A pair of Hugh Boyd football standouts will be continuing the next chapter of their careers on opposite ends of the country.
Patrick Ruvalcaba and Tyler Moxin signed national letters of intent last week with the Acadia Axeman and UBC Thunderbirds resepctively. Both are pencilled in to be on the active roster of their teams for the 2016 CIS season next fall.
Ruvalcaba is taking his game to one of the longtime hotbeds of Canadian university football. The Wolfville, Nova Scotia school is part of the Atlantic University Sport Conference that includes Maritime rivals Saint Mary’s, Moutain Allison and St. Francis Xavier.
He also weighed interest from Ontario schools before agreeing to Acadia’s offer and following the path of a recent Boyd alumni. Lineman Chris Cartwright also played for Acadia and is now back in B.C. as a member of the Trojans coaching staff.
“Coach Cartwright had nothing but good things to say about it,” said Ruvalcaba. “He thought it was an ideal environment for an 18-year-old going right into university football.”
Ruvalcaba thrived at middle linebacker for the Trojans where he led the team in tackles. The Axemen plan to take advantage of his athleticism and move him to the SAM (strong outside) linebacker position where he will be used in pass coverage situations as well.
He grew up in the Richmond Minor Football program, winning a pair of provincial nine man championships at the Bantam level and earned the team MVP award in the process. Ruvalcaba then transferred from Burnett to Boyd for two seasons of high school ball.
Now it’s back to playing Canadian rules for his university career. The smaller rosters with the Raiders and Trojans only enhanced his versatility which is an asset at the next level.
“I played middle linebacker, running back and special teams (at Boyd). I basically never left the field,” he laughed.
Moxin only wishes he had such a prominent role in his final year of high school ball.
The reigning Southern Conference Offensive Player of the Year saw his season end before it even started with a torn ACL.
The initial injury occurred before the team’s spring training session in June when Moxin was up in Kamloops. The hope was to somehow get through the season playing with a brace but he would re-injure it again in early September. There was no choice but to shutdown his Grade 12 year.
Boyd had lost its starting quarterback, safety and kicker. It was a devastating blow to a program that had the potential to compete for a provincial championship.
Surgery and a long recovery process eventually followed. Moxin thought he had no choice but to play junior ball next season until the Vanier Cup champions came calling.
“I really didn’t think UBC (or any school) was an option when (recruiting coordinator) Paul Orazietti called to say they were interested in me as a defensive back,” said Moxin. “Next thing you know, I’m visiting the campus couple weeks later and I’m offered a scholarship.
“Coach (Blake) Nill says they are losing quite a few defensive backs and the plan is for me to be playing (next season).”
The former Team B.C. player faces another five months of rehabilitation before his knee is back to 100 percent. That would nearly coincide with the start of UBC’s training camp.
Two other graduating standouts at Boyd, Gabe Saklofsky and Darby Kwan, will likely go the junior route before heading to a university program. Kwan recently played on the offensive line for the U18 B.C. team, while Saklofsky is expected to move to receiver after playing running back at Boyd.
