Recent British Columbia Conference News
Seven players with CJFL ties completed in the combine
The CJFL was very well represented at the CFL Invitational Combine with seven players completing among some of the best from US colleges and U-Sport programs.
Below are the final results from the seven players that took part:
| Players | Bench Press | 40-Yard | Vertical | Broad Jump | 3-Cone | Shuttle Run |
| Burgmaier, Donovan | 21 | 5.37 | 30 | 8'10 1/8 | 7.53 | 4.7 |
| Charles, Shawn | 4 | 4.92 | 28 | 8'11 7/8 | 7.94 | DNP |
| Hayes-Williams, Jared | DNP | 5.01 | 27 | 8'9 5/8 | 7.44 | 4.45 |
| Ricard, Andrew | 8 | 5.12 | 24.5 | 8'4 | 7.66 | 4.58 |
| Pingue, Jadyn | DNP | 4.95 | 31 | 8'8 | 7.71 | DNP |
| O'Shea, Mike | DNP | 4.86 | 34 | 9'8 5/8 | 7.26 | 4.4 |
| Oling, Ronnie | 11 | 4.78 | 32 | 9'2 3/4 | 7.32 | 4.37 |
From DL to OL and an All-Canadian honour
Photo courtesy of Crazy Bees Photography
Last season saw a complete transformation of Isaiah Letander of the Valley Huskers and now he’s part of the Class of 2023.
During the 2021 season Letander was a big punishing body on the Huskers defensive line. He aggravated the opposing offences and collected nine tackles, a sack and forced a fumble. He made such an impact he was named a BC Conference All-Star.
Fast forward to 2022 and Letander decided to flip positions and move to the offensive line and he didn’t miss a beat. He had to learn different schemes, blocking positioning and a very extensive Huskers playbook, and it seemed like he didn’t have an issue. He became one of the best offensive linemen in the Conference and was named a CJFL First Team All-Canadian!
He has the speed and agility to get out and lead the running back with a big block and the strength to blow open a hole to give the back an easier path for extra yardage.
Isaiah Letander of the Valley Huskers is part of the CJFL Class of 2023. Click HERE to watch his All-Canadian highlights.
Five CJFL players get an invite
With the CFL Draft on the radar of general managers, coaches and player personnel, the roster for the upcoming CFL Invitational Combine was released on Tuesday with five players with CJFL experience making the cut.
The Combine will take place on Friday March 3rd in Waterloo, Ontario as these players hope to win an invitation to the National Combine which is scheduled from March 22-26 in Edmonton. The CFL Draft is slated for Tuesday May 2nd.
The CFL Invitational Combine will take place at Feridun Hamdullahpur Field House at the University of Waterloo with players from across Canada participating. The top draft-eligible players identified in the Invitational Combine will earn their way to the main event in Edmonton.
The Invitational Combine replaces the traditional regional combines which happened three times a year.
A total of five CJFL players will make their way to Waterloo, all with outstanding experience earning their invitation.
DL Donovan Burgmaier last played for the Edmonton Huskies in 2017 and was named an All-Canadian. During that season he had six sacks, 16 solo tackles and two fumble recoveries, one returned for a touchdown.
LB Shawn Charles played for the Ottawa Sooners in 2022 and was named an All-Canadian. He compiled 21 tackles, 1.5 sacks, had an interception, blocked two kicks, forced a pair of fumbles, and recovered one for a touchdown.
WR Jared Hayes-Williams has been one of the main play makers for the St. Clair Saints over his tenue there. Last season he was named a First-Team All-Canadian after making 33 receptions for 617 yards and had six touchdowns helping the Saints to their perfect regular season.
LB Jadyn Pingue was named the CJFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2019 as a member of the Saskatoon Hilltops. That season he collected 29 tackles, had seven assists, had a knockdown, a fumble recovery and intercepted a pass.
WR/KR Mike O’Shea was simply outstanding for the Okanagan Sun in 2022 on their championship run. He was named a double All-Canadian in two different positions. First as a receiver he hauled in 28 passes for 483 yards and had eight touchdowns. He scored an extremely important touchdown in the Canadian Bowl to swing the momentum. As a kick returner, he ran back 58 kicks for 1,011 yards and had three more touchdowns.
Good luck to these five players with CJFL experience at the Invitational Combine.
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