Coach Junior Labrosse and the St. Benedict Bears have clearly been at the forefront of the push for girls tackle football in Sudbury.
Now, it seems their efforts are gaining traction provincially.
After competing in jamboree setting mini-tournaments in both Ottawa and Toronto this spring, along with hosting a pair of games in the Nickel City, six members of the Bears team were invited to Team Ontario tryouts, with four moving on to compete at the 2023 U18 Women’s Tackle National Championship in the nation’s capital July 23-20.
Neva Spadafora, Olamide Fadahunsi, Chiamaka Ivenso and Emily Rocha were selected following an assessment camp, with Milana Hickey and Elsa Blum also both honoured with Team Ontario tryout invitations.
It’s a testament to the work being done on the sport on a local level – though ironically, three of the four young women who will compete were first introduced to girls tackle football less than six months ago.
“To be honest, I heard that there was going to be a trip to Canada’s Wonderland involved,” said 15-year-old running back Neva Spadafora with a laugh. “I just did it (tried out for the team at St Ben’s) for fun, something to do and the trip caught my eye.”
Recognized as the Offensive Player of the Year for the Bears, Spadafora has apparently been catching a few eyes of her own as well.
A member of the St. Benedict girls’ flag football team in the fall, the Grade 11 speedster at least had an inkling of the appropriate position for her.
“I played flag football and was running back for that – and I also did a lot of cross-country and track & field in elementary school, so I already knew that I was pretty fast,” she said.
Still, having your flag removed is a vastly different experience than being crunched by much larger opponents as you cross the line of scrimmage.
“Everything that my coach has always told me is to make sure that you are running low – not high,” she said. “Running low makes it easier to put your shoulder on someone else’s shoulder and push them off.”
Of course, running behind Olamide Fadahunsi might also mean that Spadafora can avoid contact until she is seven to eight yards into the opposing defense – even if the terminology might have thrown her Nigerian-born teammate for a loop, initially.
“I’m not going to lie – I didn’t think I was that good,” stated the gregarious 17-year-old who moved to Canada and Sudbury at the age of 13. “The coach kept saying: ‘run behind Olamide, run the ball behind Olamide’ – and I thought I was doing something wrong. I went to talk to my assistant coach after, wondering if I had messed up that bad.”
“We kept saying to run behind you because you were doing good,” Fadahunsi said with a laugh, recalling the encounter.
Not one to throw herself into sport by nature, the quick study at right tackle on the offensive line had her doubts to start, especially after an initial workout or two.
“I was sweating a lot, wondering do I want to do this – but I had already committed,” she said. “The first practice was horrible – everyone was panting and sweating – but coach just kept telling us that it was going to get better as you go.”
Now, she is more than a little thankful that she toughed it out.
“If they (Team Ontario) think I am good enough, I guess I am,” she said.
A frequent practice partner and good friend at St. Benedict, defensive end Chiamaka Ivenso can relate to the uncertainty of those early days. She smiles often as she recalled her first thoughts and the reluctance to want to attend the tryouts at her high-school.
“I was thinking that I really had to throw a ball really well – and I’m not really good at that,” said the 17-year-old fellow Nigerian who moved to Sudbury just a year ago. “But I am on defense now, so I have no business throwing a ball around.”
In fact, her initial mindset clearly played a part in deciding the position she should tackle at the inaugural tryout or two. “I thought offense would involve having to catch the ball, so defense seemed like where I might be more comfortable,” noted Ivenso.
Soft-spoken and quite charming by nature, Ivenso explained that there is an inner competitor that can become unveiled in the heat of game action.
“That’s one of the reasons why I joined, so I can hit people,” she smiled gently. “But I wasn’t prepared for how aggressive you need to be.
“A big part of my job is to contain any runs around the end. It’s a very tricky role to play because sometimes you want to get to the quarterback – but you have to stay where you are.”
If the learning curve would be steep this spring for this trio, quarterback Emily Rocha at least had the benefit of the 2022 campaign to draw upon – well that, and the fact that older brother Adam is a pretty decent football thrower in his own right.
“I do have a lot of conversations with him,” said Rocha, alluding to the former St. Ben’s pivot who has spent a couple of summer with the Sudbury Spartans before making the move this year to sign on with the Okanagan Sun in B.C., defending Canadian Junior Football League champs.
“Anytime I am pretty confused about something, I am like ‘Adam – help me out, dude,’” Rocha laughed. Thankfully, much closer to home, she also has access to a very experienced football mind, one who can help guide her with the one position that has to be thinking and analyzing every time they step on the field.
“Mister Labrosse is such a great coach,” said Rocha. “He really taught me how to read a defense rather than just pick a target and throw to that person. I am really grateful for that – and he even lets me call certain plays.”
Just 15 years of age and with plenty of football still ahead of her, Emily Rocha summarized the lure of girls tackle football at St. Benedict like few others could.
“You really get to know some of the older girls at the school, just by playing,” she said. “That made my entire high-school experience so much better – and it’s a great sport.”
Randy Pascal is a sportswriter in Sudbury. Pursuit is made possible by our Community Leaders Program.
