Hub Staff

Port Elgin native and SDSS (Saugeen District Secondary School) graduate, Zach Scotto is proud to bring the Bluewater Football Academy, a two day football camp, to Saugeen Shores June 11 and 12.

Scotto has a long history of football, having played for the Royals during his high school career, then after graduating from SDSS in 2011, Scotto played four years of university football at Wilfred Laurier. “I have a roster of coaches coming with me to coach this camp who have a very high football pedigree, including two local products other than myself,” wrote Scotto in an email to The Hub.

Some of the coaching for the Academy will be done by Scotto, but because he’ll also be busy liaising with parents and coaches he’s also assembled a team of coaches, one per position.

The intention of the camp is to “help develop the product of football in the Bluewater region” and although it will be held at the high school in Port Elgin, it is “not just for SDSS.”

“I have been in contact with the BAA convenor, Dave Alexander of OSCVI (Owen Sound Collegiate & Vocational Institute), who has aided me in getting the word out to other schools,” wrote Scotto. “Additionally, this camp is not just for players. Parents and coaches from all schools in the Bluewater region who want to learn or even just watch are more than welcome to do so.”

The goal of the camp is “to ultimately enhance the football product that BAA can produce,” said Scotto.

“Ryan Janzen used to run a camp, primarily for SDSS, that I participated in four times. I believe this helped me learn the game of football exponentially,” said Scotto, adding that the Royals team of which he was a part won four straight BAA (Bluewater Athletic Association) championships, went to three CWOSSA (Central Western Ontario Secondary Schools Association) finals against AAAA (a competitive designation based on a higher number of students) schools and was a win away from playing in the Western Bowl at Rogers Centre twice.

“Football teams in the city have club teams, university camps, bigger leagues, some even have strength coaches. It's tough to compete with that from small centres in the BAA.”

Scotto said he was lucky enough to be part of some "incredible" BAA teams but he believes that outside of their own division, BAA has struggled for many years. “Often times, I believe, it comes down to coaching. That isn't a slight to any of the coaches in BAA, it is just a product of circumstance, as there are no club teams in the area or universities,” he continued.

“I know the talent that is there to be developed and I believe the calibre of coaching I'm bringing will help these athletes become better football players and help their coaches become better coaches, should they choose to come watch.”

The cost of the camp is subject to change but Scotto suspects it to be around $100, which will include on-field coaching, lunch on day one and a t-shirt. “We’re also hoping to film some of the camp so participants can have some film study, also,” wrote Scotto.

The camp welcomes students coming into Grade 9 through to those finishing high school and the deadline to sign up is Friday, May 20. You can follow the Bluewater Football Academy on their Facebook page.

The Coaches:
QB: Julien John - 4th year QB at Wilfrid Laurier University (WLU), also served 1 year as an offensive assistant and assistant QB coach at WLU.
RB: Jackson Yanchus - 2 year offensive lineman at WLU, 2 year assistant offensive line coach at WLU, current running backs coach at WLU, current varsity head coach OVFL Cambridge Lions.
WR: Ryan Janzen - Port Elgin native, former McMaster University wide receiver, 2nd in CIS career receiving yards, current Director of CFL Operations.
OL: Marcus Nese - 5th year offensive line at WLU, Assistant Offensive Line Coach for the Varsity OVFL Cambridge Lions
DL: Josh Alexander - Former defensive line at WLU, 3x OUA All Star, 2001 TSN Russ Jackson Award winner for excellence in the community, on the field, and in the classroom, former Offensive Line Coach and Special Teams Co-ordinator at WLU, current Head Coach and Offensive Co-ordinator at Sir John A. MacDonald High School
LB: Jesse Alexander - Former linebacker at WLU, 2x OUA All Star, 2x CIS All-Canadian, 2006 OUA Defensive MVP, 2006 President's Trophy Winner (best stand up defensive player in the country), 2x OUA Champion, 2005 Vanier Cup Champion, WLU Hall of Fame, Current Linebackers coach at WLU
DB: Josh Cassista - Port Elgin native, 2015 Yates Cup Champion, entering his second year at University of Guelph as a defensive back

Special Guests:
Michael Faulds - Will be there for 1 day coaching, former CIS Career Passing Yards record holder, 2x OUA Champion, 2012 Team Canada QB Coach, 2012 & 2013 Team World QB Coach, Former York Lions Offensive Co-ordinator, Current Manager of Football Operations, Head Coach, and QB coach for WLU
Gary Jeffries - 50 years of coaching experience at the CIS Level, 7x OUA Champion, 2005 Vanier Cup Champion, 4x OUA Coach of the year, 2003 CIS Coach of the Year

Special Mention:
Joey Wentworth - Academy partner and organizer in Port Elgin, Scotto's "man on the ground"