Giovanni Linuzzi, free safety and kicker for the West Shore Rebels, said he was getting a bit heated on Thursday, July 12, at Goudy Field during training.
"There is a lot of speculation, speculation that we are not going to come back the same way we played last year," he said. "I want nothing more than to be better than last year."
The Rebels went on a rampage last year, going undefeated in the regular season until they met their demise at the hands of the Saskatoon Hilltops in a clash at Starlight Stadium, losing 17-10 in the Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL) championship.
Linebacker Ted Windam Jr., who played division one football at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland, before moving up to the Rebels, was not very happy with his performance during the loss to the Hilltops.
"My defensive performance was not to my high standards," he said. "But I will show the standards that I hold myself to."
In nearly every statistical category, the team outpaced its rivals and played at a high level thanks to former head coach Dexter Janke, who departed this offseason for the head coaching job at York University. Mark Townsend, who took over the reins in February.
"I really appreciate that this is just such an unbelievably great group of guys," Townsend said.
The first game of the new season will be an away game against the Kamloops Broncos on July 20 at Hillside Stadium and will see the group bond on the four-hour road trip, he said.
"It is exceedingly important for us to be a brotherhood and we preach that always to protect the team."
Expectations are running high to repeat last season, but an one-game-at-a-time mentality has been introduced, and no predictions have been made for this season, he said.
"We are going to compete at the highest level possible."
After the game in Kamloops, the Rebels will play their season opener against the Prince George's Kodiaks on July 27.
"It is like a rush," Linuzzi said. "Hearing the scream of the crowd is like a second wind."
