Local Fort McMurray product Carter Carlson has signed a contract and will be moving on to play for the Edmonton Huskies of the Canadian Junior Football League during the 2017 season.
“It means everything to make the Huskies,” Said Carter Carlson. “Football means everything to me, it’s a sport that I love and it has shaped me as a great human being.”
The Huskies are coming off a very impressive season last year (6-3) which included winning their last five games, and six of their last seven.
The Huskies then took on the Calgary Hilltops (7-1) in the Canadian Bowl Semi-finals and despite leading 10-4 after three-quarters, the Hilltops scored late in the fourth to secure an 11-10 win.
Kevin Garbuio coached Carlson at Father Mercredi High School and had this to say.
“Carter is a brute on the field. He’s someone who makes plays in big moments. We’d be watching film and a lot of times the staff would be shocked how he’d always be clean in the backfield,” Said Kevin Garbuio, Head Coach of the Trapper Football Program. “He took to the gym and competed in various sports like hockey and track. We like our athletes to be well-rounded and he’s a great example of that.”
Carlson had a great year at Father Mercredi as his Trappers won the City Championship over Holy Trinity. Carter was named linemen of the year, and team Captain.
As a six-foot, 255 pound, nose-guard, Carter knows playing with some of the best junior players in Canada will be hard, but he is ready for the challenge.
“I will get over the playing curve by working on my game everyday, to get to the same level as the best players in the CJFL.”
The Huskies who have won five National Championships (1962, 1963, 1964, 2004, and 2005) don’t begin their regular season until Saturday, August 12 but with training camp not far away, Carlson is ready to get going.
“I am most excited to become a part of a new family,” Said Carlson. And the chance to play with new people, and get better as a player excites me.”
For more on the Edmonton Huskies, and to follow Carlson as he moves on in his career, visit Edmonton Huskies.
