Recent Okanagan Sun News
A total of 18 players will take part in this year's special camp
Photo courtesy of Paul M. Williams Photography
The BC Lions will once again hold their annual E-Camp on Friday with 18 players from the BC Conference in attendance.
The players will be put through the test of CFL drills trying to catch the eye of a Lions coach and potentially win an invite to Lions rookie camp being held in Kamloops in May.
Six of the seven BC Conference teams will be represented at the camp. The players are:
Westshore Rebels
Gio Linuzzi DB
Bryce Reuther LB
Zion Brown REC
VI Raiders
Ruben Bonsu REC
Felice Toscano (pictured) DB
Langley Rams
Sean Cullen LB
Jordan Sye OL
Valley Huskers
Raiden Mastin DB
Kamloops Broncos
Colton Meikle REC
Rowen Munson OL
Leyton Kruppi DL
Evan Guizzo REC
Okanagan Sun
Ty Walker REC
Grayson Statham LB
Jacob Bond LB
Sam Melanson REC
Hunter Bultsma LB
Kaiden Kerntopf OL
Good luck guys!
The annual East-West Bowl rosters are announced
Photo courtesy of Shoot The Breeze Photography
The annual USports East-West Bowl is set to kickoff on Saturday May 10 at 12:30pm with seven former CJFL players participating in the showcase.
The game will be hosted at the University of Waterloo and features the top Canadian University players eligible for the 2026 CFL Draft. In all, 106 players will be showcased, trying to catch the eye of CFL coaches, general managers and various personnel from the nine teams across the country.
The East roster includes:
• LB Matthew Schill (Saint Mary’s University) Regina Thunder
• OL Sebastian Holden (University of Toronto) GTA Grizzlies
The West roster features:
• OL Riley Schick (University of Regina) Regina Thunder
• LB Peyton Ryder (York University) Okanagan Sun (pictured)
• LB Brody Clark (York University) Langley Rams
• REC DeShawn Le Jour (University of Manitoba) Edmonton Huskies and Regina Thunder
• DB Coach Tanner Hamade (University of Guelph) Langley Rams and Valley Huskers
The East-West Bowl is the centre piece of the festivities which also includes the Free-Agent Camp, a fun kids camp and a coaches clinic.
Former CJFL players make up the senior men's national team
For the first time since 2011, the Canadian maple leaf will be flying internationally at senior men’s tackle football events in 2025.
Football Canada recently announced their 2025 Team Canada roster for senior men’s and it is litter with former CJFL players. The final list of 45 players are currently preparing for it’s first international qualification match against Italy in April which makes it the first international appearance in 14 years.
The head coach of Team Canada is Jesse Maddox who led the London Beefeaters for one season and assisted with the Okanagan Sun for another. He’s excited to have put this team together and says, “This roster is built to make a statement: Canada is back, and we are committed to setting the standard for Senior Men’s Tackle Football on the international stage.”
Team Canada’s roster includes 11 players with CJFL experience with each player getting excited to dawn the maple leaf. Running back Jamel Lyles will be a focal point for Canada after rushing for the Westshore Rebels in 2016 helping them clinch a Cullen Cup title collecting 1604 yards and 15 touchdowns.
“Simply a dream come true, it’s an honour and a privilege to be able to represent our country on the international stage,” says Lyles. We have an amazing coaching staff from top to bottom and all the guys are working to make sure we put our best foot forward and come home with a gold medal. As for me, I will make sure our presence is felt! I’ve been ready for a true opportunity for sometime now and grateful that this presented itself. This is for everyone who never gave up on their dreams.”
Joining Jamel on the roster are the following players and the CJFL team(s) they played for:
- Hayden Aims – London Beefeaters
- Shawn Charles (pictured) - Ottawa Sooners and Langley Rams
- Makana Henry – Burlington Braves
- Kent Hicks – Westshore Rebels
- Hakeem Johnson – London Beefeaters
- Ben von Jagow – Ottawa Sooners and London Beefeaters
- Chris Larson – Westshore Rebels
- Jayden Lawson – Calgary Colts
- Jordan Sye – Langley Rams
- Daniel Woloshin – Regina Thunder
"Representing my country is not just an honour, it's a responsibility," added Shawn Charles. "Every play, every moment, is for Canada. I don't know how much better it could get!"
The CJFL is also represented on the Team Canada coaching staff as well with Travis Miller, Okanagan Sun head coach taking care of the tight-ends and Brandon Sanford of the Valley Huskers will assist with the offensive line.
The CJFL wishes the senior men’s national team best of luck during international play in 2025 and beyond.
Okanagan Sun Sign Five
- By CJFL Media 01/24/2025, 10:00am PST