By: Mike Still (@mikstill94)
Austin Balan is the type of player who lets his performance on the field do the talking.
“I’m more of a do my job, lead by example kind of guy,” he says calmly.
“I’m in the weight room as much as humanly possible. I’m there at lunch and after school, and we have a group chat and I try to text my teammates telling them when our speed training days are and stuff like that, but I’m not super, super talkative. Everyone just sees me working.”
The Sisler Spartans senior – who will play both safety and running back for the team this year – has demonstrated his tireless work ethic ever since he stepped onto the gridiron.
For example, he switched to defensive back when trying out for Team Manitoba’s U16 program a few years ago, as he was undersized at linebacker. Despite not having the same level of experience as the other defensive backs, he still thrived.
“I was super nervous, obviously because it was a new position and I didn’t think I could stack up to [the other players], because they’d been playing [defensive back] for a lot longer than I had, and I didn’t really know what I was doing,” he says.
“But I got the call that I made the team, and I was just trying to soak up everything that I could as quickly as possible to get out on the field and do something at the position.”
Balan continued to demonstrate his abilities in 2015, winning the Winnipeg High School Football League (WHSFL) junior varsity title as a grade nine starter for the Spartans.
Sean Esselmont, the co-head coach of Sisler’s varsity team took notice of Balan’s performance that season.
“I remember going to a JV practice, and he was just heads and shoulders above everyone else that was out there,” he says.
Balan was close friends with many of the grade 10’s that were on the 2015 championship team, and naturally wanted to get the opportunity to continue playing with them for the next two years.
He had some conversations with Esselmont, who let him try out at the varsity level during the spring. To no one’s surprise, Balan excelled, and earned a spot on the Spartans Division 1 roster as the only grade 10.
“When I got that opportunity to play up, I was super excited,” he says passionately. “There’s more competition in [Division 1], and you get to play against the top players in the city.”
Balan made a clear statement as a sophomore that he would be an elite-level player in the league. He finished the 2016 season with 51 tackles, two interceptions and two sacks and was awarded the Division 1 Rookie of the Year award at year’s end.
“[Playing in Division 1] really helped with being aggressive, because I was playing against and tackling bigger kids,” he says. “I’m still undersized, but I feel like now I can take on anybody who’s in my draft class, because I’ve been playing with older kids my whole life.”
Balan continued to back up his statement as a junior last year, registering 46 tackles, two interceptions and a sack. He also demonstrated his athleticism on the offensive side of the ball, carrying the rock 12 times for 202 yards and two scores, while averaging 16.8 yards per rush.
“He went from being a great coverage safety in the middle of the field, to being an all-around defensive player,” Esselmont says of Balan’s growth over the years.
“He’s also grown into an all-around offensive threat. He’s become a complete football player in every sense of the statement.”
Naturally, Balan has high expectations for himself as he enters his senior season at Sisler. He is currently ranked 95th on CanadaFootballChat’s top 100 players list for the 2018 season, and hopes to rise up the rankings as the months continue.
“This year, I’ve been getting a lot more recognition and it’s good to see that all of my hard work is starting to pay off,” he says.
“I’d like to go higher on [CanadaFootballChat’s] list, but I’m just hoping when the season starts and when Canada Cup starts going, that they’ll see who I am as a player.”