ONTARIO PROSPECT CHALLENGE: QB Walker Breen

ONTARIO PROSPECT CHALLENGE…4 GAMES…8 TEAMS…GREAT PLAYERS

GAME INFO: CLICK HERE

WHERE: Guelph – University of Guelph Alumni Stadium – $10 general admission, all-day pass

WHEN:  Sunday May 4 – Kickoff times are 10am, 12:30pm, 3:30pm, 7:30pm

BROADCAST: Live on Canadafootballchat.com & tape delay on ROGERS TV

 

For the past six months we have been lucky enough to feature some of the best up and coming talent our province has to offer. With less than a week until kickoff to the inaugural ONTARIO PROSPECT CHALLENGE we are going to continue with the same theme. A lot is made of the already established stars and nearly as much about the feel good or “Rudy” type story. However, one group of athletes often overlooked are the young players on the verge of breaking out or becoming known entities throughout the province. With over six hundred players vying for a spot in this years OPC, competition was tense and the reality was that some of the best football players in the province would be left on the outside looking in, not a great feeling, but the harsh reality of competing at an elite level.

Quite often a player bursts out of nowhere to steal the show and wow the crowd. We often wonder where did they come from or how did they go unnoticed or even how did they improve so much? The reality in a lot of cases is that said player has always been playing at an elevated level, just doing so in relative obscurity, waiting for their shot.

One young man that definitely fits the bill is John F. Ross Secondary and Jr. Gryphon triggerman Walker Breen. Breen has been playing football and quarterback for each of the past eight seasons, is currently ranked in CFC’s Ontario Prospects top 100 and is among the elite signal callers his age, in the province. Walker recently had his OPC dreams fall a little short, finding himself a victim of last weekend’s final round of cuts (keep in mind he is only in his first year of “eligibility” for the varsity game). After talking with Walker, one gets the sense of a well grounded athlete who takes things in stride, has a thirst to learn and a passion for the game. Combine his high football IQ with his athletic ability and it’s only a matter of time before Walker Breen is a household name in Ontario football circles.

 

CFC: Walker, thanks for taking the time to speak with us today, what were your thoughts going into the tryout process?

Walker Breen: Thank-you for the opportunity to do this. My only real expectation heading in was that there would be a very high level of competition, I mean that’s why I wanted to tryout. I knew going in that there would be certain things that were out of my control as well as a certain unknown element, so I approached it with the mentality of staying focused, staying relaxed and most importantly: control what I could and don’t really worry about what I couldn’t.

CFC: And once you were there, competing, trying out?

Walker Breen: Pretty much the same, I expected great skill and competition and that’s exactly what I got! There were no real surprises and I focused on learning as much as I could and taking advantage of the opportunity, while still competing. The only thing I could control was myself, so that’s what I focused on.

CFC: Being a top ranked player accustomed to having success, how do you handle the disappointment of not making this year’s OPC and are there positives you can take away?

Walker Breen: Sure I was a little disappointed but I can’t really change anything I did, only learn, improve and move forward. There are plenty of positives that totally outweigh the disappointment. I was able to advance to the final stage of the tryouts, where I received a lot of great coaching, I learned so much in such a short time and just as importantly got some exposure to the tryout process. I’m glad I tried out and I’ll definitely be back next year.

CFC: Will you approach it differently next year?

Walker Breen: Not really, I am going to focus on the coaching points I received and work hard this season and during the offseason, always striving to improve…..but as far as my approach, no change….come in relaxed, calm and ready to work.

CFC: How would you rate the overall experience?

Walker Breen: Good, actually great! I knew that I would receive some great coaching, but was still impressed with how much they taught me in such a short time. I have been to other all-star games and the tryouts seemed rushed, more pressure to quickly show your skill and move on. This was different, definitely more relaxed, more coaching involved.

CFC: Let’s shift gears and talk about your love of the game and the QB position. What aspect of football do you enjoy the most and what is it about the QB position that appeals to you?

Walker Breen: I like the fact that you have to work together and communicate with your teammates. It’s the ultimate team sport. At the individual level I like that it takes a special type of athlete to play the game, a combination of athleticism and intelligence. I enjoy the leadership role you assume by playing quarterback. I like the pressure and like to believe I thrive under it.

CFC: And for yourself what are your football goals?

Walker Breen: I’m not a 100% sure what I would like to study in university, I am leaning more and more towards English, but what I am sure about is that I want to earn a university degree and play football while doing so, after that I would just like to go as far as I can with football.

 

THE BREEN FILE:

Position: QB HT: 5’10” WT: 155 Home Team(s) Guelph Jr Gryphons (OFC), John F. Ross Secondary

Favorite Football Teams:  Hamilton Ti-Cats, NY Giants, Ohio State Buckeyes, Guelph Gryphons

Favorite QB: Eli Manning

Favorite subject: English