BCFC 
Where are they now
Sun Spots: Larry Hillman
Former defensive lineman Larry Hillary
It’s been seven seasons since defensive lineman Larry Hillary patrolled the Apple Bowl wearing his #44.
Despite his terrifying game on the field, Hillary was certainly well liked by all his teammates showing outstanding leadership qualities, winning the team’s top defensive lineman award in 2009.
Many fans might not remember but Hillary’s junior football career didn’t actually start on the storied Apple Bowl grass. He broke into the BCFC as a member of the Chilliwack Huskers in 2006 as a fullback.
The following year the Rutland grad was granted his release to return home and suit up for the Sun, this time on the defensive side. He played three seasons in the orange and brown from 2007-2009, collecting 24 tackles, 8.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries and a block.
“The highlight of my career was my final game against Nanaimo,” says Hillary. “Even though we lost, everybody pushed harder than ever and the feeling after the game was that everyone truly left it all on the field.”
Playing with the Sun for three season, he made some lifelong friendships, “the entire group that I graduated with and all the players who came after each made an impression. I’m friends with many of them still.”
Following his time with the Sun he moved to Edmonton and played two seasons of CIS football at the University of Alberta, then started working in the oilfields. He’s still living in Alberta and working in the oilfields as well as landscaping. August will be an important month, he’s getting married to his beautiful finance Amy.
It’s been seven seasons since he last played in the Okanagan but Hillary says he “would 100% trade places with a current player to experience everything the same and the organization has to offer.” He also has this piece of advice for the current roster; “play every game like it’s your last, cliche right? Put everything you possibly can into becoming a better player because you truly get it back tenfold in the end and it will not only make you a better player, but a better man.”
Larry Hillary is a proud Okanagan Sun alumnus.
One of the greatest running backs in Sun history
He’s regarded as one of the best running backs in Okanagan Sun history.
Terrance Huston dominated the BC Junior Football Conference from 1995-1998. In just three seasons he collected 44 career touchdowns, 35 of which were on the ground. His 44 majors is still a Sun record.
In the three seasons, the Sun appeared in two Canadian Bowls, losing both times to the Regina Rams in 1997 and 1998. In his first season in 1996, the Sun fell to the Saskatoon Hilltops in the National semi-final game. Huston made three interceptions, a National semi-final record that still stands and collected the highest return average, averaging 30 yards a return, also a National semi-final record that still holds true.
Huston states playing with his brother Jermaine Haley was one of his highlights during his tenure with the Sun. He also says, still remembered as one of the best players ever to wear a Sun uniform, 17 years later, is another highlight.
Following his three dominating years in the Okanagan, Huston enrolled in Butte College in Northern California, where it didn’t take long to be noticed. After just one season at Butte, Huston signed with the Miami Dolphins in 2000.
However, Huston never dressed for the Dolphins, getting released at the beginning of the season. He was picked up by the Oakland Raiders and placed on the practice roster for that season. Following the year, Huston was given permission to play in the XFL in 2001 to gain more experience with the Orlando Rage. As a tight-end he caught five balls for 51 yards.
After the XFL folded he returned to the Raiders in 2002, before suffering a career ending neck injury.
Today Huston lives in New Westminster and is a correctional officer at North Fraser Pretrial Centre in Port Coquitlam and has been there for the past four years.
The love of football hasn’t left his heart as back in 2012 he helped coach Frank Hurt high school to a provincial championship.
That said, when asked if he would trade places with any members of the Sun today, he says NO, claiming he came in at a good time. He does believe head coach Shane Beatty is doing a good job of getting “that old Sun attitude back that has been missing for years.”
The advice he gives the current Sun running back core is this: First off, try and score every time you touch the ball. Second, see the whole field and third remember, great players make great plays when they are tired.
Huston is a family man now, living with his girlfriend and expecting his third child in July. He kids Jannae and Jaydee are growing like crazy and he has a message for Sun fans; ”Kelowna should here some noise from my son on the football field in a few years.” Music to the ears of fans who remember watching #8 tear up and down the Apple Bowl for three wonderful seasons.
If his son is half as good as his Dad, Sun fans will be in for a real treat!!
This Bell will be ringing in Edmonton in 2015
Jeremy Bell played for the Sun from 2005-2009 returning kicks and playing a solid defensive back position.
Following his time with the Sun, Bell played for the University of Alberta Golden Bears where again he excelled.
While attending the University of Alberta Bell began taking steps to become a strength and conditioning coach and now he’s back in junior football as a member of the Edmonton Wildcats coaching staff. Bell is not only the Wildcats’ strength and conditioning coach but also the defensive backs coach for the 2015 season.
Wildcats head coach Darcy Park says “one of the biggest off-season additions is the hiring of Jeremy Bell as the team’s strength and conditioning coach.”
Does Bell think playing with the Sun helped him land the position with the Wildcats?
“Playing with the Sun and just football in general taught me many things such as work ethic, team work how to work with different personalities. But I would have to say the single greatest thing playing for the Sun taught me excellence, excellence in life, in school, in relationships in every aspect of life. Do not settle for mediocre or just good enough, prepare like a champion, work like a champion and good things will come out of it.”
Bell says he will not only help the Wildcats with their strength, but help them prevent injury as well;
“Our strength and conditioning program it is very comprehensive, no stone has been left unturned in regards to preparing our players to maximize their athletic potential. Strength and conditioning is my absolute passion and I have spent countless hours building a program that I feel will give my athletes a competitive edge over any program in the country. My philosophy as a strength coach is centered around building strong athletes of course but our number one focus is injury prevention, a player is no good to his coaches and teammates if he isn’t on the field to express his athletic ability so while being able to deadlift 500 pounds may look good on paper, if you are hurt all the time and not on the field you are no good to your team, so again my philosophy is to build athletes that are resistant to injury as well as strong and explosive.”
Over the course of four seasons with the Sun, Bell became very familiar with the franchise and now is looking for similarities with the Wildcats;
“I would say the Cats organization has some similarities in regards to their championship pedigree but I don’t think the mystique is quite the same as you have with the Okanagan Sun. The Sun is a focal point in the community and it’s a special privilege to play for the organization. Now I’m not saying it isn’t a privilege to play for the Cats but its prestige is a little different due to the sport climate in a large market such as Edmonton. In Edmonton you have a number of professional sports franchises to compete with as well as another junior team the Edmonton Huskies and of course the University of Alberta Golden Bears whom I played defensive back for and was also the assistant defensive backs coach in 2012.”
What about teammates, does Bell see and similarities between his teammates with the Sun and the players he’s met on the Wildcats roster?
“As for right now I haven’t really spent enough time around the guys to really make that judgment. There is one player by the name of Cockburn who is an offensive lineman and he kind of reminds me of Travis Miller, super out spoken kind of gets a hard time from the guys but they all love him.”
One of the most difficult aspects for a player becoming a coach for the first time, is letting go of his playing days. Wanting to jump into the play or lead by example on the field can be hard to get over. Bell has been able to transition nicely, but if age wasn’t a factor could he suit up for the Wildcats if they needed him in the secondary?
“I could most definitely suit up right now, I’m actually a much more prepared athlete now than I was during my days with the sun. My pursuit of strength and conditioning has allowed me to really maximize my own abilities physically, something I wish I could have done more of while playing with the Sun. I recently got a hat trick of interceptions in my last touch league game! So I think it’s safe to say Coach Bell still has it!”
So with the Canadian Bowl held in the PFC champion in 2015, is Bell hoping for a Sun vs. Wildcat national championship?
“As far as a Wildcats vs Sun Canadian Bowl it’s an intriguing thought but not something that is even on my radar at this point. We have a tremendous amount of work to do to prepare ourselves for the season so at this point I won’t be making any kind of predictions, we will let our work and preparation speak for itself and let the chips fall where they may.”
The Sun and Wildcats have only met each other once. In 1983 the Wildcats snuck past the Sun 29-28 to win the Inter-Conference championship, before beating Ottawa in the Armadale Cup (now the Canadian Bowl) 30-11.
The Sun will open their 34th Spring Camp on May 29th.
Sun Spots: Mac Wynsouw
Quarterback turned Defensive Lineman
It’s been one of the most impressive “change of positions” in Canadian Junior Football League history.
In 2008 Sun alum Mac Wynsouw move from his back-up quarterback position to starting defensive lineman; chasing the quarterback. “My decision to move to DL was made after a sit down talk with coach (and now GM) Jay Christensen. I wanted to play and help the team more than I was and we decided on DL. Best football decision I made for my career.”
The move paid off as Wynsouw was named the team’s most Improved Player in his first year on the defensive side (2008), which he says is one of his most memorable moments as a member of the orange and brown.
His other moment came in his first season in 2004, when the Sun played the Edmonton Huskies in the Canadian Bowl on October 30th. Though the Sun fell 24-7 in Edmonton, Wynsouw said it was the highlight of his career.
Unfortunately for Wynsouw, 2004 was the only taste of a national championship game he played in. Over the next four seasons he played in the Cullen Cup but didn’t advance. In 2005 the Sun lost in the BCFC title game to the South Surrey (Langley) Rams, before losing to Andrew Harris and the Vancouver Island Raiders in 2006, 2007 and 2008. Oddly enough in the 2008 game, one of the only positives for the Sun that afternoon was a Wynsouw fumble recovery which led to the lone Sun touchdown.
In 2009, his second year on the defensive line, Wynsouw injured his knee in Kamloops in the third game of the season and never played again.
Following his rehab the KSS grad had university opportunities but decided not to risk further injury and went to work in the oil patch. Which is where he met his beautiful fiancé and ultimately led to the birth of his son.
When asked if he would trade places with any of the current defensive line Wynsouw says, “of course I would trade with a current player and do it all over, playing with the Sun was some of the best years of my life!” The decision would be that much easier if his friend and former teammate Larry Hillary was invited back as well, “we both played strong side DL and had lots of little fake audibles and calls which made it lots of fun. He's one of my best friends still to this day!”
To the current players the Kelowna native offers this advice, “Enjoy it! Work hard, you practice against the best offense in the league everyday and don't take it for granted. These are the best years of your life so don't waste the time on the field because when you're off it, you miss it forever.”
Wynsouw was part of the 2008 Sun team that faced tragedy with the sudden passing of teammate Janson Towers on the eve of their playoff game with the Rams. One of the lessons he takes away from that tragedy is something Mrs. Towers told the team, “"Never give up, never retreat, get this sh*t done, and give 'er hell!" And "To give anything less than your best, is to sacrifice the gift.”
Today Wynsouw isn’t playing football, instead he’s a loving father of his son Xander, engaged to Christina and working with Import Toole Corp in Edmonton.
Sun Spots: James Green
One of the best returners in history
He was one of, if not the most dangerous weapon for the Sun from 2001-2004.
James Green collected over 3,000 yards in kick returns in his Sun career and scored 14 touchdowns.
Green played for Butte College following his junior career, before playing at the University of Calgary. He was then selected by the Toronto Argos in the third round of the 2009 CFL player draft.
Green just concluded his first season with the Ottawa Redblacks and reflects on his Sun career with our Ryan Watters (@ryan2tswatters)
Sun Spots: Jeff Schieman
He played five seasons from 1998-2002
Over the course of the 33 years of the Okanagan Sun, a number of great receivers have come through the program. One of them is Jeff Schieman who played five years for the Sun from 1998-2002.
“He was such a coachable player,” said former Head Coach Jay Christensen. “He had a great personality when he was with our football club, always smiling and joking around. I remember him being a big, strong receiver for us.”
Throughout his five years, the Kamloops native caught 120 passes for 2,348 yards and 33 touchdowns, averaging 19.6 yards a catch. His best year was his last, hauling in 47 passes and collecting 1,002 yards and 10 majors. As a matter of fact, one of his best memories was breaking his coach’s all-time receiving record, a perfect way to end his junior football career.
He was named an All-Canadian in 2002, his final year. He was also a two-time BCFC All-Star in 2001 and 2002, and finished his career as the team’s all-time leading receiver.
The highlight of his career was clearly winning the Canadian Bowl in 2000 at the Apple Bowl, beating the Saskatoon Hilltops 36-28.
“Playing in the Canadian Bowl in front of our home crowd was one of the most thrilling games I've ever played in,” says Schieman. “What made it most special was the whole season leading up to that game, with epic battles against our rivals Victoria and Surrey. Something else that made that season and winning the Canadian Bowl so special was doing it while playing beside my brother Ryan.”
Following his five years with the Sun receiving passes from the likes of Zack Silverman, Johnathan Spencer and Ryan Perverseff, Schieman received a scholarship to play at the University of Saskatchewan for three seasons. After losing a couple of heartbreaking Vanier Cups by a combined seven points (2004-2005), Schieman had a brief try out with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers but nothing ever materialized.
With all the accolades and accomplishments, Schieman says he wouldn’t trade places with any of the current Sun receivers and do it all over again. “The talented players and coaches that surrounded the team at that time made my experience special.”
Schieman not only put pride in making big catches, but also laying the big block and working in the team frame of thinking, he says “it's not just about making the catch but doing the little things on the field to help the team win.”
Following his experience with the Huskies and Bombers, he returned home to Kamloops to settle down and start a family with his wife and now two kids. He and his family still reside in Kamloops.
The 2015 season of the Sun marks the 15th anniversary of the 2000 Canadian Bowl.
Rush & Fiance Do New York
We don't normally update on the love lives our our alumnus but thought this one was pretty cool.2013 Sun grad Jack Rush and fiance Evelyn were in New York at Times Square and the New York Times snapped this pic of them. Congrats guys, that ones a keeper!
Sun Aumnus James Green on being a RedBlack
We talked to former Okanagan Sun James Green two days after the Ottawa RedBlacks took the Vernon native in the expansion draft
Listen as James Green talks joining Ottawa RedBlacks
A FOUR YEAR DEFENSIVE BACK WHO GRADUATED FOLLOWING 2010
Photo courtesy of Bill Adams
Without a doubt he was a difference maker in the Okanagan Sun secondary until graduating from the program following the 2010 season.
Daylon Pommier was a versatile defensive back that patrolled the safety position in the latter stages of his junior career. He was a hard hitter, never shying away from the physical side of the sport and loved to talk to whoever would listen on the field, getting under the oppositions skin.
Following his outstanding junior career the RSS grad travelled to Montreal to attend and play for the University of Concordia along with some familiar faces including Sun alum Paul Spencer, Max Caron, Brendan Urness and Matt Scheurwater
When he reflects on his time with the Sun, Pommier says the highlight of his career was making the lifelong friendships with the players he played with. On the field it was his final game in the orange and brown; the 2010 BC Conference final at the Apple Bowl. Thou the game ended in a heartbreaking loss (16-14) to the VI Raiders, it’s an experience Pommier will never forget.
Over the course of his four years, Pommier had many teammates but there were a few that stood out “I'd have to say the Beaton brothers (Danny and Daryl) Alex Law (Tommy Gun) Stephen Rutter (for knocking a guys helmet 10 feet off in the air) Cole Shade and Batgoof to name a few guys I will never forget playing with.”
His time with the Sun was four of the best years of his life, but would he do it all over again? The hours of practice, the time spent watching film, traveling on the bus, rehabbing through injuries? In a word, Pommier says “Absolutely.”
What advice does he have for new Sun defensive backs? “Have a memory of a goldfish, don't get beat deep and watch film.”
Pommier says playing with the Sun in the CJFL taught him many valuable lessons. “Junior football made me work collectively with a bunch of different guys for a common goal. It teaches young people how to tolerate and respect other humans even if you don't agree or even like them which is a great skill to have in life. I also came out of junior ball with some lifelong connections. I still consider some of the most important people in my life the ones I shared the battlefield with.”
Daylon Pommier is a proud Okanagan Sun alumni.