Holy Rosary Raiders’ senior Denem Weber had all but made up his mind when he ordered green as the colour of the custom cleats he earned as the North MVP in Football Alberta’s Senior Bowl.
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Weber has since committed to the green-themed University of Saskatchewan Huskies to play U Sports football.
The standout receiver and defensive back chose the U of S over two other Canada West conference programs — the Alberta Golden Bears and Calgary Dinos.
“I know U of S is a good program,” Weber said. “I have some buddies that are there right now, and obviously they were in the Vanier Cup (national final in November), so that helped a little bit in my decision-making. Almost all my friends are going to U of S.”
On the recruiting trail, Weber visited the campuses of his three finalists. His final stop was the U of S, where he said the Huskies gave the Lloydminster prospect a warm welcome on their Saskatoon campus.
“When I went to U of S, they took me out for lunch and dinner, and then there were a few players that took me and another recruit to a (Huskies) hockey game. They also got me set up in my hotel. I think it was just a lot more professional.”
It still wasn’t an easy decision for Weber, who also was impressed with Calgary’s presentation.
He gave Alberta consideration, too, because the Golden Bears’ Edmonton campus is near his father’s home in Sherwood Park.
“Part of me, yeah, wanted to go live with my dad,” Weber said. “But part of me wanted (to attend U of S) with all my friends and for the competitive football program. I also really liked Calgary, which treated me well when I was there.
“I thought about it for a decent bit. There’s a lot of different emotions that you go through. I would say it was a bit of everything. Moving away, it’s exciting, but it’s also stressful.
“There’s a little bit of relief, because I don’t have that decision to make anymore. I thought about it for quite a while.”
Raiders’ teammate Jake Wicker, an offensive lineman, made his U of S commitment last November during the provincial high school playoffs, while Weber waited until the new year to make his post-secondary plans.
In January, the Holy Rosary duo participated in the Senior Bowl high school all-star game at Calgary. While North lost 19-13 to South, Weber was recognized as the North MVP. He received a plaque, along with his specially designed cleats, now on order.
“I had 142 receiving yards, which is the second most in all of (the 35-year) Senior Bowl history, so that was pretty cool,” said Weber, who scored a touchdown in the showcase game for graduating players. “I had a good game, but our offence couldn’t do much else, so that kind of sucks.”
Weber and company are used to winning. He and Wicker were part of Holy Rosary’s past three provincial high school championships at the 3A level. They also played together last summer with Team Alberta, the gold-medallists at the U18 national championship on the St. Francis Xavier University campus in Antigonish, N.S.
As he readies for his move to Saskatoon this summer, Weber plans to reside with former Holy Rosary teammate Jace Zidar and two other U of S players. Zidar red-shirted in his first year with the Huskies, who fell 30-16 to the Montreal Carabins in the Vanier Cup final at Regina.
The U of S roster includes Holy Rosary graduates Lucas Seffern and Chaz Walker, along with former Lloydminster Comprehensive High School Barons’ quarterback Anton Amundrud, recovering from a cancer battle that shortened his all-conference season.
Stepping into U Sports football, Weber hopes to draw from the experiences of his friend and former high school teammate Zidar, awarded a major university scholarship.
“I’m not opposed to a red-shirt year, where I don’t play, but obviously if I can get on the field quick, that would be awesome,” Weber said about the prospect of a practice role as a rookie.
“Jace liked it (as a red-shirt). There’s a lot of great guys there, and I’m still playing football, so I wouldn’t be opposed to that, at all.”
Weber’s playing status in his freshman season might well depend on whether the Huskies’ coaching staff slots him at receiver or defensive back.
“Position-wise, it’s still kind of undecided,” he said. “I think they’re leaning more toward defence for me. So, I don’t know what I’ll for sure be playing yet, but for spring camp, I think I’m going into DB. And then, from there, we’ll see.
“Some people get the chance to start early on. I don’t know if that’s (going to happen with me). That’s not the case for everyone. There’s a lot of older guys. But they did say the path to playing would be a lot quicker, if I do play defence.”
In an ideal scenario, he’d like to debut at receiver, which has been his traditional position.
“I would, yes,” said Weber, almost six-foot-one and about 180 pounds. “I definitely would. But it is what it is. If I’m not playing receiver, I’ll get better and I’ll excel as best as I can at DB. I’ll just do what I can for the team.
“If they want me to play DB, I’ll play DB. But if they do ask me to play receiver, I’d definitely say yes.”
COACHING MIDGETS
That’s the same kind of team-first mentality Weber tries to instil in his players as a receivers’ coach with the Red Dogs midget program in Lloydminster. He’s a graduate of the same team, now practising for the spring season.
In his senior year of high school, Weber is finishing just a couple of more courses, because he took a full academic workload last year. He works every morning, moving vehicles and doing a variety of jobs at Westridge GMC. Then, after two hours in school, he heads to the gym, where he’s working on gaining weight and strength. In the evenings, at least three times each week, he’s busy as a coach, even though he doesn’t turn 18 until July.
ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE
He believes it’s important to give back to a football community that’s helped him realize his dreams.
“It’s weird, because just last year, I was playing in the league,” Weber said. “It was awesome. Me and JR (Howdle) had a blast. He led the league in passing yards. I led the league in receiving yards.
“Now, it could be difficult sometimes, coaching guys you played with. But I’m not playing football (during the winter/spring months), so I wanted to stay involved somehow. I have time in the evenings, so I might as well help out and give back to the community.”
Weber, whose grandfather runs a Goodsoil, Sask., farm, plans to study agricultural science at the U of S.
Weber’s girlfriend, Holy Rosary alumnus Marissa Howdle, is bound for Australia on scholarship to study law at Bond University.
Howdle’s brother JR, the Raiders’ graduating quarterback, is one of Weber’s close friends from Lloydminster minor football through their high school years.
JR Howdle and Holy Rosary linebacker Dane Reid are headed to Kamloops, B.C., to play with the Broncos in the Canadian Junior Football League.
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