THUNDER BAY – If Liam Puskas wasn’t already square in the sights of the Queen’s Gaels football program, his performance at last fall’s Simcoe Bowl made him a top recruiting target.
Puskas intercepted three passes, taking two of them back for touchdowns to lead the St. Ignatius Falcons to their first provincial championship.
On Saturday the Thunder Bay defensive back made it official, signing his letter of intent to play for the Gaels, where he’ll join older brother Jake in Kingston. But while Queen’s was high on his list, it wasn’t his only option. His bowl-game performance widened that net even further.
“Sending out tape is always a good idea, but being able to play in front of the coaches, that’s the No. 1 thing you can do,” said Puskas, who also impressed Queen’s scouts at last year’s Football Canada Cup, where he played for Team Manitoba.
When it came down to it, the program and the school he chose offered just a little bit more than all the rest.
“The hardest thing was narrowing down the final few,” Puskas said on Saturday following the signing ceremony, held at the Hanger prior to the start of a USport football camp being put on at the Hangar for 81 fellow players from Thunder Bay and throughout the region.
“Even though my brother is at Queen’s, he wasn’t the main factor in my decision, but it’s definitely a plus. I think the main thing was the school and city. If I get injured, I’m still going to be at the school that I’m attending,” said Puskas, who would like to see how far the game can take him.
“I see the university level as an opportunity to test my skill. Obviously in high school you don’t know what your full potential is, but I’ll take what I get and see where it brings me.”
Gaels coach Pat Sheahan called Puskas an outstanding, competitive athlete who also happens to be equally good academically.
“I’m afraid he got check marks beside every box. He’s exactly the profile kid we’re looking for. And he’s the third one in a row we’ve had out of Thunder Bay. His older brother Jake and Thomas Walser last year – very good students, very good players, very competitive individuals,” Sheahan said.
Slotted to play halfback in his rookie season, the veteran coach said Puskas will have to earn his playing time, but he sees no reason why he can’t find the field as a rookie.
“We thought that he would add something. We thought that he would come in and compete right away. Now it’s going to be how quickly he picks things up, how competent he is and whether or not he buckles under the competition. I don’t think he will,” Sheahan said, adding the fact other schools have overlooked Thunder Bay in the past has proven beneficial to his program in the present.
Falcons coach Tyler Dennis said Puskas’ work ethic is his best football quality.
“He’s very coachable, he’s accountable for his actions. He works extremely hard on and off the field and he’s a leader,” Dennis said. “He’s a role model and he’s a team player. I know those guys at Queen’s hold those things high and he possessed all of those qualities.”
