A former Holy Trinity Knight has something in common with his former high school football coach other than a passion for the game.

Mark De Swart (56) hoists the Canada Bowl after the Vancouver Island Raiders beat the Edmonton Huskies 51-14 on Nov. 14 in Nanaimo. De Swart, a Holy Trinity Academy grad, was also named the Outstanding Linebacker for the British Columbia Junior Football Conference.

Both Mark De Swart and Knights coach Matt Hassett have two Canadian Junior Football League championship rings.

De Swart won his second championship as an outside linebacker with the Vancouver Island Raiders when they beat the Edmonton Huskies 51-14 in the title game Nov. 14 in Nanaimo, B.C. De Swart was also a member of the Raiders in 2006 when they beat the Huskies in the final. The Raiders had a perfect 10-0 record in winning the championship this year.

“Our team was pretty stacked this year with talent,” De Swart said. “We had a lot of guys who played university ball and another who practiced with the B.C. Lions.”

One of the guys with experience and talent was De Swart, who was named the British Columbia Junior Football League Outside Linebacker of the Year.

The 22-year-old De Swart left the Raiders after the 2006 season and played what he calls a “disappointing” season with the University of Calgary Dinosaurs.

“I just needed a change of pace in life,” De Swart said. “University life wasn’t what I wanted right now. I had some friends out here (Nanaimo), so I decided to have some fun and play my last year of junior.”

De Swart made a few phone calls and he was back in the Raiders’ lineup. He said he is a better football player than when he started for the Raiders in 2006.

“I am more mature as a person. More confident. I’m more inspired to play, and also wiser on the field,” De Swart said.

He’s stronger too. The six-foot, 215-pound De Swart spends countless hours in the weight room. He said his added strength and speed are two of his strongest assets. He admits he likes to hit people — a necessity when you’re an outside linebacker.

“You have defeated them — they are done and they know it when they are looking up at you from the ground,” De Swart said about making a big hit on an opponent.

He comes by his linebacker mentality honestly. He was competitive with his older brother Ben, who played tight end with the Holy Trinity Knights.

“I was always a little bit younger, a little bit weaker and a little bit slower than Ben, but I would try and put up a fight,” De Swart said with a laugh.

Being named the top outside linebacker is nice, De Swart said, but winning his second championship was the highlight of his career.

“Getting to enjoy the championship afterwards was amazing,” De Swart said. “I would say I enjoy the second one (championship) more because I was able to come back as a leader and show the players what Raider football, and Holy Trinity Knight football, is all about. That means working hard to win. Winning is fun.”

De Swart didn’t start playing football until donning a Holy Trinity Knights’ jersey as a Grade 10 student.

Knights coach Matt Hassett knew he had a good football player.

“He started in Grade 10 as a corner and then he moved inside as he got bigger,” Hasset said. “He trained his tail off in the weight room.  If you have seen him lately, it looks like someone has chiseled him.”

Hassett won the CJFL championship as a defensive end with the Calgary Colts in 1989 and 1990.

Hassett compared De Swart to former Knight Geoff Paiement, who is presently playing outside linebacker with the University of Calgary Dinosaurs.

“Their work ethic and coach-ability was outstanding,” Hassett said. “You would tell them something once and they would apply it. They also both liked to hit.”

He said having two competitive De Swarts on the team was rewarding but had its challenges.

“One time Mark was covering Ben in a practice and he hit his brother into the goalpost,” Hassett said with a laugh. “I thought Ben was going to kill him. They were both aggressive, good football players.”

Ben is presently living in Columbus, Ohio while Mark is taking it easy before tackling where he will play football next year.

He is exploring the option of playing either university ball again or playing in Europe.

“I am a long ways away from deciding where I will play next year,” he said.

De Swart said he plans on returning to Okotoks in the next few weeks.

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