Niagara teen bowled over by invitation to play in Indigenous Bowl
December 09, 2021 | niagarafallsreview.ca
Torrey Sowden is many things to different people: son to his father, big brother to his younger sister, a Haudenosaunee Mohawk to members of the Six Nations of the Grand River community, classmate and teammate to students at Greater Fort Erie Secondary School.
Last week, a new name was added to what the 17-year-old answers to. As the only football player from this side of the border to compete in the Indigenous Bowl, Sowden naturally — and geographically — enough earned the nickname “Canada.”
“It was funny, I probably was called by my real name like three times. Other than that, I was just known as ‘Canada,’” he recalled with a chuckle.
Sowden was among 60 players who spent a week in Minneapolis representing their people and First Nation, “but I feel I had the ability to represent my whole country.”
No combines or tryouts were involved in the selection process for the game, which was played at U.S. Bank Stadium, home of the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League. All players needed to do was send in footage from their games.
Sowden submitted clips from his high school games. Most were from this year though some dated back to his Grade 10 season, the last year the Gryphons played before COVID-19 cancelled all high school sports in Ontario in 2020-21.
His teammates for the fourth Indigenous Bowl were from across the United States, including several from North Dakota as well as a few from as far south as Mississippi.
“There were also a few guys from California,” Sowden said. “It was cool to see everyone because we came from different parts of the country.
“It was fun to see how we all interacted with each other.”
Torrey descends from Mohawk / Seneca tribes and is of the Turtle clan. Part of Torrey’s roots hail from the Seneca, Cattaraugus Territory in the Bucktown area, where his Grandmother, Renee Cook Sowden grew up and his Great-Grandmother, Alice Curry Cook still resides.
Sowden developed his skills as a two-way player — tight end, offence; defensive end, defence — rising through the Niagara Regional Minor Football Association ranks with his hometown team, the Fort Erie Longhorns. His position was up in the air heading into the Indigenous Bowl.
“I had no idea really what it was going to be so when I went up there I put it down as tight end/linebacker,” he said. “But when I got up there, they wanted to see what I had on the D line because, obviously, I’m a bigger guy and you’d rather have me at a D line than the smaller guys.”
The 6-foot-4, 230-pound Sowden mainly played defensive end in practices and in the game itself.
He considers defensive end his natural position when his team doesn’t have the ball, and tight end when it’s on offence.
“If they need a big tight end, to go out there and get it, then I can do that, but, if not, I’d rather play defence.”
Why? “I love to hit,” he answered with a smile. “It’s my favorite part of the game.”
Sowden began playing football at age eight. The sport was not his first choice, however.
“My family is real big on lacrosse and I wanted to play lacrosse, but there weren’t enough kids in my age group to play lacrosse growing up,” he said. “I found football and it was, ‘All right, I’ll give it a try.’
“Then one year in, I never went back.”
Sowden played on the Greater Fort Erie Gryphons, his high school team, since Grade 9. He hasn’t ruled out returning for 12B.
“It’s been a thought in my mind to have another year of football and also just another year to get more credits.”
He had always wanted to play rep football with the Niagara Spears or Niagara Generals, but mobility had always been an issue.
“I never had a car growing up. That stuff is all out of town.”
Being selected to compete in the Indigenous Bowl team was a “tremendous honour,” especially as the only Canadian to make the cut of the 350 players who submitted clips.
Despite being double-teamed “pretty much the whole game,” Sowden had a good game as a pass rusher.
“I had about three or four tackles. It was fun,” said Sowden, whose team scored three first-half touchdowns on the way to an 18-14 victory.
The difference in rules — American, four downs, 11 per side; Canadian, three downs, 12 per side — didn’t throw Sowden off his game
“I would say the only thing that really made a difference was your whole scheme changes when you have one less guy,” Sowden said. “The rules didn’t make it harder. “If anything, four downs was weird to me, the drives seemed longer.”
There were two practices daily for three days heading into the game.
“I wouldn’t say we were the most prepared, but it was enough time to at least establish a base.”
Sowden found stepping onto an NFL field — let alone, playing on one — “mind-blowing.” “It was like nothing I had ever experienced before,” he said. “All my life I imagined one day standing right in the middle and soaking it all in.
“And that’s exactly what I did.” After touring the stadium Sowden didn’t feel the need to pinch himself when he took the field on Sunday.
“I was in game mode all week. I had no butterflies, I was ready to go, I was mentally prepared.” Sowden was accompanied on the trip to Minneapolis by his father Arlie. Their costs were offset by a GoFundMe initiative that raised $2,895 of a $3,000 goal.
“The love and support from my community was just incredible,” said Torrey Sowden. “I’m deeply thankful to everyone who donated.”
His career goals outside of taking football as far as he can are to work in the mental field focusing on neurology.
“I would like to study what concussions can do to the brain.”
Sowden has suffered four concussions, “that I know of.” Three were football-related; the other, when he took a spill off a skateboard. His last diagnosed concussion was when he was in Grade 9.
“It’s been quite a while,” he said.
