Walls groomed and ready to lead defending
CJFL champs
Jordan Walls will lead the Hilltops as starting QB in 2017. |
Jordan Walls is
pumped he will finally get the chance to apply what he has learned.
For the last three
seasons, Walls was the understudy to Saskatoon Hilltops starting quarterback
Jared Andreychuk and watched Andreychuk build a legacy in the Canadian Junior
Football League. Andreychuk led the Hilltops to three straight CJFL
championships over the past three campaigns and posted a perfect 9-0 record in
the post-season as a starting quarterback.
Coming out of Saskatoon’s
Tommy Douglas Collegiate, Walls was aware players don’t normally step in and
become the starting quarterback with the Hilltops. He knew he could eventually
be the starter one day, if he could learn and show what he learned in the
chances he received in practices and games.
Jordan Walls drops back to pass. |
Walls admitted he
had a pretty good role model to watch playing behind Andreychuk and was keenly
watching the veteran signal caller in all situations.
“He (Andreychuk) was
always calm,” said Walls. “He never got too excited. He never got too down.
“He handled himself
in pressure moments very well. He just knew how to handle it and how to make
the big time throws.
“I think when you
watch from the sideline you learn to see the game from a different view. You
get to learn behind Jared (Andreychuk), which was good for me and good for my
development. To have the reins now, I am excited to go.”
At the Hilltops
Alumni Game last season, Walls started that contest and gave a glimpse of what
he could do. He threw the ball well all over the field and using his eyes to
move defensive backs to get receivers open.
It took a great play
by defensive back Joel Lipinski, who is a former member of the University of
Regina Rams and the Saskatchewan Roughriders, to get an interception off Walls.
After Walls was pulled, the Alumni team stormed to a 41-10 victory.
During the regular
season in 2016, Walls completed 24 of 31 attempts for 245 yards, one touchdown
and four interceptions stepping on the field during mop up duty.
At the Hilltops
Alumni Game on Thursday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, Walls showed solid command of the offence playing the
first half, which the Alumni team won 16-14. The 21-year-old signal caller
throws the ball with some good authority despite being smaller in stature
standing 5-foot-9 and weighing 155 points.
Jordan Walls throws downfield on the run. |
Hilltops head coach Tom
Sargeant said his team is pumped to have Walls leading the offence and his
teammates rally around him.
“We are excited,”
said Sargeant. “Jordan is the guy. He has done everything that we’ve asked him
to do.
“He can make all the
throws and all the reads, so now it is just game experience. He just got to
keep playing. We have got to get him good situations and good calls.
“He has to trust the
calls. He has to trust himself, and he has to make the plays.”
Sargeant said there
are still some fine tuning things the coaching staff needs to help Walls out
with. The veteran sideline boss is confident good things will result as
constant improvement is made.
“He (Walls) has a
real strong arm and is accurate,” said Sargeant. “Our job is just to give him a
better understanding of what he needs to do and how he needs to do it.
“When that takes place, you’re going to see this offence blossom, and we anticipate making a lot of plays this year.”
“When that takes place, you’re going to see this offence blossom, and we anticipate making a lot of plays this year.”
Walls, by his own
admission, said he is working on his vision on the field.
Jordan Walls fires a pass downfield from the pocket. |
“It is getting there,”
said Walls. “Obviously, we have a lot of talented players on this offence, and
they get open and they find the holes.
“You get a guy like
(running back) Logan Fischer or (receiver) Sam Mike, they make your job pretty
easy.”
Before joining the
Hilltops for his fourth season, Walls saw the game of football in a different
light, when he became the offensive coordinator of the powerhouse Saskatoon
Valkyries of the Western Women’s Canadian Football League this past spring. He
was also the club’s quarterbacks coach. Walls was entrusted with helping groom
the Valkyries talented and personable sophomore quarterback Alex Eyolfson.
With the Valkyries
having an elite program guided by head coach Pat Barry and defensive
coordinator Jeff Yausie, who is the Hilltops defensive coordinator, Walls found
a lot of what he learned in his coaching role could be transferred over to the
field guiding the Hilltops as quarterback.
Jordan Walls calls signals at the goal-line. |
“You see it from a
different point,” said Walls. “You get to coach with great coaches.
“Jeff Yausie and Pat
Barry, those guys have been around for ages coaching, so to sit down in the
meeting rooms with them and kind of hear what they have to say really helped
with understanding situations and what defences are trying to do here and
there. That helped a lot.”
Walls is looking
forward to getting the regular season going. The Hilltops open the regular campaign
traveling to Regina on Saturday, Aug. 12 for a 7 p.m. clash with their
provincial rivals the Thunder. That contest will mark the first time both
squads play at new Mosaic Stadium in Regina.
The Hilltops are
also on a quest to become the first team to win four straight championships in
the history of the CJFL dating back to 1908. Saskatoon won three straight CJFL
titles on two other occasions from 2002 to 2004 and 2010 to 2012, which means
this will mark the third time the Hilltops will try to win four league
championships in a row.
Jordan Walls (#19) is protected by running back Adam Machart (#20). |
As the season
progresses, Walls said the key for his team will be to focus on the present as opposed to worrying about keeping the Canadian Bowl - the CJFL championship trophy - in Saskatoon.
“It is daunting I
guess when you start to look at the big picture of it,” said Walls. “Obviously,
no one has ever done it, and we’ve had a few chances in the past to do it as
the Hilltops.
“I think you have to
take it game by game and week by week and slowly work your way towards it. They
are not going to be handing out the Canadian Bowl next week, so we know that
and we have to stay patient.”
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