One conversation changed life of McMaster commit

McMaster adds a local commit to their Class of 2018.

It took Ethan Weber, an offensive lineman from Bishop Tonnos Catholic Secondary School, quite some time to realize that his future lied with football, and with the McMaster Marauders.

When Weber was in grade six, he spent the summer playing football with the Hamilton Steelers (Central Ontario Minor Football League). After some consideration, he returned to playing hockey and soccer. He wouldn’t see the gridiron again for five years.

“It was not till late grade 11 year that I was approached to play football at Bishop Tonnos. I was walking with a friend of mine and a couple other guys when the head coach at the time, Mike Giftopolous, who since stepped down but is still involved with the senior program, stopped to talk to me friend about the senior team,” Weber said.

Courtesy of Ethan Weber.

“(He) then looked at me and said, ‘You should play football’ (and) since then, my life has changed for the better. I was invited to come out for spring training by the coaches and I fell in love with the game and the camaraderie that came with it,” he added.

Weber had a considerable amount of interest in him. While Laurier, uOttawa, Waterloo and Toronto were also scouting him, he decided to stay close to his hometown of Ancaster, Ontario. After visiting Laurier, Waterloo and McMaster, it was the Marauders that won him over.

“I chose Mac because of my program, political science with a specialization in public law and judicial studies. I felt that it suited my interest in law and the government,” he said.

While academics are an integral part of the recruitment process, Weber won’t simply be abandoning the sport he has come to love. He will be a pupil under the Marauders’ coaches as well. “McMaster has coaches like no other. I can tell they really care about the players they have and that they truly want to see them succeed whether that’s on the field or off,” he said.

Weber decided to return for a victory lap after graduation. He spent two years with the Bishop Tonnos Titans (Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic Athletic Association) and one with the Hamilton Varsity Tiger-Cats (OFC). The 6’4, 250lbs offensive tackle plans on playing another year of Varsity Tiger-Cat football before attending McMaster.

He said that by staying back a year and playing in the OFC, he improved as a player and further developed his skills. He added that, “I would have to owe most of my success to my coaches at Bishop Tonnos. They helped me out a lot and they helped me get to where I am today, a Marauder.”

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