Tag: ben hladik

UBC's Ben Hladik (left) coming off an All-Canadian season with the Thunderbirds will be joined by standout Regina transfer Nick Cross within the team's highly-touted linebacking core. (Photos by Richard Lam property of UBC athletics 2019 and Piper Sports Photography 2019. All Rights Reserved)
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Linebacker U? Heart of UBC’s defence could become its new identity as Hladik, Cross form dynamic tackling duo in the middle

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VANCOUVER — A new chapter in UBC Thunderbirds football history?You can author some variation of that narrative with the dawning of each new Canada West season, yet as the Aug. 31 opener at home to the Regina Rams looms ever closer, there is a legitimate feeling that 2019’s true story remains as unwritten and mysterious […]

Vernon quarterback Thomas Hyett (right, 3) commands the huddle like the veteran he is after making a positional switch in 10th grade for the good of the team. (Photo by Howard Tsumura property of VarsityLetters.ca 2018. All Rights Reserved)
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The Ben Hladik Effect: Bar of excellence set by UBC’s brilliant linebacker resonates as Vernon Panthers return to Subway Bowl final

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Two seasons after he left on a journey to become one of the elite defensive players in all of Canadian university football, his lasting impact continues to reverberate through the football program Vernon Secondary. So much so that the best way to describe its impact on his high school alma mater is to simply call it […]

For so much of the second-half, the UBC Thunderbirds and Regina Rams battled in the trenches. But over the final three minutes, there were enough big plays for an entire game. (Photo courtesy Piper Sports Photography)
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UBC’s game-ending, 30-yard penalty gives Regina a chip-shot field goal victory as ‘Birds endure another walk-off loss

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It’s too bad the football gods won’t implement a quota for the number of walk-off losses a Canada West football team must be forced to endure over a pre-determined span of time, because with any kind of reasonable number, the UBC Thunderbirds wouldn’t have to worry about getting their hearts ripped out for quite a […]

Ben Hladik may be a tue freshman at the tender age of 18, but he was picked the Canada West's Defensive Player of the Week this week for plays like this one, sacking reigning Hec Crighton award winner Noah Picton of the Regina Rams last week in Vancouver. (UBC photo by Richard Lam)
Feature High School Football

Hints of greatness: Big Ben begins blue-and-gold career looking like a potential UBC all-timer

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VANCOUVER — Ben Hladik is so attuned to everything he does as a football player, that even a discussion of his jersey number with the UBC Thunderbirds is important enough to provide a most thoughtful answer.

Pure freshman linebacker Elliot Graham of the UBC Thunderbirds puts the pressure on Manitoba QB Theo Deezar Saturday at Thunderbird Stadium. (Bob Frid/UBC athletics)
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Tsumura: My Top 4 takeaways from UBC football’s 32-18 victory over Manitoba

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VANCOUVER — How do you flush the feeling of last week’s season-opening 36-20 loss at Regina?If you’re the UBC Thunderbirds (1-1), you usher in the home portion of the 2017 Canada West season Saturday with a decisive 32-18 win over the Manitoba Bisons (0-2) at Thunderbird Stadium.Here’s my four biggest takeaways from Saturday’s win: