For a few years now, the local football community has been anxiously awaiting the time when very competitive youth summer football programs would ultimately feed into the Sudbury Spartans senior men's team.

Sure, there have been a small handful of familiar faces at the U16 and U18 level that work into the Saturday night roster - but not enough to give Spartans head coach Junior Labrosse the kind of breathing room, with the numbers, that he would like.

It's still early, the 2026 OP5L (Ontario Power Five League) opener set for (Saturday) May 23rd at the James Jerome Sports Complex opposite the Sault Steelers, but the signs are quite encouraging.

"It's nice to see a bunch of new guys out here," noted linebacker Jesse Karwaski, a 25 year-old graduate of Lasalle Secondary and five year Spartans veteran. "We've got a nice group of vets that have been playing for a few years, but every year, we welcome new guys and are building a younger core."

A defensive back in his first three years in the league, Karwaski has moved up one level on the defensive side of the ball, with little to no doubt in his mind that he would be returning for another summer of football in 2026.

"All of the boys out here keep me coming back," he said. "It's a great coaching staff; I love playing for Labrosse. But the biggest thing is that I am competitive. If I lose this, I've got nothing."

"That competitive outlet is what keeps me going, keeps me training (in the off-season) every year."

With his team a bit more thin at linebacker last summer, Karwaski agreed to move up into the box area, drawing on some of what he has learned from the open-field tackles he would have made as a cornerback.

"At corner, you're kind of on an island," he said. "If you are making the tackle, everyone else has messed up. Tackling is kind of the same - get nice and low. But if you get that 250 pound fullback, you might want to come in stronger so that you don't get run over."

Dalton Wilcox is more of a wide receiver / slotback, but he can relate to that last description of a bone-jarring football collision - his coming courtesy of former teammate and long-time Spartan Erik Conrad, who suited up with Sault Ste Marie last year.

"I got the ball in the pipe and the whole time, I had kept saying to him: if I meet you there, I'm going to do this, I'm going to do that," recalled the 18 year-old third year veteran of men's summer football.

"But it was size against size. The second I got the ball, he met me right there and it was probably the hardets hit I've ever taken. But I got up with a smile on my face and shook his hand."

With any luck, Conrad will return to the Spartans this year, adding to what is a very healthy turnout at practices this month.

"When I came into this program, we were averaging maybe 16, 18 guys at practice," said Wilcox. "We've got more than 30 guys here todat and we're supposed to get up to fifty."

"If we get those numbers, it's going to make me happy knowing that I was there when the team was in need and now I'm watching guys full on promote this with me. It's honestly awesome to see."

Following their home opener, the Spartans hit the road for games against the Tri City Outlaws (May 30th) and Sault Steelers (June 6th), returning to James Jerome to host the Sarnia Imperials on June 20th.