Critch earns second consecutive U16 West All-Star nod

Duncan Critch carries the ball against British Columbia at the U16 Western Challenge. Image credit: Football Alberta.

Duncan Critch’s football prowess has been recognized on the national stage once again.

Football Canada named Critch a U16 West All-Star for the second consecutive year.

“In year’s past they would’ve brought to the team to play the East and then out of those two teams, they pick one to go down the States. But in recent years they haven’t done that,” said Critch on The Sports Show.

“It’s just to be recognized. It’s kind of cool because I can search my name on Google and it’s the first thing that pops up.”

For the last two years, Critch has been a member of the U16 Football Alberta team at the Western Challenge.

He earned offensive MVP honours Critch in Team Alberta’s 26-21 loss to British Columbia, where he racked up over 100 yards rushing in the inter-provincial tournament.

This year, the level of competition changed in his regular play, graduating from bantam football to high-school.

All o the sudden, Critch is one of the smaller guys on the field again.

“I had gotten used to it because the last two years at U16 those kids are big as well. They’re selected from all over Alberta so they’re going to go into their high school program and start at their position they play because they are physically talent, because they are mentally talented, they are all around a good football player,” he said.

“When I came back and started to play high school, it was almost the same thing because these kids, teenagers, might have had just as much experience as I have had because they’re older and they’ve been playing just as long as I have now, so playing against 17 and 18-year-olds that are full of testosterone and huge guys, it really did a hurt a bit here and there and I had the bruises to show.”

What’s Critch’s favourite thing about football?

“To have almost like a brotherhood with you at all times,” he said.

“You’re with these guys almost 5-6 days week. You practice together, you sweat together, you get hurt together. You get emotionally attached to these guys.”