Jordan Botel had an MVP season as a rookie with the Mount Allison Mounties and next month he'll have the opportunity to impress Canadian Football League scouts and personnel.
The former College Heights Cougars running back picked up both the offensive MVP and the overall MVP for the Mounties at their annual athletic awards night. Before returning to Prince George, Botel will make a stop in London, Ont., May 6-11, where he'll suit up in the annual CIS East-West Bowl game.
"It's a good opportunity to really see how I stack up against the best the CIS has right now," said Botel about playing for the East. "It'll be a new experience. I'll take it all in and, hopefully learn some new stuff."
The 23-year-old won't be the only Prince George football running back in London as Brandon Deschamps, a Kelly Road graduate and UBC Thunderbirds player, will line up in the back field for the West team.
During the eight-game regular season, Botel edged out Deschamps for fourth place among rushers, finishing with 878 yards on 197 carries and seven touchdowns. The T-birds rusher had 785 yards on 117 carries and three touchdowns. Botel led the Atlantic conference in rushing yards and touchdowns, while his 197 carries were the second-most in a single season in conference history.
"It's always rewarding to have accomplishments," said Botel.
The Mounties finished the season with a 3-5 record and lost their playoff semifinal game to the Saint Mary's Huskies.
"It was a young team with a lot of first year guys all playing together," said Botel. "It was definitely a growing process for all of us to get adjusted and get used to our new offence. I think in the coming year we'll have a lot of improvements and more continuity between everybody. It should be a bright-looking year coming up."
Botel said his goal is to carry the team to a playoff win and, hopefully to the Uteck Bowl and on to the Vanier Cup in the fall. The Mounties open the 2013 season Sept. 7 at St. Francis-Xavier.
"I think we'll have a good chance with the returning group of guys we have coming back," he said.
Botel joined the Mounties last season after playing four years as a member of the Vancouver Island Raiders in the Canadian Junior Football League where he was first introduced to the possibility of playing university ball.
"During my time with the Raiders we actually had a couple guys who played for Acadia that played on the Vancouver Island Raiders team who introduced me to CIS over here," said Botel. "When my time was done with the Raiders I decided to come over here to experience life on the east coast.
Before joining the Raiders for the 2008 season, Botel had hung up his cleats after high school and was taking college classes, but his hunger for the pigskin persisted.
"I missed it, you only have so long to play really before it's done," said Botel. "It's a fun game and after a while away from it you miss playing with all your teammates and just the general camaraderie that comes along with it."
At five-foot-10 Botel said he has to work at finding the holes in the defensive line.
"I'm not the fastest guy but I'm quick and a little bit elusive," he said.
The Mounties return to the field in Sackville, NB this weekend for their spring camp before parting ways until August. Botel will head to the East-West game in London the week after before returning to Prince George. Botel said he was trying to maintain an even keel about playing in the CIS all-star game and about his chances of playing in the CFL one day.
"It would be fun and you can always, hopefully dream, I guess," he said.
