A Barrie native and former high-school football star in the city is taking his game to British Columbia.
Kail Dava, who was born in Barrie, attended Innisdale Secondary School and played for the Invaders, was chosen 44th overall by the B.C. Lions in the Canadian Football League (CFL) draft on April 30. The defensive lineman was listed at six-foot-three and 281 pounds heading into the draft.
Dava spent his first two years of high school at Innisdale before transferring to Clarkson Secondary School in Mississauga in 2016, playing for their prep school team, Football North.
"I had a lot of fun at Innisdale,” he told BarrieToday in a phone interview after the draft. “Playing football in the States was a little different from Barrie, but I had a lot of good times in Barrie, for sure."
Dava, who will turn 24 in September, spent five years at Tennessee Tech University, based in Cookeville, playing for the Golden Eagles before graduating last year with a masters of business administration.
He says he always appreciated the help he got from from the Invaders coaching staff at the time.
“They always supported me and gave me everything I needed, especially as an impact player, and I felt like they treated me fairly,” Dava said.
His football coach at the time, Chris Cudmore, who continues to coach the Innisdale team, remembers Dava well.
“I was very happy to see that he got drafted, and I am sure he will continue to find success at the professional level,” Cudmore said.
Cudmore says he immediately knew Dava was going to be good.
“He read the game well. I know he did some MMA (mixed martial arts), grappling-type sports before high school, so he had a solid base and was already stronger than the others," the Invaders coach added.
While lining up on defence for Innisdale as a middle linebacker, at times Dava would play on the defensive line as an end.
“He was a big hitter, and I recall him getting a penalty or at least warnings for hitting players too hard. Not illegally, but too hard,” Cudmore said.
“Off the field, he was always in good spirits and a pleasure to be around," the coach added. "He was always polite and very coachable. He would adapt and do whatever was asked of him."
Although Dava played defence for Innisdale, Cudmore noted he would at times, in the summer, play offence for the Huronia Stallions program in a development house league football program in Barrie and Orillia. It was there that Dava made some good catches.
Dava played with the Stallions from Grade 2 to Grade 9, spending a lot of time on the field with the program.
“It was really important because I was able to get closer with my dad, who was one of my coaches growing up, and I also met a lot of lifelong friends,” he said. “I had a lot of fun wearing the purple and gold there. A lot of lifelong memories that I won’t forget, playing with the Stallions."
On the field with the Stallions is where he says he fell in love with football.
"I felt this was something I could definitely be good at, being a bigger kid and being more aggressive," Dava said. "I kind of found my calling there.”
Fast forward to today and his love for the game and his hard work has caught the eye of the CFL's B.C. Lions.
“Kail is a tough, hard-nosed interior defensive lineman,” Rob Ralph, the national scouting and CFL draft co-ordinator with the Lions, told BarrieToday.
Ralph described Dava as being strong and tough, while also having leadership qualities,. He was a team captain at Tennessee Tech.
“He uses his strength and leverage to fill gaps, stop the run and penetrate the pocket. He was a productive player at Tennessee Tech. He made a lot of tackles. We hope it translates to our game,” Ralph said.
Leading up to the CFL draft, Dava had been recovering from a torn rotator cuff he suffered at the end of last season with Tennessee Tech.
“I had surgery and, just over five months recovered now, it’s going really well and everyone is really positive,” he said of his injury.
When Dava has been cleared and is physically able to participate in practice sessions with the Lions, his real battle now just begins.
“He will have to compete for a practice roster position,” said Ralph. “A player on the practice roster will practise with all the active roster players to develop their skills and improve their technique.”
Dava says he's ready for the challenge.
“All my energy will go towards being a pro baller, because I feel like it demands it and the aspirations I have to be great at the next level is going to take all my attention," he said.
Meanwhile, the Huronia Stallions open their Ontario Summer Football League season this weekend when they host the Clarington Knights at the Barrie Community Sports Complex, located in Midhurst at 2100 Nursery Rd. The junior varsity game starts at 2 p.m. on Saturday, followed by the varsity match-up at 6:30 p.m. The bantam team will be in action Sunday at 1 p.m.
