Chris Ellis is the backbone of the Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»College defense this season and plays “with his hair on fire,” as the Fighting Irish head coach Todd Bernett put it.
With 89 regular-season tackles this year as a Grade 11 student, the linebacker is on his way to becoming one of the all-time best at the Catholic boys school. In the first round of the playoffs last weekend, Ellis contributed 15 tackles, added a sack and recovered one fumble in a 43-30 win over W.J. Mouat. This sesaon, Â he also had two touchdowns, which he popped in as a wide receiver.
“I’m aware I’m putting up some big numbers. I’m trying to set records,” Ellis said Tuesday before the Fighting Irish sat down to review film ahead of their quarterfinal match-up against rival St. Thomas More.
“He’s one of the best, if not the best, junior in the class of 2016,” said running back Ovie Odjegba, who is putting up impressive numbers of his own with 1,095 regular season rushing yards and eight touchdowns. “He’s really the centerpiece of our defense and he’s come up big this year. I’m really proud of him.”
What does Ellis want to achieve? First, beating the Knights on Friday. Second, he said, “Be the best and be known to everyone. I just want to get faster and make every tackle I can.
"I like to be the most intense on the field. I like to, I guess I'd say, be the savage out there, make every play and make every hit a huge it."
He is unabashed about his goals, and if his success continues, Ellis could reach his goals. “[He] is our defensive leader and has instincts for the ball,” said Bernett, adding Ellis’s intense play “creates an energy level the rest of the players feed off of.”
The Fighting Irish will rely on strong defence to quell quarterback Terrell Jana of the No. 3 Knights who’ve amassed 283 points this season, second only to three-time B.C. champion Mt. Douglas.
Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»College beat 7-1 St. Thomas More 50-32 in a September exhibition game and has finished the season with a five-game winning streak.
Giordy Belfiore will start at quarterback and the Irish will rely on Ellis as well as a deep roster of scoring options that includes Odjegba, Matt Legge, J.D. Andrews, Joelson delRosario and Javier Sanchez-Mejora.
Odjegba, who carried the ball for 221 yards and three touchdowns in the playoff win over Mouat, said one of the reasons for their late-season surge is preparation.
“I feel like we have some of the best coaches in the nation and they really prepare us each week and really help us focus each week on what we have to do to win,” he said.
Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»College plays St. Thomas More at Burnaby Lake Park at 6 p.m., Nov. 21.
