The Central Alberta Buccaneers are less than a week away from kicking off their season.
With a mix of new faces and returning veterans, the Buccaneers will look to make some noise this season in the Alberta Football League (AFL).
Team chairperson and defensive lineman Paul Jensen said they've played in a couple of exhibition matches and the team looks good.
"We've got a young crew this year. We brought in a lot of guys who haven't seen any AFL action," he said. "We've had about four weeks of camp here getting ourselves ready to go. We're feeling pretty good heading into week one."
Jensen explained they've brought in approximately 14 new players which includes mostly local talent from Sylvan Lake, Stettler, and Lacombe. They've also returned around a dozen players.
"We do have a good core group of leaders who are helping out with our young guys. It's not the biggest roster we've ever had but we have a good mix of young faces and long-standing leaders that are helping introduce the new era of Bucs," Jensen added.
This season the Buccaneers are aiming to capture the league title and compared to recent seasons Jensen said there will be a lot more parity in the league this year. For the last two years the team has been in a rebuilding phase but in 2024 they'll look to win their first AFL championship since 2021.
Sylvan Lake's Brett Bylsma, who has served as the team quarterback the last two seasons, has moved to a new role at wide receiver and safety on defence. Former wide receiver Tylor Johannesson will take over the reins at quarterback.
"They're essentially swapping roles. Tylor's been at the top of our receiver group for the last few years... We've introduced a fairly dynamic offence that's going to play to the strengths of Tylor as a quarterback," Jensen said.
The Buccaneers also expect to have a strong running game this year with the three-headed monster of Warren Stewart, David Symons, and Tony Morelli.
Despite that, the Bucs' strength remains on the defensive side of the ball. Jensen explained that for the last few years, they've been a 'bend but don't break' type of defence. They don't typically sit on top of the league standings in defensive stats but can hold their own.
Central Alberta will take on the Calgary Wolfpack in Week 1 of the AFL season in the home opener on Saturday, June 1 at Lacombe Athletic Park. They'll play a total of six regular-season games before the playoffs start.
After playing the majority of their home games at Setters Place the last few years, the Buccaneers will play all of their home matchups in Lacombe this year.
Jensen said there are a few reasons behind that decision. When the league schedule first came out there were a few scheduling issues at Setters Place with other events going on at the same time.
The other reason is that since they're already practicing in Lacombe, it makes sense to play their games there since they're already used to the field and environment. It's also easier to remain in one location for the year rather than switching back and forth.
"We haven't said goodbye to Red Deer by any means. This is just kind of how the cards were dealt this season but we're super excited."