Newmarket football star Owen Lock is an international champion after helping Team Canada to a 20-9 win over Japan at the 2024 IFAF World Junior Football Championship June 30.
Lock helped Team Canada win the event for the third consecutive time. Travelling to Alberta, Lock helped his defence keep Japan off of touchdowns until the fourth quarter as a linebacker.
The Huron Heights Secondary School graduate said last week that being part of the team was an incredible experience.
“We knew we had something special and we built a championship culture and all these kids really executed what we wanted to do,” Canada head coach Warren Craney said in a Football Canada news release.
The tournament featured seven countries across the world playing with their best players under 20 years old. Each vied for the international title, now played out every four years.
After a season that saw him named one of the MVPs of the Huron Heights Warriors, Lock got invited to play for Team Canada.
“It felt amazing,” Lock said about being named to the team. “Every kid dreams of playing for their country … It’s been the best experience I’ve ever had.”
Two other Huron Heights Warriors players were also competing for Canada, though did not go home with gold. Noah Kolar and Blake Labelle competed for Team Canada 2, the second Canadian team at the event, which did not medal.
The Huron Heights Warriors offered its congratulations on social media to Lock for his win.
Lock said he plans to return to the high school for an additional year before pursuing further opportunities to play football in post-secondary school.
