Fisseha wants to be more aggressive

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This article was published 03/06/2016 (3652 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Joel Fisseha got hit so hard in the first football game he ever played that he considered quitting the sport. Now opponents wish he had.

The six-foot-one, 200-pound Vincent Massey product blossomed into one of the most feared outside linebackers in the Winnipeg High School Football League’s Kas Vidruk (AA) Division last season.

It didn’t take long for opposing offences to run plays away from Fisseha no matter what side of the field he was playing on. Offences would even call audibles if he lined up at a different spot to avoid him.

Although it was a major sign of respect for the Grade 11 student’s capabilities, he found it frustrating but is determined to be even better when next season begins.

“Oh yeah, I want to do way better,” Fisseha said before the Vikings closed out their spring football camp with a touch tournament. “Last year was basically my second year of football. I was kind of timid with my tackling and my form was kind of off with little things.

“Now I’ve pushed past that. I’m OK with aggressiveness. When you first start, you’re kind of tense and don’t play to your 100 per cent. If you watch some of my highlights, they’re not even really highlights because you see that I’m not 100 per cent in it. I think I’ll be more focused and aggressive this year.”

His timidness didn’t stop Fisseha from being named a division all-star and helping the Vikings win the Tier 3 championship in the fall.

He went on to play basketball, a sport he fell in love with in middle school, and helped Massey’s varsity boys reach the city final. Fisseha found playing football made him a more aggressive defender on the hard court and that basketball has made him better at football.

He’s focused on improving again this off-season by lifting weights at the gym and running hills. Massey head coach Mike Steeves sees a lot of room for Fisseha to grow this summer.

“It’s getting bigger and stronger and increase his speed so when they’re running away from him that he’s effective on the pursuit,” Steeves said. “For him, it’s everything in our book needs to improve. He needs to know the playbook a little bit better, he needs to know his assignment a bit better and get bigger, strong and faster. It’s continuous work.”

Steeves was impressed with his team’s spring camp. He had up to 56 kids at sessions this year, the most he’s ever had. He was also without some players who were playing on the school’s baseball, soccer or rugby teams.

Without some of his key players, Steeves decided to change up the way he usually runs the camp. Players never put on pads this year with the focus more on fundamentals instead of contact.

The team also didn’t play an intrasquad game or an exhibition contest other than the touch football games on Thursday.

“It has probably been the best camp we’ve ever had,” Steeves said. “We went skill based and no equipment. We just worked on the fundamentals and basics of tackling and form tackling and footwork and strength. We really changed it up this year with no game. Everyone wants to hurry up and play a game, but I think we miss so many steps to force a game in.

“I hate spring ball and the fact football competes with other sports. Kids should be multi-sport athletes. Kids should play rugby and baseball and soccer. It’s nice to have a simple camp and it’s been great this year.”

Steeves will take around 16 of his players to Winnipeg on June 28 for an eight-on-eight passing-only flag football tournament as well.

Fisseha hopes to be there, and possibly as a receiver, a role Massey’s offensive coaches are considering him for.

No matter where he plays on the field in the fall, Fisseha hopes to be someone opposing teams continue to watch out for and a leader on the Vikings. “I’m kind of stepping up,” said Fisseha, who never played a down of organized football until his Grade 10 high school season.

“I don’t care if I’m captain or anything, I just want them to understand that when we’re on the field that I’ve got their backs and they’ve got mine. I expect 100 from them, I’ll give them 100 as well.”

YARDSTICKS: Crocus Plains is in Thunder Bay, Ont., on Saturday for an exhibition game for its varsity team.

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