The Lo-Ellen Park Knights' pipeline to the Guelph Gryphons football program hasn't dried up quite yet.
Eighteen year-old defensive back Pierce Wallingford became the latest SDSSAA gridiron all-star hoping to make an impact at the OUA (Ontario University Athletics) level, committing to the defending Yates Cup champions a few weeks back.
"I've always wanted to play a sport beyond high-school, I knew that much," said Wallingford recently. "I just wasn't sure which one."
The youngest of three children in the family, the multi-sport athlete was more of a mainstay at hockey rinks and basketball courts in his formative years, not showing any particular interest for the likes of Joe MacDonald Youth Football League action.
"When I was younger, I didn't like the contact too much," said Wallingford with a smile. "I only started to like that as I got older." And when the love of contact came, it arrived in waves.
"My primary sport was hockey," he said. "That's where I got the physicality from, and learned a lot of things that I use in football."
A very natural athlete upon his arrival at Lo-Ellen, it didn't take long for Wallingford to draw attention.
"(Football coach) Kevin Ellsworth convinced me to play football after coming out to see some of my basketball games," said Wallingford.
"He thought I would be a good fit. I tried it once, and fell in love with the game."
Still, there was a small change of plans, just as he began his trek down the football path.
"The first time I played football, I started as quarterback," Wallingford said. "But I wanted to be on defence, to start hitting people."
Contact was no longer something to be avoided, but there is far more to the game than running wildly around the field, attempting to "blow up" an opponent.
"It was really about learning the plays and practicing hard, and putting it all together during the games," he said.
"Our grade 12 team, winning the cities, that's when it all came together. Football as an option became real in my grade 12 year."
With that in mind, there was now the challenging task of finding a suitable suitor.
"It was a difficult process because I wasn't sure of my end destination," said Wallingford.
"Guelph had been taking players from Lo-Ellen in previous years, so I knew that they were a good organization through those players. Once they started talking to me, I realized it might be a good fit."
The experience of Knights gone by is not lost on Wallingford. He is keenly aware of the mountain that still must be scaled, and the work needed to earn more than just a jersey number.
"They really have to see where you are at once you are out practicing with the team," said Wallingford.
"But they tell you about things you can do to be ready for tryouts. You have to do well in school first. If that doesn't go well, the football will fall behind."
He toyed, briefly, with the idea of suiting up with the Sudbury Gladiators this summer, but opted to pass, though not necessarily due to the injury concerns normally presented as the chief impediment for local athletes.
"I've been lucky, I haven't really gotten injured in the sport, so that wasn't really a factor," said Wallingford.
"It was more that what I am doing right now, on my own, is helping me just as much as if I was on the team. I want to stay with what I am doing, getting ready for the season."
The hope is that the intense daily training regimen, focused heavily on speed and weight-training, will bear fruit in August.
"It's all about what you are doing over and above what the team is doing. I need to show them that the conditioning is there, that I'm ready to play."
Like most, Wallingford will be thrilled to be utilized in any capacity, even if the bulk of his Sudbury-based background involved playing as a linebacker or halfback.
"I have the ability to read the play and know what's coming, and there is the aggression that I bring," he said.
"I'm a bit bigger than their defensive backs, so possibly as safety."
Either way, he is happy simply to keep the flow of talent from Lo-Ellen to Guelph moving forward.
