Niagara’s minister of defence
The Niagara Spears Varsity football team is looking to Christian Kuriata to provide leadership to a young defence.
“He has been with us on the senior team for two years and he is one of the most experienced linebackers to come back from last year,” defensive coordinator Ron Traub said. “We have a very young team, but he’s one of our experienced players and he’s one of the leaders on our defence.”
The 18-year-old Niagara Falls resident has taken to the role.
“He sets the bar for the rest of the guys to reach and he does it very well,” Traub said.
The 5-foot-11 230-pounder linebacker is comfortable in a leadership role.
“I have had that role with Myer in my last year,” the 12B student at A.N. Myer said. “We have a really young group of guys that can develop together and grow the next couple of years.”
Kuriata hopes to carry on with his own development as a football player.
“I just want to continue growing my leadership abilities, have a good season, be productive and contribute as much as possible.”
Niagara’s starting middle linebacker has lots of attributes to make that a reality.
“He’s very smart, he knows our playbook inside and out, he has good leadership abilities and he is very consistent with everything he does,” Traub said.
Kuriata is confident the Spears are going to have a successful season.
“We are going to do well,” he said. “Defensively, we want to shut everyone out and we are looking strong. It looks like we have lots of potential.”
At the end of the summer, Kuriata will be heading to either Laurier or Brock to study finance.
“If I go to Brock, I am going to be coaching at Myer as the junior defensive coordinator.”
Laurier has yet to offer him a chance to try out for their football team, but he is still interested in going there.
“I narrowed it down to Laurier because program-wise, it was my favourite choice,” he said. “Other schools that had an interest me, I just didn’t think they were the right for me.
“I am still working on going to Laurier to play football and if I go to Brock, it is a perfect fit coaching wise.”
He is entering his third summer with the Niagara Spears organization and has loved every moment of the experience.
“Being with these guys and playing with them year after year, it’s brothers that you love and it is a high level of competition that you don’t always get at the high school level,” Kuriata said. “You get to play the best.”
This could potentially be his last summer of football, but Kuriata isn’t thinking in those terms.
“I don’t think about that because if I don’t get the offer from Laurier I have the ability to be a walk-on, otherwise I get to start the coaching career.”
The Spears are on the road May 11 in Guelph and May 18 in Essex before their home opener May 24 at 8 p.m. at Kiwanis Field versus Kingston.
