A group of local football players have made it through the arduous process for Team Alberta U18.
After four months and four evaluation camps that started with more than 400 players, Football Alberta announced Thursday the final roster for the Football Canada Cup this summer in Nova Scotia.
Five names from Central Alberta were among the final 40, including quarterback Jonathan Ericson of Lacombe, offensive linemen Carson Lethbridge (Sylvan Lake) and Jacob Weller (Red Deer) along with defensive lineman Derek Friesen (Red Deer) and Kallen Vickery (Red Deer).
From June 9-11, the full 40-man roster will get together in Red Deer and hold a provincial team mini-camp.
The team will then take off in July to Acadia University in Wolfville, N.S. to compete against seven other provincial teams with B.C. in the mix for the first time since 2011. Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and host Nova Scotia make up the rest of the teams competing for the championship.
The U18 Football Canada Cup is typically a prime spot for Canadian Universities to identify potential prospects for the 2018-2019 season.
Alberta has won six national championships at the Football Canada Cup and finished fourth overall in 2016. Last year, only four players from Central Alberta made the final cut for the Team Alberta U18 team.