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By Jon Kuiperij BEAVER SPORTS EDITOR Rumour has it that the Iroquois Ridge football program has gone the way of the New York Yankees and other free spenders in sports. I was talking to a former student whos about 25 years old and he said he heard we had professional coaches now, chuckles Mike Luyks, a longtime coach at the school. All of a sudden, we found 50 grand to pay these guys salaries. Not exactly. Ridges coaches remain teachers and volun- teers. Theres just a whole lot more of them now than there were a few months ago. In June, the Trailblazers football program lost a pair of coaches, leaving the school with two coaches for two teams. The prospects of fielding both a senior and junior team for the 2011 season, which begins next week, werent looking good. Even walking into school (this month), the kids thought we were just going to have a varsity team (a senior team that included juniors), says Luyks, who even advertised the schools need for coaches in the Beaver the past two offsea- sons. Thats the best we could think of doing. We hated to do it to Grade 9 and 10s, because they wouldnt come out. Thats the lowest its been. All that changed, however, when Kris Reeve got hired into Ridges guidance department. Reeve not only wanted to get involved with the Trailblazers football program, he wanted to bring Al Schreiber and Lawrence Fisher with him. Schreiber, a former coach at Queen Elizabeth Park, and Fisher, a former Canadian Football League player, will assist Reeve with the junior team. That allows Luyks, Scott Phillips and Ridge grad Junior Palmer the freedom to focus com- pletely on the senior squad. Trailblazers football is suddenly looking better than it has in a long time, though Luyks says he never considered fold- ing the program. The kids have always been there. Weve always had 32-plus kids in the last 10 years. Theyre not always the best p y , y y y gfootball la ers but the re alwa s out there and alwa s ea er to play, he says. But we couldnt get the adults out there (to coach). It wasnt right to fold for those reasons. I could see if you had 10 guys at one practice, but weve never had that issue. Its just nice to give the opportunity to the kids. And despite the past struggles to find coaches, Ridge teams have been relatively successful. The Trailblazers juniors reached the Tier 3 final last year, while the seniors did the same in 2009. Ridges coaches should have plenty to work with this sea- y p p yson as well. Lu ks said 40- lus la ers have come out for both the senior and junior squads. That excitement has also spread to Ridges new coaches. (Schreiber) has been the last guy off the field. To me, its unbelievable, Luyks says. Heres a guy whos been here three days, still out there at 5:30 working with one or two kids. That dedication is few and far between. At least, it has been here for a while. See page 31 for a preview of what to expect from ythree of Oakville's senior football teams this ear Sports SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 432) Fax 905-337-5571 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011 29 f f f fIn lux o coaches bodes well or Iroquois Ridge ootball GETTING READY: Graeme Littlemore does some conditioning work during an Iroquois Ridge football practice last week. The Trailblazers football program has been bolstered this year with the addition of several new coaches. MICHAEL IVANIN / OAKVILLE BEAVER It doesnt look like John Tavares will be returning home to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs any time soon. The New York Islanders held a news conference yesterday (Thursday) to announce they have signed the Oakville native to a six-year contract extension worth $33 million. Im thrilled to show the organization and loyal Islanders fans that I want noth- ing more than to win on Long Island, Tavares said in a statement. This is an exciting team to be a part of right now. We have a group that I feel will contend every year for a championship and Im privileged to be a part of the Islanders future. The former St. Thomas Aquinas stu- dent, who will turn 21 next week, still has one year left on his entry-level contract and will earn $3.75 million this upcoming season. The extension begins in 2011-12 at $4 million, will pay $5 million the fol- lowing season and then $6 million in each of its final four seasons. Tavares is coming off a 29-goal, 38-as- sist season in his second year with the Islanders. He was the first overall pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft and had 24 goals and 30 helpers in his rookie sea- son. He has led the Islanders in points in each of his first two seasons in the league. Tavares commits to IslesSTAYING ONTHE ISLAND: Local native John Tavares has signed a six-year contract extension with the New York Islanders, the club announced yester- day (Thursday). The former first overall draft pick has led the Islanders in scor- ing in both of his first two seasons in the NHL. OAKVILLE BEAVER FILE PHOTO