It’s not every day that two homegrown players are selected in the NFL Draft. In fact, it hadn’t happened in 35 years. The big move that Matthew Bergeron and Sidy Sow just made is quite an achievement and is having a positive impact on Quebec football.
We have to go back to 1988, when receiver Tommy Kane and linebacker Brian Forde were picked by the Seahawks and Saints, respectively, to see the last time such a scenario occurred.
Think about it for a moment… In 1988 in Quebec, Guy Lafleur announced his return to football with Rangers.
The Nordiques were bought by a consortium consisting of Marcel Aubut, the Fonds de solidarité FTQ, the Mutuelle du Québec and Métro-Richelieu with the promise that the team would secure its future in Quebec forever.
We’d also be remiss if we didn’t mention that it was the year that René and Nathalie Simard set the province on fire with Tourne la page.
Why evoke these memories? To show how long it has been and that times have changed.
give chills
In short, what Matthew Bergeron and Sidy Sow just accomplished is terrific. The attention given to them will never match their performance.
You have to realize how phenomenal the simple fact of being selected in the NFL Draft is for a player from here.
In Victoriaville on Friday night, I had the privilege of witnessing this unique moment in the presence of Bergeron and his loved ones. I can’t remember ever filming a sporting moment that gave me so many goosebumps. Anyone who is not affected by such a scene should have their vital signs checked immediately, they may be dead inside.
Sow is more reserved and has chosen to stay away from the limelight despite the media interest at the time. His inspirational journey deserves to be told no less.
From the regions to the big leagues
Bergeron and Sow bathed in a sea of immensely talented players in the United States, where football culture reigns supreme. It’s a religion among our neighbors to the south that’s even more addictive than sacrosanct ice hockey can be in the eyes of sports enthusiasts here.
Both Bergeron and Sow have made significant sacrifices of their own, moving away from their families to satisfy their passion and sustain their dream.
The NCAA path is not the only one. Local players like Laurent Duvernay-Tardif and Antony Auclair stayed home, played their varsity football in Quebec and still broke through.
That’s not the debate, but Bergeron and Sow have the credit for choosing their path and persevering by focusing all their energies on the end goal that has just been achieved.
Inspirational journeys
Walt Middleton Photography 2022 Stephane Cadorette
Quebec school football is winning today because these two sections of the wall laid their foundations here.
Sow excelled with the JH Leclerc Incroyables, a Granby school, before making the leap with the Champlain-Lennoxville Cougars. School football existed here before Eastern Michigan and the Patriots of the NFL.
Bergeron started with the Vicas de Victoriaville, then moved on to the Filons du Cégep de Thetford Mines before heading to Syracuse and Atlanta on the Goodell Circuit.
There is something beautiful about both of these courses. These two players have come a long way in their hometown to make a name for themselves and climb the corporate ladder. You just showed thousands of young people playing in Quebec high school soccer that the dream is within everyone’s reach.