half of Chad’s plays, and get rid of the big bomb. The offence has some good play action and deception plays and the kids know them and grasp the habits. We will look at an option offence, but it depends on the talent we have. Quarterback tryouts are on now,” Elser said.
Without a junior league in the Bow Valley, the job entails a lot of teaching, and Elser understands that when his athletes have success, their passion for the sport will grow.
“Sport is like that. If you have success, it makes you want to do more, or do it better. I want to teach the kids about the four pillars of football: stance and position, alignment and assignment. They apply to sport as well as life,” Elser said. “We want to teach the kids to be aware of what’s going on.”
The team will practice for the next two weeks and has an exhibition game scheduled for Sept. 5 against Strathcona-Tweedsmuir. Elser has also committed to improving his skills, as he’s accepted an invitation to the Calgary Dinos camp in order to expand his own knowledge base.
He’s also coming in with McClenaghan’s blessing, as the eight-year veteran was worried the coaching job would go unfilled.
“Gord is a great mentor for the kids and I’m sure they’ll have success,” McClenaghan said.
