Windsor Lancers’ coaches friendly with winning mentality says commits

Lancers bring in two Ontario commits to their Class of 2017.

Drawn in by the friendliness of the Windsor Lancers, defensive backs Kaleb Hellreich from Bear Creek High School and FPC Andrew Beatty from Royal Imperial College of Canada are set to make some noise with the young team.

Kaleb Hellreich

Hovering a bit north of Toronto lies Barrie, Ontario, the hometown of Kaleb Hellreich. It will be quite a trek down the 401 Highway to reach the border city of Windsor, Ontario. But, the future aeronautics student is already feeling the love from the Lancers.

“I chose Windsor because the school has a very welcoming feel and the coaches and faculty are willing to do what it takes for you to be successful on and off the field,” Hellreich said. “The coaches are all very friendly and willing to talk.”

Standing at 6’0, 190lbs, he played five years with the Bear Creek Kodiaks (Georgian Bay Secondary School Athletics). This past season, the Kodiaks won the Simcoe County Athletic Association and GBSSA championship. In his own personal achievements, Hellreich won the “Johnny Bravo” award for character.

Andrew Beatty

Andrew Beatty is used to travel. Originally from Ottawa, Ontario, he moved to St. Catharines, Ontario, to play with the Royal Imperial Knights. Heading a little further south-west probably won’t be problematic.

“I liked the football program because the coaches and players really made me feel at home,” Beatty said. “They have a fairly young team that I feel like I can contribute to early on and hopefully be apart of something special.”

While on his official visit, Beatty was able to meet most of the coaching staff. One such coach was the defensive coordinator, Peter Fraser. Beatty said he has been recruiting him since before he was even working at Windsor. He added that Fraser runs a similar defense to the ones he has played before.

“The coaches were really friendly,” Beatty said. “But, I can tell they mean business because they all have a winning mentality.”

Soon-to-be a communications and media studies student, Beatty was impressed with the size of his new school. “I really like Windsor because it’s not a terribly big university in terms of how many students go there, but it’s definitely not small, so the class sizes are a good size,” he said.

Standing at 5’11, 195lbs, his primary position is SAM linebacker. His career began at the tender age of eight and he has since played with the Nepean Eagles (National Capital Amateur Football Association), the Myers Riders (NCAFA/OVFL) and the Mother Teresa Titans (National Capital Secondary School Athletics Association). He is also a former member of Team Ontario.

Despite all his experience, Beatty is highly thankful of the opportunity he had to play at RICC. He said the team played against some of the best and top ranked high school teams and players in the United States. He added that he thinks his experience there will help him going into his first U Sports season.

Before heading to Windsor, Beatty said that his RICC coaches, Brown and Haggins, along with the school’s principle, Mr. Fife, have helped him a lot in his development on and off the field.