By: Mike Still (@mikestill94)
Feature photo by: hudl.com
The relationship between a coach and their players is a special one. Countless days and hours are spent together at practice, in film study and training. But for River East athlete Samuel Hezekiah and head coach Sean Oleksewycz, it’s more of a father-son dynamic than a player-coach relationship.
“He calls me his second dad,” Oleksewycz says. “Him and I are tight. He’s probably the tightest player I’ve ever had in nine years now.”
Hezekiah started playing football for the East Side Eagles when he was 11 years old, making it to the provincial championship as a running back in his debut season. He’s been hooked ever since.
In grade nine, the Nigeria native transitioned to the Kodiaks varsity program, where he spent his first season learning under the veterans at the running back position. The following year however, Oleksewycz – who was the team’s defensive coordinator at the time – came to him with a proposition.
“[Oleksewycz] was like, ‘come on over and try playing on the defensive side for me for a bit,'” says Hezekiah. “I was always an offensive guy who scored touchdowns. I hated tackling when I was younger too. But he slowly transitioned me into a defensive back and that’s the position I play now.”
Hezekiah started at halfback in grade 10, and also played slotback in order to further understand the routes and schemes of those he would be covering.
“Him playing offence I think has helped with understanding passing concepts to be a better defensive back, which is where he’s going to play at the next level,” Oleksewycz says of his multi-talented senior.
Last year, Hezekiah developed even further as a halfback. He played so well that teams rarely bothered to throw the ball his way. He credited his head coach for helping him learn the ropes.
“Step by step, [Oleksewycz] would teach me what to do in different situations. It was hard at first, but slowly I got the hang of it.”
Hezekiah’s performance as both an offensive and defensive threat earned him a nod as one of the top 100 players in Canada for his upcoming grade 12 season. Naturally, Oleksewycz was happy for him, but what gives him an even bigger grin is seeing how much Hezekiah has matured over the past four years.
The head coach recalls how basic locker room talk and jaw-jacking used to upset the versatile athlete. That’s not the case anymore.
“I’ve been coaching in high school now for nine years, and he’s had the most growth of any kid I’ve had,” Oleksewycz says.
“He works extremely hard in the weight room and he’s extremely dedicated. He’s put his time in and I’m extremely proud of him. He’s going to be a leader for us this year for sure.”
From the player’s perspective, it’s been Oleksewycz’s ability to help him relax if he does end up making a mistake that’s been pivotal.
“I’m really hard mentally on myself. It used to be really bad for me in grade nine when I’d screw up. I’d just lose everything and say I don’t want to play anymore and stuff like that. But it’s gotten much better, and I’m happy that my coach has that much trust in me.”
This season, Hezekiah will be entrusted as a shut-down halfback once more. He’ll also be relied upon as the team’s starting quarterback, further demonstrating Oleksewycz’s confidence in the promising prospect.
“It’s great, because he has a lot of respect for me and I have a lot of respect for him,” Hezekiah says of the dynamic he shares with his head coach.
“We just have a great bond like that. It feels really good that my coach is behind me and looks at me for leadership when I’m on the field on offence and on defence.”