The Bulldogs hope to have some bite this year

You can say with some legitimacy that the North Bay Bulldogs Senior team is optimistic heading into the 2023 North Football Conference season.

The Bulldogs open at home against the Ottawa Sooners at 7 pm on Saturday night at Mike O’shea Field.north Bay has some rare talent at the quarterback position with the starter being 2013 Hec Crighton Trophy winner Jordan Heather.

Heather is now working fulltime in the military at 22 WING/CFB North Bay but got permission from the Canadian Armed Forces to play for the Bulldogs.

Heather is the quarterback and the offensive co-ordinator, so he has total control when it comes to play calling and game planning.

When Heather was a college star with the Bishop’s Gaiters, he spent hours breaking down game film of the opposing team they were going to face.

This week he has no such luxury. Heather says that’s not a huge problem.

“Not having film just makes us focus more on what we are doing. Once we get on the field and assess what they are trying to do we can make adjustments,” says the Bulldogs starting quarterback.

He also thinks the team has a talented group to grow with.

“I’m very comfortable in the offence. I know it very well and we have players around me to make it work. Andre Landry and Jacob Steringa are big targets and veterans like offensive lineman Drake Morin help a lot,” says Heather.

Marc Mathon is the head coach and runs the defense. Mathon knows the defense will have to learn about the opponent during the game.

“When it is that type of situation you must focus on fundamentals,” says Mathon. “You must execute on offence, and we are just going to adjust on the fly on defense and if we see anything strange of different.”

The same holds true for Ottawa as they truly know little about the Bulldogs’ game plan.at the end of Thursday’s practice, the head coach had a talk with the assembled players, what was on his mind?

“The message to the guys is that we have been practicing for a month, and they are getting antsy to get on the field and play. They are excited to play,” says the longtime Bulldogs’ head coach. “We saw some intensity out there tonight, sometimes feeling that intensity they get down on themselves when they make a mistake.

I was trying to get them to stay calm and remain on an even keel. No huge highs and no huge lows,” says Mathon.

Russ Burns first played for the Bulldogs way back in 2003. Burns played defense for years, now he is a receiver on offence. He likes the young look of the team.

“The youth bring the excitement and Jordan (Heather) brings the intensity and the (football) background. He is pushing everyone in the right way” says Burns