Laurie Smith couldn’t be more excited to have a second high school football team in Chilliwack and he can’t wait for the first game between his GW Graham Grizzlies and the Sardis Falcons.
But when it comes to Smith vs Smith and going head-to-head with his former GWG lieutenant Adam Smith, Laurie says there’s nothing there.
“There will be a GW Graham versus Sardis rivalry and I think the two schools will love that,” Laurie says. “When we play them in the fall of 2018 at Exhibition Stadium I’m pretty confident we can sell it out and I can see our band on one side filled with blue, silver and white and their drum-line and a lot of green and white on the other side.
“I think that’s going to be really cool for Chilliwack football, but as far as anything between Adam and I, I’m totally indifferent to that.”
That’s hard to believe. The two men may be friends but they’re also competitive people, or they wouldn’t do what they do.
The idea that they can stand on opposite sidelines after standing on the same sideline for years and not have a little extra motivation seems far fetched.
“There is zero animosity between us, I respect him as a coach and I wish him well,” Laurie insisted. “Sure I’d like to win that game because I want to win every game but not because of Adam.
“I know I’m supposed to say it’s just like any other game, but truthfully it will be cool to have two high schools from the same city playing and that’s the part I can’t wait for.”
Adam wasn’t being any more cooperative stirring the pot.
The man who helped bring two provincial championships to GWG and will guide Sardis into existence considers Laurie a good friend and looks forward to cooperation off the field and a healthy rivalry on it.
“Having our two schools going at it in front of 3,000 people, I can’t imagine how much fun that’s going to be,” Adam said. “We’re happy for each other and I’m happy he’s back and I can pass the team to someone who loves it as much as I do.”
Laurie takes over a senior varsity squad that went to the provincial semi-final last year before losing to the Seaquam Seahawks.
The team will lose its starting quarterback, with Gabe Olivares graduating this June and going on to UBC. Key players along the offensive and defensive lines are also gone, and the team’s overall numbers have slowly been slipping the last few seasons.
“We’re going to make it a little easier, where students can register without paying anything and just try football out at spring camp, and I think that will help with our recruiting,” Laurie said. “We had a meeting with players a week ago and I told them, ‘Your only job for spring camp is to bring someone along so we can rebuild the ranks.’
“It was tough last year not having a Grade 8 team because there were a heckuva lot of kids who would now be on our junior varsity team.
“We have to reach back down and get some of those Grade 7s and 8s that want to play, and hopefully we can.”
Smith was away from GWG for just one season and missed it a lot. When he helped usher the Grizzlies into existence in 2012, he envisioned the team as an entry-point to mentorship and a way to change lives for the better.
“We tried hard to connect the classroom with the program and I missed the impact it can have on kids,” he said. “I missed the opportunity to provide accountability around success in the classroom and speak to them about life and not just football.
“I missed the higher level of football too and watching what some of these phenomonal players can do in practices and games.
“I am really happy to be back.”