Uzodinma Ukagwu | Sports Editor

Featured Image: Colton Hunchak in action for the Lions. | Courtesy of York Lions

Calgary-born Colton Hunchak, the Lions’ star wide receiver, just had a remarkable fourth season with the team. He was named an OUA second team all-star for the second time, after an injury-plagued previous season. He also became the Lions all-time reception leader and earned an invite to the CFL’s Ontario Regional Combine.

For Hunchak, this is “a dream come true.”

“Playing professional football is something I’ve wanted to do since I was a kid. The journey to this point has been so exciting and has taught me so many lessons. I’m very grateful to have the opportunity to go to the National combine and get drafted into the CFL,” he says.

Hunchak’s family has been very supportive, taking every opportunity to come to Toronto to see him and his two-and-a-half-year-old daughter. Having his brother on the team has also been invaluable.

Hunchak has had some memorable moments on the field in his career so far, including representing Canada at the U19 level. His most memorable, however, came with the Lions this past season when they defeated the Waterloo Warriors, a top ranked team, by a blocked field goal.

To win that game, Hunchak states that the team had to “overcome a lot of adversity,” and that it kept their “playoff dreams alive.”

The Lions football team has had its ups and downs in the past few years, and still has to eventually improve to challenge for the OUA title. To do this, Hunchak believes they need to be “more consistent,” and build on the “glimpses of greatness” they have shown by: “doing it on a regular basis, every week, every practice, every rep.”

As he wraps up his business and society degree at York, Hunchak is clear-eyed about his next move. He wants to play professionally. He says that this is what he has wanted to do since age four.

He credits his father as his major role model, and shaping him into the man he is today. “He is someone I’ve always looked up to in life. He’s made personal sacrifices and has done everything in his power to help me be as successful as I am, I can’t thank him enough for that,” he says.

Hunchak is currently training for the CFL Combine on Friday, and will be spending his off-season doing “football-specific workouts,” and working on improving in areas his coaches and scouts have told him to.