Two Airdrie football players recently returned home from Frisco, Texas, where they had the opportunity to test themselves against some of the top American players in their respective age groups at the 2022 U.S. Army Bowl National Combine.
From Dec. 15 to 17, Airdrie quarterbacks Ronin Thompson (13), and Ben Klassen (16) showed off their skills and athleticism at a combine that included a series of fitness- and skill-related evaluations.
Klassen, a Grade 11 student-athlete who moved to Georgia last summer to pursue his football career, said the combine was a great opportunity to compare himself to some of the most promising Grade 11 quarterbacks in the U.S.
“The number-one quarterback in Florida was there,” he said. “Throwing right after him and competing with that type of guy, it shows you where you’re at and how you stack up compared to these top recruits. That’s pretty cool.”
Klassen moved to Lilburn, Georgia to attend a private prep school for the 2022-23 school year, after starting as quarterback for the Bert Church Chargers in 2021.
The 16-year-old said he hasn't regretted the decision to leave home and move to one of the football hot beds of the U.S.
“I've found it really good. School, I found, was easier there than here, but I enjoyed it,” he said. “Everyone’s been very nice and I’ve enjoyed the experience there.”
The opportunity to play his high-school games in front of hundreds of fans every Friday night hasn't been a bad perk, either.
“It was very fun because we had marching bands, and all the stuff you see on TV,” Klassen said. “To be in that [environment] is pretty cool. We’re a pretty small school but still got a few hundred [fans] every game.”
The combine took place during what is called 'Bowl Week' in the U.S. – a week-long event that includes national college signing day, the combines for high-school and middle-school-aged prospects, and the senior U.S. Army Bowl game. The combines are attended by NFL and college-level coaches, as well as dozens of scouts and several sports media outlets.
Having now taken part in the high-school combine, Klassen said he'll wait to hear if he'll be selected to play in next year's senior bowl game.
For Thompson, he said participating in the junior-high combine was more about familiarizing himself with the American version of football, and to gain experience in a combine-like setting. He said the combine included skill and fitness evaluations, such as a 40-yard dash, shuttle runs, broad jumps, and then skill-testing drills.
“It’s nice to be from Canada but still be able to go down with the top recruits and being there with them,” said Thompson, who recently completed his first year as a pivot with the Airdrie Raiders bantam football team last fall. “Competing against them and showing what you can do [was a great experience].”
Thompson said the opportunity to take part in the junior-high combine came thanks to a recruiter – the same recruiter who helped Klassen move to Georgia last year.
“It’s a pretty big combine, so I thought, I might as well,” Thompson said. “It’s much warmer down there than it is here.”
Currently in Grade 8, Thompson is going to enrol at Bert Church High School next year, and hopes to play for the Chargers football team in his Grade 10 year. But he said his goal beyond that is to follow in Klassen's footsteps and enrol in a U.S.-based high school.
Before then, however, Thompson said he has one more year of bantam football with the Raiders next fall.
