A memorable Tuesday (Feb. 7) morning inside Robert Bateman Secondary School’s gymnasium saw five students sign their letters of intent to continue pursuing sport and education at the university level with athletic scholarships.
The Bateman Timberwolves AA senior varsity provincial championship winning football team represented in a big way, with four players on that team announcing their pigskin plans for the fall.
Offensive line/defensive end Hugh Clifford announced he has inked with Simon Fraser University, quarterback/defensive back Nolan Watrin ripped open his jacket to reveal a University of British Columbia t-shirt and both Micah Barker (running back/defensive line) and Logan Thiessen (offensive and defensive line) are joining the Kingston, Ont.-based Queen’s University.
Exciting day for @RobertBatemanSS, as five athletes including four from @BatemanFootball are signing with college sports programs #Abbotsford pic.twitter.com/sGcyUU2NkR
— Ben Lypka (@BenLypka) February 7, 2023
Thiessen laid out hats of three other programs that recruited him, but ultimately put on the hat representing the Queen’s Gaels. The 6-3, 305-pound lineman has been heavily recruited by schools all across the country. He made visits to Queen’s earlier this month, Manitoba in November and both Saskatchewan and Calgary in the summer. He also shared on social media that he received offers from SFU, York University, the University of Alberta, Western University and Regina.
Thank you to everyone at Queen’s that made my visit amazing! @Queens_Football pic.twitter.com/YonL4d7HqW
— Logan Thiessen (@thiessen_logan) January 17, 2023
He was named the provincial title game’s most valuable lineman following Bateman’s historic win on Dec. 3 and was also named an AA provincial all-star. Outside of Bateman, Thiessen suited up for Team Dunigan in the second edition of the Canada Football Chat Prospect Game and was named a lineman MVP for his team.
RELATED: Pair of Robert Bateman students nominated for Sport BC award
This season he collected 23 tackles and one fumble recovery in seven regular season games. More recently, he was nominated for the Sport BC high school male athlete of the year. That event occurs on March 9 in Vancouver.
Watrin had a sparkling career under centre for Bateman and was named the AA player of the year for 2022 and a provincial all-star. Similarly to Thiessen, he received considerable interest from a number of schools. He shared on social media that he received offers from SFU and the University of Guelph. Watrin also participated in summer camps with the University of Montana, University of Idaho and Eastern Washington University.
Thank you @ubctbirds for having me out for an unofficial visit and a barbecue! Had a lot of fun touring the campus and learning more about the program! Big thanks to @ShoWill33 for organizing it all! @CoachBone @CoachNill pic.twitter.com/WhWqVryvAF
— Nolan Watrin (@nolanwatrin) August 14, 2022
The 6-1, 175-pound pivot threw for 1,338 yards and 19 touchdowns in seven regular games and also recorded 118 yards rushing with three touchdowns. Defensively he collected three tackles. Watrin has also excelled as a basketball player at Bateman.
I am honoured to announce that I have been named the BC AA Player of The Year (MVP)! I would like to thank my Family, Coaches, and Teammates for helping and supporting me this season!@BatemanFootball @BCHSFB @AbbyNews pic.twitter.com/cWN5R0WxQP
— Nolan Watrin (@nolanwatrin) November 22, 2022
Barker led the Timberwolves with 492 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns in six games. He also averaged an impressive 8.79 yards per carry. Defensively he recorded seven tackles, two sacks and one fumble recovery. He will join Thiessen at Queen’s and stated that he had no idea until his teammate revealed it on Tuesday they would both be heading to Kingston.
The 6-3, 225 pound back was named a provincial all-star for his efforts this season. Barker has also excelled on the baseball diamond with the Abbotsford Cardinals.
Season Highlights updated. Check them out!https://t.co/3DnbClPeNG
— Micah Barker (@Micah_Barker_44) November 29, 2021
Clifford collected 15 tackles and was second on the team in sacks with two in seven games. He also recorded seven tackles as a Grade 11 in 2021. The 6-2, 204-pound defensive end joins an SFU program that recently announced that the 2023 football season will be the final year of their current affiliate arrangement with the NCAA Div. II’s Lonestar Conference.
Outside of the football program it was also a big day for Bateman student and baseball talent Levi Kliewer, who announced his signing with the University of Mary Marauders baseball program. He will join the North Dakota-based school in the fall.
A Huge Congratulations to 2023 Outfielder Levi Kliewer on his commitment to the University of Mary in North Dakota. #marauders #abbotsfordcardinals pic.twitter.com/BWU7hykzow
— Abbotsford Cardinals (BCPBL) (@AbbyCardinals) January 26, 2023
Kliewer starred for both the Abbotsford Angels minor and Abbotsford Cardinals junior programs, helping the Angels win a 13U provincial championship in 2018 (Barker was also a member of that team).
RELATED: Abbotsford Angels win provincial crowns
The Marauders are an NCAA Div. II program based in Bismarck, N.D. They play in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and compete against teams based in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, N.D. and South Dakota.
