Happy birthday Brady: Pupek signs with Western
Brady Pupek celebrated his 18th birthday in spectacular fashion.
Before a big crowd of teachers, family members, relatives, coaches, teammates and friends, the Grade 12 student at Sir Winston Churchill and teammate Quinn Johnston were centre stage at a signing ceremony honouring their commitments to play football with the Western Mustangs.
It was a signing unlike any other previously staged in Niagara. High school coaches in various sports praised both players character, leadership and athletic ability, video highlights played on stage in the Churchill auditorium and the event ended with a PowerPoint display honouring both players. Western head coach Greg Marshall was impressed with the signing ceremony.
“We have been to a lot of signings over the years but none like this,” he said.
It was quite the show for Pupek, who only started playing football in Grade 11 thanks to the perseverance of Churchill head coach Peter Perron.
“Every single day he was bugging me to come out on the field and I came around in my 11th Grade year and said that I would give it a shot,” the 6-foot-2, 202-pound receiver said. “I had great teammates who motivated me and I just fell in love with it from there.”
His reluctance to play was based on his interest in another sport.
“I played basketball my whole life and it was my main sport. I loved it, trained for it and I thought that is what I wanted to play post secondary.”
He received interest for his basketball skills from Guelph and Niagara College but he received a lot more notoriety for his football exploits.
“I had a lot of schools talk to me and two made offers and it sparked an interest. It seemed like my dreams were becoming a reality.”
Western and McMaster both made him offers and it was the former that came out on top.
“It has a great coaching staff, it is a great school and the big thing was they had my program, which is kinesiology. They also have a great team, great facilities and they were very welcoming.”
His decision to become a Mustang was solidified when he made a game day visit when Western was playing Queen’s.
“The atmosphere was amazing and the fans were amazing. I was on the field watching them warm up and I knew I wanted to be a part of something like that.”
His goal for his freshman year of Ontario University Athletics ball is to work hard.
“I want to prove to myself and other people that I can play.”
In his second year of playing football, he felt he made significant strides in the sport.
“Last year, I relied on my athleticism and didn’t know too much about the footwork, the release and all the things that come with being a football player,” he said. “This year, I have really taken the time to focus, learn the fundamentals and improve from there so I can work on becoming an elite player.”
His preparations for the upcoming season have already began.
“I am out on the field, I am playing with the Niagara Spears and we are practising three days a week, and I lift weights at Iron Performance, he said. “I am working hard and I am excited to get there.”
Perron will miss him.
“He is a wunderkind and he has all the tools,” he said. “The physicality and what he is capable of doing allows him to out-man most people. If he continues with his strength training and the whole bit, he will be great.”
Perron recalled the championship game when Myer scored a kick return major and Pupek said he was going to bring it back the other way, which he did.
“He’s determined and he has the will to win, whether it’s in football, basketball or any of the other sports that he does.”
Perron compares him to former Churchill great Max Cameron.
“You throw anything within a two-metre bubble of him and he’s going to catch the damn thing.”
Western offensive coordinator Gaetan Richard can’t wait to start working with Pupek.
“He is an unbelievable athlete and very new to football still so there’s a lot of untapped potential there,” he said. “Honestly, I think the sky is the limit with him. Just watching him play this past season, some of the flashes we saw were rare. And watching him play basketball, he is a rare athlete.”
Western also likes Pupek as a person.
“When he came for visits and interacted with our guys, it was very easy to see how he would be a great fit in our program,” Richard said. “It was his competitiveness and just how thoughtful he is. He is a great teammate and that’s what we look for at Western. We have no doubt he will be a great fit with us.”
Editor’s note. Still to come is story on Quinn Johnston.
