One glimpse at 6’3”, 240-pound defensive end Westan Shiels’ Instagram page gives you all the insight you need about his brute strength. In a post from this past August, the senior from Virden Collegiate can be seen deadlifting a 445-pound tractor tire, which is no easy feat. 

“We can’t go to gyms, and I don’t have much equipment to work with, but we recently hauled up a new tire here and built a squat rack,” he says. “I’m doing everything I can.”

Shiels’ combination of raw power and explosiveness has translated perfectly to the gridiron. He started playing football when he was six years old, and “just loved being able to hit kids.” Admittedly, he had anger problems when he was younger and strapping on the pads turned into an excellent outlet for releasing frustration. 

In learning about Shiels’ past, his exasperation is understandable. His parents split up when he was five years old, and on top of that, he moved around quite often. 

“I’ve been everywhere. I was born in Fredericton, then we moved to Shilo and then Wawanesa. Then from Wawanesa we went to Brandon for grade five. I was in Prince George for grade six and then I came back to live with my dad for a year in Glenboro, Manitoba for grade seven. Then, my mom moved back to Brandon and I did grade eight there, and then I went to Virden, and I’ve been there ever since.”

Difference-maker in multiple leagues

Shiels has been a difference-maker, regardless as to which team he played for.  

In grade eight, his Westman Youth Football Association (WYFA) squad went undefeated, with Shiels earning time as an under-sized guard, as well as a defensive end. 

“At the time when I was playing guard, I was all in. Little grade eight me was talking about going pro at guard, which was funny because I didn’t nearly have the size. I was good at it because I was one of the strongest there. I had one guy on both sides of me, and all I had to do was make sure the guy opposite didn’t go through me.”

At practice, the energy was high and so was the compete level. Shiels’ favourite drill was Oklahoma, invented in 1947 by Oklahoma Sooners head coach Bud Wilkinson as a way to test an athlete’s toughness. Two players would be placed inside a corridor of two blocking bags that gave a three-foot wide and nine-foot long channel. The aim was to knock your opponent to the ground or outside of the corridor.  

“I think our best game was 50-0. We were mean,” noted Shiels. 

“Practices were something that I don’t think I’ll ever see again. There was hitting everywhere. No matter what part of the drill I was in, I loved it, just because of how explosive it was. One second you’re on your back, the next you’re hitting someone or getting hit.”

The following year, Shiels transitioned to Virden and the storied Rural Manitoba Football League (RMFL), where he’s spent his entire high school career. 

The nine-man RMFL, which has been around in some form since 1958, currently houses nine teams, with alumni that include Israel Idonije, Chris Bauman and Landon Rice. More recently, athletes such as Interlake’s Colton Nedotiafko (Manitoba Bisons, 2019) have moved onto U SPORTS football, with countless others also transitioning to the post-secondary level. 

Shiels found his niche last year with Virden, where he played tight end and defensive end. He was also named the team’s Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman. 

“They’d have me at tight end for games where we didn’t really need to worry about winning because it was already in the bag. But for games against Swan Lake, Dauphin and Moosomin, they had me at defensive end, because they knew if I played both sides of the ball than I would benefit the team a lot more than just being on one side,” he says. 

“The bigger guys just throw their weight around in the sport, but then there’s me. I’m 240 pounds, I’m fast and I have quick feet and good technique. I’m just as good as those guys who are twice my size.”

Shiels’ proved his statement earlier this year when he attended Team Manitoba’s U18 winter prep camp. Amongst countless WHSFL standouts, Shiels didn’t look out of place. He drew the eyes of multiple Manitoba Bisons staff members through his work in one-on-one drills, as well as the scrimmage portion, where he stuffed a ball carrier in the backfield to conclude one of the sessions. 

“The first day I went all out and pushed myself. I went there not even thinking I would make Team Manitoba. I just wanted to get better and try to improve in any aspect possible.”

The Canada Cup was cancelled this year due to COVID, however Shiels still left his mark, impressing Bisons head coach Brian Dobie enough to earn a scholarship for the 2021 season. He joins a positional group that’s been absolutely loaded under coach Scott Barbour over the last few years, with five defensive linemen drafted to the CFL since 2019. 

“I want to go in there and first year be starting later in the season. I’m training right now so that I’ll be ready to go.”