Petrolia Boy Learns the Chatham-Kent Cougars Way

For some sports, Chatham-Kent athletes are forced to leave town to play at the highest level possible. For football however, athletes from across Southwestern Ontario, including Petrolia’s Mike Nicholson, are now travelling to Chatham to play with the Chatham-Kent Cougars.

Nicholson who competed with the Northern Vikings during the high school season, helping them to an LSSAA Championship, and a berth in the Western Bowl, is a part of this year’s recruiting class and has committed to a position with the University of Windsor Lancers football team for this coming Fall, something that he said was a thrill,

“I was so excited when I first talked to Coach (Jim) MacDougall and Coach (Joe) D’Amore about going to Windsor,” said Nicholson. “I got offers from other schools but throughout the whole recruiting process Windsor was always at the top of my list and it’s no surprise that I’m counting down the days until the start of training camp.”

Nicholson, a defensive tackle, also praised the Chatham-Kent Cougars organization for helping to prepare him for the step to the OUA,

“The Cougars have helped me prepare for University ball by exposing me to more advanced systems. In high school it’s kept really simple, a sort of go here and do this all the time approach. However, in the OUA it is much more intricate and my time playing with the Cougars has helped me get used to that early on instead of hitting a wall in Windsor.”

When Nicholson and other Chatham-Kent Cougars alumni including Jeremiah Hamilton, Jordan Deneau, and Cody St. Pierre, arrive in Windsor this spring and summer for camp, they won’t be the only familiar faces, as Cougars Coach/President Selwyn Jordan, and Cougars coach Jeff Green serve as the defensive line and kicking coaches respectively.

For Nicholson however, although he’s eagerly anticipating his time in a Windsor Lancers uniform, he also knows there is a lot of time to work and improve in a Chatham-Kent Cougars uniform before he moves on to the OUA,

“Over the summer I’ll be soaking in as much as I can from the coaches here in Chatham,” explained Nicholson. “A number of them have played or coached at a university level in the past so I need to get all I can from them for the last few months before I leave. Pair that with working hard on strength, speed, and conditioning, will put me in a good spot to perform at as high of a level that I can to help the Lancers anyway I can.”

The Chatham-Kent Cougars have already started preparing for the upcoming season. For schedules and information feel free to visit http://chatham-kentcougars.com/ or follow the Cougars on Twitter @ckcougars.