The V.I. Raiders are chock full of playmakers who got a chance to start making plays this past weekend. Nanaimo’s Canadian Junior Football League team held spring camp Friday through Sunday at Nanaimo District Secondary School.
“I’m really excited,” said Matthew (Snoop) Blokker, Raiders coach. “I thought in certain areas, we were way farther ahead than we’ve been.”
The coach wasn’t surprised to see that quarterback Jordan Yantz and his veteran receiving corps were in synch.
“The offence was vibing and people like to see the offence scoring points,” said Yantz.
One surprise standout on offence was rookie Dustin Rodriguez from the Ballenas Whalers.
“He exploded in the scrimmage,” said Yantz.
The offensive line unit was short on numbers, but the guys who were there impressed Blokker, especially veteran Tyler Oldendorf.
The coach said he was interested to see, at the camp, all the newcomers to the defensive line and linebacking unit.
“We saw a difference this whole weekend in the front seven, so I was really happy with that,” Blokker said. “I think we’ve got some really good athletes there and we’re a lot bigger.”
The club had 79 players in camp. Some received immediate invites to main camp, while others will have to wait as Raiders coaches go over video this coming week.
Yantz said the best thing for Raiders players to do now is “get out here as soon as you can … Get out here and start training with the guys and start jelling and be part of the family.”
GRID BITS … To see another action photo from spring camp, please click here.
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