Southcombe finds football family

For a guy who once wasn’t much of a football fan, Liam Southcombe has come a long way.

Southcombe, 19, is in his third season as a cornerback with the Canadian Junior Football League’s Winnipeg Rifles, which dropped a 30-11 decision to the Regina Thunder in a pre-season game at Vincent Massey’s Doug Steeves Field on Saturday afternoon.

“I actually didn’t like football growing up,” Southcombe said. “My dad used to watch the CFL all the time and I found it boring. Then some of my buddies from Brandon played (in the Westman Youth Football Association) and tried convincing me to play, so I went up to my mom and dad and asked if I could play.

“They were completely on board with it, and I’ve been playing ever since.”

After a couple of seasons in WYFA, Southcombe began his high school career at Neelin.

He played 12-man football in Division 3 when he was in Grade 9, the pandemic struck when he was in Grade 10 and in Grade 11 they didn’t have enough people so they played six-man intrasquad games and one nine-man game against Virden.

That led to his transfer to the Crocus Plainsmen in Grade 12, where he was once again able to play the 12-man game.

“My Grade 12 year was one of the bigger ones,” Southcombe said. “I was usually pretty confident on the field and Grade 12 helped me a lot in getting that confidence back and actually giving me time playing 12-man ball. I tried out for the Rifles the year after that and started off near the bottom, but started getting better after that.”

The Rifles are part of the six-team Prairie Conference, which also includes Regina, the Saskatoon Hilltops, Calgary Colts and Edmonton Huskies and Edmonton Wildcats.

The CJFL also has seven-team conferences in British Columbia and Ontario, with an unaffiliated junior league operating in Quebec as well.

The current CJFL formed in 1974, with the Rifles joining in 2002.

While he’s lining up at cornerback now for the Rifles, Southcombe originally tried out as a safety and occasionally sees that position and halfback. He can also play linebacker if needed, but noted there is certainly a difference between high school and the CJFL.

“I wouldn’t say it’s huge but it’s definitely a jump,” Southcombe said. “I tell the younger guys that it’s not the same as high school. You’re not just going to be able to smash people around like you were in high school. It’s just the mentality of it. You’re still doing the same thing, you’re still playing the game you love, it’s just at a higher level, and if you keep your head on straight, you can succeed at this level.

“It’s not super different, the intensity is different.”

The Rifles carry a roster of 80 players, with 65 dressing at home and 46 on the road. They can carry 52 players when they visit Regina.

Southcombe is part of a massive Brandon group on the roster that also includes Crocus Plainsmen receivers Miles Blatherwick, Ayden Bone and Simon Leckie and defensive back Seth McAuley, Vincent Massey Vikings QB-turned-receiver Coleton Malyon and defensive lineman Ashton Bissonnette, and former Neelin Spartans receiver Miles Blatherwick.

“It’s insane,” Southcombe said. “I love to have it because Brandon does have a lot of players who have a lot to offer. You can get them from Crocus, you can get them from Massey. We don’t necessarily have a lot of guys from Massey right now but there are guys who can ball from Brandon.

“It helps a lot because it helps coaches realize it’s not just Winnipeg that has the great players.”

Rifles head coach Geordie Wilson said the nice thing about the large Westman contingent, which also includes players from Virden and Souris, is their potential.

“It’s awesome,” Wilson said. “All the kids we have, all of the Brandon and Westman kids, have really big upsides. They’re going to learn a lot this year and probably in another year will be important members of this squad moving forward.”

On Saturday, Southcombe had a rare opportunity to play what for him would be considered a true home game. The exhibition matchup was organized by Vincent Massey football coach Mike Steeves and played in front of a good crowd on a toasty afternoon.

“Me and my buddy Miles, he actually was my quarterback at Neelin at the same time so we were talking about being back at home,” Southcombe said. “It’s an amazing experience to have a bunch of family and friends out here because obviously going to Winnipeg isn’t super hard but it’s harder for some people, especially who don’t have the weekends off and it’s a two-and-a-half hour drive. It feels awesome to get to play at home every now and then.”

Rifles head coach Geordie Wilson shared Southcombe’s enthusiasm for the Wheat City matchup, and the field it was played on.

“It was great,” Wilson said. “Mike was good in setting this thing up for us. This is a beautiful field. My word, I don’t think you will find a nicer grass field anywhere. It’s a beautiful place.”

As it turns out, Southcombe’s beautiful place is now in Winnipeg with the Rifles, who play out of Maple Grove Rugby Park on the city’s south side.

He moves to Winnipeg every summer and works, then returns to Brandon for the winter.

“I like the sportsmanship between everybody but I love creating a family with everybody,” Southcombe said of the game and his team. “It’s huge. It’s like another thing to have a couple of friends who are huge with you, but when you have a family like this, it’s massive. You have boys from all over the country.”

He’s not quite as friendly with his opponents.

On Saturday, Southcombe delivered the hit of the game to a Regina receiver not long after the unfortunate soul received the ball. Southcombe met him with a shoulder and actually sent him flying backwards for a highlight-reel tackle.

“It was the play we were in,” Southcombe said. “My eyes were on him and if he stops, then I stop. He was just unlucky enough to get the ball thrown to him and just turned around and my timing is usually pretty good with it so I was able to put my shoulder into his chest and knock him to the ground. I like doing that, it’s pretty fun.”

The cornerback paused for a moment when asked what it’s like to deliver that devastating a hit.

“The feeling is exhilarating,” Southcombe said. “It’s something I can’t really explain. It doesn’t really hurt, you’re too engaged in the play and engaged in the game. You just kind of get up and do it again. But it feels amazing, it’s a rush honestly.”

Wilson said the stocky youngster has come a long way since he first tried out.

“This is Liam’s third year with us now,” Wilson said. “He’s progressed. When he first came out, he honestly wasn’t in the greatest of shape, we’ll call it. If you want to play defensive back, you have to drop a few and get in better condition. He took that to heart and last year really worked on his body and himself, and he’s a finely athlete versus where he was coming out of high school.

“He’s improved dramatically. We lost Logan Alcaraz, who would have been our starting corner, so Liam will be starting next week against Saskatoon.”

Southcombe said there is a lot of running and it’s at a higher speed than in high school but as long as you’re paying attention and locked in on the play, you should be OK. But playing cornerback can be a notoriously lonely job at times, where they can be playing one-on-one against a receiver trying to prevent a long throw from connecting.

“You have your job,” Southcombe said. “As long as you’re not getting distracted, you have to make sure you’re using your eyes correctly especially because if you are on that island, then you have to watch the hips and nobody can make it past you. If you’re in a specific play where there’s two of them, then you have your rules and have your play. If it’s a run, it’s not necessarily my first job, but if it’s coming to my side and I see it, then I go play it.”

While they dropped Saturday’s matchup, the difference came from a handful of mental mistakes and an almost unending procession of orange flags  tossed in their direction. That led both the coach and his cornerback to suggest enough good things happened that they should be OK.

“At the end of the day, the only thing we gauge from the perspective of our ones versus ones in the first half,” Wilson said. “They blocked a field goal right up the middle and that was one of our offensive lineman just got blown backwards, which shouldn’t have happened, and that ignited them a bit to tie it up at 3.

“Even when they were down here and the quarterback slipped on second down and our guy jumps on top of him and we get a 15-yarder (penalty) and that turns into a touchdown. Really, it was 20-10 at the half, and that’s what we’re gauging.

“We let all the kids play in the second half, and it is what it is from time to time when you get out there with a lot of first-year kids. When our ones are out there, we’ll be fine. We’re a good team.”

Southcombe agreed.

“I think we just have to keep the pedal down,” he said. “We shot ourselves in the foot and had a couple of unnecessary penalties and had a couple of injuries that were a little bit defeating but honestly it’s a game and it’s going to happen. I think we just have to flip the page next week against Saskatoon.

“It’s a new week and we have to go out there and smash them in the mouth and show them the Rifles aren’t up to losing anymore.”

If they can do it, it will be a dramatic turn-around.

The team, which was named after the Royal Winnipeg Rifles Regiment, has gone 2-6 and 1-7 during Southcombe’s tenure. In franchise history, they’ve finished better than .500 just once, back in 2005 when they went 7-1 and lost the conference championship game to the Huskies.

Their eight-game regular season begins on Aug. 10 against the Hilltops, with the regular season finishing up on Oct. 12. The semifinals take place a week later, with the conference final set for Oct. 26.

The Canadian Bowl is held on Nov. 9.

“It’s looking promising,” Southcombe said. “I’ve been with the team the last couple of years and I’ll say it’s a better start than I’ve had in a little bit. We have a really strong linebacker corps, we have a pretty good quarterback who’s going to sling the ball around and we have our all-star running back, we have a good receiving corps, our O-line is pretty good. I think we have a DB corps that’s going to get it done too. “We just have to stay together, stay locked in and get it done.”

pbergson@brandonsun.com