The W.H. Croxford Cavaliers football program has provided plenty of Airdrie representation on the gridiron in Nanaimo this summer – a third graduating player from the Cavs has signed a contract to play for the Vancouver Island (VI) Raiders junior football team.
Eighteen-year-old slot back Nolan Phillips will join fellow Croxford graduates Jamal Bacchus and Keagan Henderson on Vancouver Island, as part of the Raiders. The team competes in the British Columbia Football Conference (BCFC) – a springboard league for U21 players interested in pursuing university or professional football opportunities.
“I’m really excited to continue my football career and have the opportunity to be able to go out and play again – especially with people from Airdrie,” Phillips said. “Knowing friends going into it will definitely help.”
Formed in 2005, the VI Raiders is one of the more successful BCFC programs in recent history – the team has won the league nine times, along with three junior national championships. Last season, the team finished third with a 6-4 record.
Phillips said playing for a competitive junior team – instead of heading into a university program straight out of high school – will benefit his development as an athlete.
“It’s a great opportunity to go to a junior team first, because it warms you up to the whole idea of university football,” he said. “It’s like [easing] into the process before actually stepping into the door of going to university.”
As a Grade-12 athlete in 2018, Phillips played a key role for the Cavaliers’ offence. His catching and running ability helped the team finish the season with a 4-4 record, securing the Rocky View Sports Association’s (RVSA) Division 2 championship for the first time.
“I have a lot of explosiveness to the ball, and I’m aggressive when it comes to making short catches,” he said.
Like Bacchus and Henderson, Phillips was among the Cavaliers’ first graduating class to spend all four years of his high-school career on the football team – Croxford only began competing in the RVSA in 2016.
“When we first started, [the program] was super young,” Phillips said. “Just throughout the years, getting the program to where it is now, it’s really gone uphill and it’s doing a lot of good things.”
John Remus-Everitt, head coach of the Cavaliers, said he’s excited to see another of his former players make the step to higher-level football.
“[Phillips] is a really strong athlete and very coachable,” he said. “He’s a dedicated individual. All those things combined will make him a very valuable asset to the VI Raiders.”
Along with Henderson, Bacchus and Phillips, a fourth W.H. Croxford alumnus – Blake Johnson – will also play for the Raiders this summer. Johnson, a 20-year-old defensive back, is transferring to the Nanaimo team from the Calgary Colts.
The Raiders’ preseason training camp will kick off July 16, and the first game of the 2019 campaign will be Aug. 3 against the Langley Rams.
