Jon Kuiperij Sports Editor sports@oakvillebeaver.com Sports 29 | Friday, April 24, 2015 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com "Connected to your Community" Bama Bound Star QB Nathan Rourke to play senior season for five-time state champion by Jon Kuiperij Beaver Sports Editor After dominating area high school opposition last season, Nathan Rourke is looking to step things up a notch. The 16-year-old quarterback, whose Holy Trinity Titans averaged nearly 45 points per game in 2014 on their way to an undefeated campaign and the first Halton Tier 1 senior title in school history, will play his senior high school year at Edgewood Academy, a private school located in the football hotbed of Alabama. "Throughout high school, my parents and I have always been open to this being a possibility," said Rourke, who announced his decision Wednesday afternoon via Twitter and was scheduled to fly to Alabama last night (Thursday). "It was always a goal of mine to get down (to play football in the U.S.) eventually. I just didn't know when." Seeking tougher competition as well as increased exposure to major NCAA Division 1 programs, Rourke appears to have chosen wisely. The Edgewood Academy Wildcats own the longest current winning streak in U.S. high school football -- 58 games -- and are five-time Alabama Division 2-A state champions. Two members of last year's team secured scholarships from Southeast Conference schools Auburn and Vanderbilt. This fall, Rourke will have the luxury of throwing to wide receiver Jackson Tate, a junior who is already receiving serious interest from Stanford. Nine Division 1 programs, including Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Mississippi and Southern Mississippi, have committed to attending Edgewood's spring game next month. "He'll have an opportunity to be seen," said Wildcats coach Bobby Carr. "I've sent film from his junior year (at Holy Trinity) to every D1 school in the country, and they're all interested in seeing how he'll play here." Of the 66 high school-aged male students at Edgewood, Carr said, 58 play football. Edgewood has taken in foreign exchange students over the years, including a pair of Nigerians last season, but never a player from Canada. "A (recruiting agency) called me asking if we had a need for a quarterback. My son's a junior high kid and he'll be a Promising young quarterback Nathan Rourke (with ball, pictured in action playing for the Holy Trinity Titans against the Nelson Lords last season) will play his senior year of high school football this fall at Edgewood Academy in Alabama. | Oakville Beaver file photo really good one, but he's not ready to play varsity ball," said Carr. "(Rourke) came down and visited our campus. I watched him on film. He's a special talent, without a doubt. (I like) his athleticism, his arm strength. But the thing that stood out most when I met with him is that his football IQ is off the charts." Rourke had already been in touch with Division 1 schools from smaller conferences, such as Buffalo and Central Michigan, but is targeting larger programs. The SEC, in his opinion, features the best football in the NCAA. "To be in one of those programs would be a huge honour," said the well-spoken teen, a product of the Burlington Stampeders rep system. "I think with the help of (Trinity coach Joe) Moscato and the talent around me, I think we would have got some more interest (from larger schools), but I'm not sure where it would have been. I think the opportunities presented at Edgewood are just much better, for obvious reasons, the reputation of the program and the location." Moscato, who was aware of Rourke's interest in playing next year in the U.S., agreed. "We're not going to have Alabama and Auburn and Mississippi State attending our spring camps. That's not going to happen here," said the Trinity coach. "Would he have got a scholarship from playing here in Halton? Absolutely. He's an elite talent and he had a lot of interest... but to say he'd get the major college interest up here in Canada as opposed to a school in Alabama, we're talking apples and oranges." Rourke is not eligible to play for Edgewood until the fall, but he wanted to join the academy now in order to integrate himself into the school community as well as participate in spring and summer practices. In June, he'll likely attend a seven-on-seven camp run by Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton. "I will always support HT. I wish the best for them, and I know that with the coaching staff and talent they have coming back (next season), they can continue to have success without me," Rourke said. "Something you ask yourself is after you go out and win Halton and OFSAA, how much more can you do? It's good to do it again, but you want to challenge yourself as a player. If you want to get better, you have to keep challenging yourself, and this is the best for me." It's about time, basketball coaches say of OFSAA adding shot clock by Herb Garbutt Oakville Beaver Staff The shot clock is coming, but whether it will make an appearance in Halton remains to be seen. The Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) decided at its annual general meeting last week that it will transition to FIBA rules, which govern in- ternational basketball. The most significant change will be the addition of a 35-second shot clock. There is support for a shot clock among high school coaches, but that doesn't necessarily mean Halton will adopt it. "A lot of people in the basketball community have been advocating for this," said Corpus Christi senior boys' coach Ron Esteban. "It would speed up the game and I don't think you would see many shot clock violations." However, Halton Secondary School Athletic Association (HSSAA) convener Darren Curtis said individual associations are not bound to follow OFSAA's lead. Curtis said a shot clock has never been formally discussed at the Halton level because it was never used at OFSAA, so there was no reason to implement it. He said it would likely be on the agenda at the association's next meeting in June. Bishop Reding senior boys' coach Alana Juzenas said the shot clock is desperately needed to not only bring Ontario in line with other provinces, but also to improve the quality of the game. "Holding the ball for five minutes, that's not basketball," she said. "You're teaching strategy because of the rules that are in place, but it's painful to watch. As a coach, you've got to do it, but at the same time it see Cost on p.30