Seth Poelzer took home a bronze medal, and the tournament MVP honours last month on July 13.
Alberta would shut out Saskatchewan 35-0 in the bronze medal game with Poelzer putting up 98 yards in rushing. The running back would also rush for 121 yards in the first game of the tournament against New Brunswick and follow it up with 109 yards in the 12-11 loss to Quebec.
Poelzer explains where his passion for football came from.
"My dad played football at the U of S, so he was the one to introduce me to (football). I would always watch Sunday football with him on the weekends. So that was kind of like our thing that we would do together. That's how I first got introduced to it and fell in love with it since then," Poelzer explained.
"I started off playing hockey, but then around grade six I started playing actual tackle football and that's when I knew that was the sport I wanted to play."
He is currently attending Holy Trinity Academy (HTA) and is planning on graduating from high school next year.
"This is the last year I can actually play on Team Alberta because it's U18. I'm turning 18 next year so I won't be able to play for them," he said.
With many positions available to play in football Poelzer mentioned why running back caught his eye.
"When me and my dad used to watch football, it looked like it was the most fun position on the field. They were involved in every play, they looked like the best athletes out there. So, that's kinda what I wanted to be," Poelzer added.
With his dad playing for U of S, the Saskatchewan rub has come off on Poelzer as he said he's a Saskatchewan Roughrider fan and mentioned that a lot of his friends share the same favourite team instead of the Calgary Stampeders. He said he thinks it's because there are a lot of parents from Saskatchewan who live in Okotoks.
Poelzer also gave credit for his success in football to the coaches at HTA.
"It's been great. We have a lot of great coaches who have experience in University and even some of them in pro. They have a lot of knowledge that they pass on to the younger kids. We get a really good opportunity to improve there," he said.
While Poelzer had some of his teammates from HTA on Team Alberta, he explained how the group of guys came together during the trip to Saskatchewan for the Canada Cup.
"When you are in Regina, you are doing everything together as a team. You don't really have a choice but to get to know people. It was a good group of guys and it was a lot of fun to get to know them," Poelzer explained.
"We definitely hung out a lot in the dorms, and practicing together twice a day for two weeks also does a pretty good job of team bonding as well."
Due to an error on a call in the semi-finals, Team Alberta competed for bronze instead of gold. While it was a disappointment for Team Alberta, they played strong in the bronze game and left no doubt.
"We kind of got robbed of a win in the semi-finals, so it felt good to show that we belonged in the gold medal game even though we didn't get a chance to play in it. But we were definitely really, really happy to be in the position that we were," he said.
Poelzer added that it was a really cool thing to play against talent across the country and get a taste of what the next level of competition will be like. Winning the MVP of the Canada Cup was a cherry on top for Poelzer as the award usually goes to a player on the gold medal team.
"I was really surprised if I'm being honest. Usually, they end up giving it to a player from the gold medal team. So, when they called my name, I was in 'awe" I guess, I was surprised. But it was really cool and to have my team there to celebrate with me," Poelzer mentioned.
For younger players who want to aim for Team Alberta, Poelzer said to not sell yourself short and to work hard.
He left with this final message, " I just want to really acknowledge all the help my teammates and coaches had in helping me win the MVP award. I couldn't have done any of it without them, I think that they deserve a shoutout.