Vernon’s Ben Hladik was pressed right into a beginning function due to an harm to Bo Lokombo, however his performances on the sphere have made him indispensable to the B.C. Lions.
Article content material
Ben Hladik’s low season has modified in type, however not operate.
Commercial 2
Article content material
Gone are the Rocky IV-esque days of winter coaching, shovelling off 40 yards of snow on a frozen soccer area in Vernon so he might work on his 40 instances. Now it’s a treadmill in Langley or weight room at his alma mater, UBC.
Article content material
However there’s no dip in depth as a result of the B.C. Lions linebacker is aware of he can’t afford to. This yr, he’s anticipated to take the leap from harm fill-in to full-time starter with the Leos.
“I’m very lucky I’m on this spot; it’s an important alternative for me,” the Vernon native mentioned from coaching camp in Kamloops on Tuesday.
“Now I’ve to remain in that spot. Everybody’s working onerous, everybody’s making an attempt to get a beginning job, so I can’t simply say something’s assured. I gotta hold working like I all the time do and hold getting higher after I’m on the market.”
Article content material
Commercial 3
Article content material
Camp has continued the place 2022 left off for Hladik. When Bo Lokombo went down with a ugly elbow harm final July, Hladik stepped in for the veteran linebacker, and put an ironclad grip on his beginning function even when Lokombo returned.
The composition of the linebacker core modified considerably with the commerce of main tackler Jordan Williams to the Toronto Argonauts within the low season, however on Day 2 at Hillside Stadium, when Hladik recorded the primary interception of Lions camp, the new-look defence confirmed it nonetheless has its claws.
“We obtained some measurement. We’re all tall,” Hladik mentioned, giving his impressions after the primary few days in Kamloops.
“We’ve some taller guys, plenty of some thicker guys. We’ve another guys too, like DQ. (DaQuaylyn Thomas) He’s a bit smaller … however he can transfer. What he lacks in measurement he makes up for — and his pace and athleticism.
“We’ll be filling up plenty of throwing lanes on the market,” he added of a defensive unit that ranked second general in interceptions in 2022 (19).
Commercial 4
Article content material
Lokombo, who’s performed 107 CFL video games general since his first with B.C. in 2014, brings expertise to the linebackers, whereas Josh Woods and Hladik are anticipated to make huge jumps in manufacturing and tasks of their third years.
“It was nice to see guys emerge final yr, guys like Ben Hladik — he got here up huge final yr,” he mentioned. “Jordan Williams is gone now, however now we have plenty of guys who’ve proven that they’ll play. We’ve obtained Josh Woods, we’ve obtained one other vet like (Isaiah) Messam, we signed Jordan Herman-Reed, who’s obtained tons of expertise, after which we obtained some younger guys like Ryder (Varga), we obtained (Parker) Brooks, we introduced in some key guys. So general, now we have a fairly deep linebacker group.”
Hladik was drafted twenty second general within the 2021 CFL Draft, after not taking part in soccer the earlier season. He’s not prepared to color himself in veteran colors, like Lokombo and TJ Lee — two gamers who helped mentor him — however is aware of he has his function to play.
Commercial 5
Article content material
“I can’t say I’m established but. I nonetheless obtained to earn it, however I’m making an attempt to assist out younger guys after I can. I imply, the younger guys, they’re not a lot youthful than me,” mentioned the 24-year-old. “I got here after I was fairly younger to the CFL, so I obtained some good expertise. … However I’m making an attempt to assist out as a lot as I can, as a result of that’s what guys used to do for me. I’m simply making an attempt to maintain passing it down.”
The Lions are previous the rising pains they endured within the 2019 and 2021 seasons once they missed the playoffs, two younger groups that weren’t capable of finding their means regardless of being quarterbacked by veteran Michael Reilly. Final season, the groundwork laid the previous couple of seasons supplied a steady launching pad that put them into the playoffs once more, and B.C. gained simply its second post-season recreation within the final 10 seasons.
Commercial 6
Article content material
“I feel this group is aware of itself a bit of higher. Final yr, we had been figuring ourselves out some,” mentioned head coach Rick Campbell. “We obtained a core group of veteran guys, the identical teaching workers, so there’s that aspect to it, but it surely’ll all the time have a unique persona as a result of there’s gonna be some new guys that take part and provides it a unique really feel.
“We all the time speak to that: each workforce has a shelf life. There’s all the time a particular to every professional sports activities workforce every season, however I feel we simply form of have a greater thought of who we’re and the way we practise and what we do.”
Twitter.com/TheRealJJAdams
-
B.C. Lions put religion in Vernon Adams as workforce strikes on from record-setting Nathan Rourke
-
Line of succession: B.C. Lions look to fill gaps created by deal with, centre leaving in free company
Spring subscription sale: Our in-depth journalism is feasible due to the help of our subscribers. For a restricted time, you will get full on-line entry to the Vancouver Solar and The Province, together with the Nationwide Submit and 13 different Canadian information websites, for simply $40 for one yr or $1 every week for 52 weeks. Help our journalism by subscribing in the present day: The Vancouver Solar.
Originally posted 2023-05-16 22:41:52.
Feedback
Postmedia is dedicated to sustaining a energetic however civil discussion board for dialogue and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. Feedback might take as much as an hour for moderation earlier than showing on the location. We ask you to maintain your feedback related and respectful. We’ve enabled electronic mail notifications—you’ll now obtain an electronic mail in case you obtain a reply to your remark, there’s an replace to a remark thread you comply with or if a consumer you comply with feedback. Go to our Neighborhood Pointers for extra data and particulars on easy methods to alter your electronic mail settings.
Be part of the Dialog