The article below is copied from
insidehalton.com and written Steve Leblanc. The photography was listed from
Ramsey's Twitter page.
...More than a little eager to return to the Dallas Cowboy’s hollowed grounds of AT&T Stadium next Friday (Feb. 5), Thomas Ramsay is set to help Ontario’s U18 squad battle the U.S. in the International Bowl.
For one looking to raise his profile and get on college coaches’ radar, opportunities don’t get much bigger than this.
“I’m really excited for the chance to showcase my talents and get some more film for recruiters,” said the 17-year-old defensive tackle, who stamped his ticket to the Lone Star State with a successful qualifying bid for the provincial team last month in Hamilton.
This marks his second time at the International Bowl, having been part of the Ontario U17 team last year — suffering the lone defeat in a 3-1 showing for the provincial program. “I’m ready to represent Milton and Ontario (again).”
As comfortable as he looks delivering a big hit or muscling his way through high-traffic situations, football wasn’t always Ramsay’s sport of choice.
A solid contributor on the rep basketball scene for several years, the now 6-foot-1, 265-pounder made the switch from the court to gridiron shortly after joining the Milton District Mustangs junior football team in Grade 9.
The reason was quite simple.
“I like the aggression… the hitting. It was instant love,” recalled Ramsay, who’s spent time on both the offensive and defensive line. “At first I just used my natural strength, and once I got the (tackle) technique down I was flying.”
The International Bowl isn’t the only opportunity the local lineman has had to take his football prowess south of the border.
Landing a spot at Welland-based Canada Prep Academy this past fall, Ramsay was part of the country’s only all-US schedule — testing himself against many of America’s high-ranked schools.
The move from MD — where he’d helped the Mustangs to the Halton Tier 3 title the previous season — also saw him come under the tutelage of former NFL/CFL lineman Kevin Huntley.
“I thought I had my pass rushing moves down, but he (coach Huntley) has taught me so many things,” noted Ramsay, who was also part of the Burlington Stampeders provincial championship drive last summer. “I’ve been very fortunate to have him as my coach and to play a lot of big schools. There’s been great competition.”
While set to play for another d-line coach he’s already worked with — Carleton University’s Darrell Adams — Ramsay and his Team Ontario mates haven’t practiced together yet and will have just a few days in Texas to gel before taking on their U.S. counterparts.
That’s where one of the harder to measure but no less valuable upgrades to his game over the past year should serve him well.
“I’d say team work may be my biggest improvement recently. I think I’ve gotten better at working with different surroundings and am getting along better with different players,” said Ramsay, who’s played with just two members of Team Ontario before, both of them on offence. “I want to fly around out there, make some plays and hopefully we can pull out the win.”
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