Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Winnipegger's 'biggest game'
St. Paul's alumnus on field today as Gaels battle to win Vanier Cup
Winnipeg’s Nick Sirski plays on special teams and at linebacker for the Queen’s University Golden Gaels. His team will play the University of Calgary Dinos on Saturday for the Vanier Cup national championship. (QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY PHOTO)
Nick SIRSKI remembers the thrill of lining up for the St. Paul's Crusaders under the lights at his high school team's field.
On Saturday, the 20-year-old linebacker from Winnipeg will line up for the Queen's University Gaels in the national spotlight as he and his team compete in the Vanier Cup at Quebec City's Université Laval, televised live on TSN at 1 p.m. Queen's will take on the Calgary Dinos in the national university football championship.
The Dinos lineup will include a pair of Manitoba athletes in offensive lineman Quinn McCaughan of St. Francois Xavier and defensive back Tye Noble of Winnipeg.
"I'm pretty excited to be playing in the Vanier Cup. Not too many guys get to do that in their careers," Sirski said in a telephone interview from Quebec City. He is the backup middle linebacker for Queen's and also plays on all special teams.
"This will be the biggest game I've ever been part of in my football career. The stadium (at Laval) holds 15,000 and we just heard it's sold out. There was about 5,000 people there when we won our high school championship; I thought that was a lot."
Sirski played three years, 2003-05, in the Winnipeg High School Football League for St. Paul's.
He started out on the school's AA team, where he played linebacker and defensive end. He then played two years with the AAA squad and was the starting middle linebacker with the undefeated 2005 ANAVETS Bowl championship team. He won the WHSFL's 2005 Harry Hood Memorial Award as top overall player in the league.
He was recruited by the Queen's University football program, but said the Kingston, Ont., school's academic reputation was also a draw for him when he chose to go there in 2006.
After red-shirting (practice roster), he saw limited action in the 2007 and 2008 seasons while recovering from a knee injury.
This season, he has been a key special teams player and is having the time of his life. In the national semifinal, Queen's upset the defending champion Laval Rouge et Or and ruined that team's chance of playing in the Vanier at home.
"Our team has been solid all year and I know it's going to be a great game against Calgary on Saturday," he said.
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition November 27, 2009 C6
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