"Ferraro joins Team Canada for International Bowl"

MISSISSAUGA — It took a little while to sink in, but when St. Marcellinus Secondary School kicker/punter Gabriel Ferraro realized he had just met a seven-time Grey Cup champion kicker, he was understandably starstruck.

It was a few years ago and Ferraro had just finished playing a high school football game when he was approached by former Edmonton Eskimo and Toronto Argonaut star Hank Ilesic, a Mississauga resident who just happened to be in the area watching the game.

"At first I didn't realize who he was," said Ferraro, who now trains with Ilesic at St. Marcellinus and Olympia Muscle and Fitness at Rockwood Mall. "Then it clicked in, I did some research and I thought 'Oh my God, this is Hank Illesic.' It was very unexpected, but I'm very grateful I got to meet him and train with him."

Since they began training together, Ferraro has evolved into one of the top high school kickers in Canada.

Next month, he'll join Canada's under-19 junior team in Texas for the 2014 International Bowl, a series of training camps and scrimmages with the U.S. juniors that concludes with a game at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, on Feb. 8.

"It's exciting before you go there, but once you're there, you have to keep your emotions in check," Ferraro said of the thought of playing in such a popular stadium. "You can get excited before and after, but when you're playing, it's all business. No matter what field you're on, you're still on a field. It doesn't matter where you are, you still have a job to do whether it's at (AT&T) Stadium or a grass field."

Ferraro was selected for Canada's 60-man team from a field of 500 players who tried out across the country last month.

In Texas, the players will be competing for the right to represent Canada at the 2014 World U19 Championships in Kuwait in July.

Ferraro, who was named team MVP for the Burlington Stampeders after a great Ontario Football Conference season last year, is one of two kickers on the team.

Canada is likely to only take one kicker to Kuwait, meaning Ferraro will have to focus on what he can do and not worry about his competition in order to earn his spot.

He says training with Ilesic has helped in that regard.

"It's a lot about your mental side when it comes to kicking," Ferraro said. "Even the workouts you do not only make you physically stronger, but also mentally stronger. That's a big thing for whenever you have to rebound from a bad kick or a bad game."

In September, Ferraro will begin his first year at the University of Guelph, where he'll learn more from Ilesic, Guelph's kicking coach. Ferraro will be the backup to his older brother, Daniel, who's in his third year at the university.