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Kevin Nagel Sports Editor sports@oakvillebeaver.com Tackling every challenge Need to prove himself each game lands Arakgi in CFL record book By Herb Garbutt Oakville Beaver staff Sports 79 | Friday, August 26, 2016 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com "Connected to your Community" The Calgary Stampeders' Tory Harrison breaks through a pack of players and spots an opening. He picks up speed as he crosses the 30-yard line but suddenly, like a shark lurking just below the surface, Jason Arakgi of the British Columbia Lions appears from behind the players Harrison has just left in his dust. The daylight Harrison saw a second ago is snuffed out by an orange and black missile approaching from his right. There's no time for evasive maneuvers as Arakgi makes a textbook tackle, wrapping his arms around the Stamps' return man's waist and dragging him to the ground. There was no on-field ceremony, no pausing of the game to mark the occasion as is usually the case when somebody becomes a league's all-time leader. There was a leaping high five with Lions' teammate Adam Bighill as he left the field, but given the enthusiasm with which Arakgi plays the game, that was probably no different than the other 184 tackles he has made since breaking into the league nine years ago. The tackle, coming just six seconds into last Friday's game, made Arakgi the Canadian Football League's all-time leader in special teams tackles, passing Wade Miller. Given that status, you would think it would provide a player with a bit of security. The 31-year-old won't allow himself that luxury, especially in a league where the average career lasts three years. "I'm the type of guy that I always stay a little scared," the British Columbia Lions linebacker says. "You have to continue to work hard at what you do." While the Loyola graduate is clearly among the best at what he does -- he's ranked among the top four in the league in special teams tackles in six of his nine seasons -- it is often an unheralded role. He's just one of two cover-team players to ever be nominated for the CFL's special teams player of the year award, finishing as runnerup to Montreal's Larry Taylor in 2009. Arakgi has seen increased playing time on the defensive side of the ball, with a careerhigh seven defensive tackles last season. And though he'd gladly welcome more time on defence, he's never let it affect his role on special teams. "I was proud to reach that milestone," he said. "To play as long as I have and do it for one team is very special." And while the individual accolades are nice, what Arakgi would really like is to bring the Grey Cup back to B.C., as they did in 2011. "Winning a championship, that was such a great experience," Arakgi said. "My dad (Nick) played 10 years and went to one (Grey Cup) but never won it. Getting to share wins and losses with your teammates over the years...I didn't know what to expect when I started playing, but it's been a great journey." Oakville's Jason Arakgi celebrates a tackle with his British Columbia Lion teammates. The Loyola grad hauled down Calgary's Tory Harrison on the opening play of last Friday's game to become the CFL's all-time special teams tackle leader with 185. | photo courtesy of the British Columbia Lions Oakville Soccer Club honours seven post-secondary scholarship recipients The Oakville Soccer Club awarded its annual scholarship awards to seven players who made outstanding contributions to the club, their community and the game of soccer. The club, with more than 12,000 members, began awarding scholarships seven years ago to students beginning their post-secondary education. This year it increased its scholarship awards from $10,000 to $12,000. The recipients of this year's scholarships are: · Michelle Armstrong, McMaster University, life science · Hannah Baillie, Wilfrid Laurier University, business administration · Jonathan Kearns, University of Guelph, biomedical engineering · Jay McNeill, University of Guelph, mechanical engineering · Alexandria Noden, University of Guelph, molecular biology and genetics · Charlotte Revell, Laurentian University, sports psychology · Madeleine Simmons, University of Western Ontario, kinesiology · Evan Yurchuk, University of Waterloo, mathematics "We are proud to recognize this year's group of exceptional individuals. The efforts that they have put into athletics, community service and their education is truly remarkable and have made them worthy recipients of the club's scholarship program," said Dave Harris, OSC's executive director. "The Oakville Soccer Club is proud of our award winners and is happy to contribute to their education to help ensure each one of them is able to reach their full potential." The student athletes were honoured at a scholarship awards luncheon Aug. 11 at Glen Abbey Golf Club. The Oakville Soccer Club awarded seven scholarships to players who are beginning their post-secondary education. Receiving scholarships were (front, from left) Charlotte Revell, Alexandria Noden, Michelle Armstrong, Hannah Baillie, Madeleine Simmons, (back, from left) Evan Yurchuk, Jonathan Kearns and Jay McNeill. | photo by Nikki Wesley --Oakville Beaver