Chateauguay school brings back football program after nearly 50 years
Howard S. Billings High School is turning on the Friday night lights, bringing back its tackle football team after a nearly 50-year hiatus.
"This is super exciting. We haven't had football here at Billings for a very long time," said manager Sophie Caisse.
Caisee says her excitement is shared by the entire school community.
Now, as the Billings Blazers prepare to make their comeback, players hope they live up to expectations.
"It feels good to know that, but at the same time, we have something to prove coming into a new league as a new team," said student athlete Jahki Parkinson.
The team is open to grade 10 and 11 students. Head coach Luc Pelland says the team's resurgence is due to several factors, but mostly to help keep teenagers in school.
"Let's keep them busy, let's keep them off the streets, teach them a great game where they will make friends and learn good habits and increase the school spirit," Pelland told CTV News.
While he has 25 years of experience coaching at the CEGEP and university levels with Concordia and McGill, this is Pelland's first high school gig.
"It’s a little different. I'm used to working with older men, so I've had to, maybe, watch my language a little bit more," he laughed. "But you know, football is football."
Howard S. Billings High School in Chateauguay, Que. is bringing back its tackle football team after almost 5 decades. (CTV News/Olivia O'Malley)
Future players hope to learn from his experience and take their game to the next level.
"I'm still learning the game, and I'm hoping with coach Pelland and everyone helping me out, I'll just get better by the year and go onto CEGEP," said grade 10 student Thomas Granberg.
There are still about three months to go, but the almost five-decade wait will be worth it when the team steps onto the field.
"I really hope when it comes to game time, a ton of people are going to show up. It's going to be really good," said Granberg.
The high school season officially starts in late August.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.