He’s also played hockey, but where he likes hockey, he “loves football.”
After spending the last three years at Horton, the 18-year-old transferred to NKEC for Grade 12 for academic reasons. Being able to play football at NKEC, where his father Reg is head coach, has been an added bonus.
“I’ve gotten to play for my dad again, which has been great," Michael said Nov. 17. "He coached me in minor football, and I loved it. They were some of the best years I’ve had,” he says.
Passion for the pigskin
Ogilvie has been playing football since he was seven years old.
Growing up in Wolfville, he played soccer and hockey as well, including spending two years on Horton’s hockey team, but he hasn’t for the past two years.
“It only conflicts a bit with football,” he said. “I wasn’t having as much fun playing hockey.”
After playing football at the Division 1 level for Horton, Ogilvie has enjoyed the move to NKEC, which plays Division 3. He has missed some time due to injury, but was an important factor in the Titans going 7-1 in the regular season and advancing to the provincial championship Nov. 22 in Wolfville which NKEC won 28-14.
In addition to playing with the atom, peewee and bantam Bulldogs, Horton and now NKEC, Ogilvie has been part of the Football Nova Scotia elite provincial program since he was 12.
“I played on provincial teams every year, and one year, I got to play for Team Canada. That was a lot of fun.”
In a game in San Antonio, Texas against a team from the U.S., “I got to cover Michael Irvine’s son. I met his dad, got to shake his hand.”
The son of country entertainer Toby Keith was also part of the American team, he adds.
“It was a wicked experience,” he said. “We got to play in a real stadium.”
Big switch
“Before I came over here, I really didn’t know what to expect,” he said of his move to the Titans.
“I knew I’d be playing with some of my friends,” he said, but knew from his dad that roster numbers had always been a problem at the Canning school.
“I certainly didn’t expect we’d end up with 36 players. I’ve never been on that big a team before except for the provincial teams.”
Ogilvie termed 2015 “kind of an up-and-down season” for NKEC.
“We were winning, but we knew we could be playing better,” he says.
Over the second half of the season, “we’ve really come together as a team. The defence had been carrying us, and we were struggling to score points. The last four or five weeks, the offence has really come along.”
The offensive line has gotten a lot better as well, to the point where now, “it’s the best offensive line I’ve ever played with and worked with.”
NKEC’s Oct. 19 game against Central Kings under the lights at Acadia, a game the Titans won 34-0, was a big part of our turnaround, he said.
“We didn’t make very many mistakes that game, and started believing in ourselves.”
In the 13-7 win over Avon View, Ogilvie watched from the sidelines as the Titans “had the ball for almost the entire second quarter. We moved the ball well, but couldn’t score.”
As for the championship game against CK, Ogilvie said the key would be “trying to exploit their defence and put points up on them early.”
Looking ahead
Now that he is in Grade 12, Ogilvie’s thoughts have turned to life after high school. He intends to go to St. F.X. to study kinesiology.
“I spent a co-op term last year at a physiotherapy clinic,” he said. “I’d like to get into sports therapy.”
And if it ends up being in the cards, he would like to try out for the St. F.X. football team.
“I know their offensive co-ordinator, who was the O.C. on the provincial team,” he said.
“I don’t have a recruiting trip planned, but closer to the end of the year, I may go up there on my own and check the place out.”
He is looking forward to be able to experience living away from home.
“I’d like to be able to play it for as long as I can, and go as far as I can. It’s a great sport. I’ve played it and enjoyed it for 10 years now.”
He’s also played hockey, but where he likes hockey, he “loves football.”
After spending the last three years at Horton, the 18-year-old transferred to NKEC for Grade 12 for academic reasons. Being able to play football at NKEC, where his father Reg is head coach, has been an added bonus.
“I’ve gotten to play for my dad again, which has been great," Michael said Nov. 17. "He coached me in minor football, and I loved it. They were some of the best years I’ve had,” he says.
Passion for the pigskin
Ogilvie has been playing football since he was seven years old.
Growing up in Wolfville, he played soccer and hockey as well, including spending two years on Horton’s hockey team, but he hasn’t for the past two years.
“It only conflicts a bit with football,” he said. “I wasn’t having as much fun playing hockey.”
After playing football at the Division 1 level for Horton, Ogilvie has enjoyed the move to NKEC, which plays Division 3. He has missed some time due to injury, but was an important factor in the Titans going 7-1 in the regular season and advancing to the provincial championship Nov. 22 in Wolfville which NKEC won 28-14.
In addition to playing with the atom, peewee and bantam Bulldogs, Horton and now NKEC, Ogilvie has been part of the Football Nova Scotia elite provincial program since he was 12.
“I played on provincial teams every year, and one year, I got to play for Team Canada. That was a lot of fun.”
In a game in San Antonio, Texas against a team from the U.S., “I got to cover Michael Irvine’s son. I met his dad, got to shake his hand.”
The son of country entertainer Toby Keith was also part of the American team, he adds.
“It was a wicked experience,” he said. “We got to play in a real stadium.”
Big switch
“Before I came over here, I really didn’t know what to expect,” he said of his move to the Titans.
“I knew I’d be playing with some of my friends,” he said, but knew from his dad that roster numbers had always been a problem at the Canning school.
“I certainly didn’t expect we’d end up with 36 players. I’ve never been on that big a team before except for the provincial teams.”
Ogilvie termed 2015 “kind of an up-and-down season” for NKEC.
“We were winning, but we knew we could be playing better,” he says.
Over the second half of the season, “we’ve really come together as a team. The defence had been carrying us, and we were struggling to score points. The last four or five weeks, the offence has really come along.”
The offensive line has gotten a lot better as well, to the point where now, “it’s the best offensive line I’ve ever played with and worked with.”
NKEC’s Oct. 19 game against Central Kings under the lights at Acadia, a game the Titans won 34-0, was a big part of our turnaround, he said.
“We didn’t make very many mistakes that game, and started believing in ourselves.”
In the 13-7 win over Avon View, Ogilvie watched from the sidelines as the Titans “had the ball for almost the entire second quarter. We moved the ball well, but couldn’t score.”
As for the championship game against CK, Ogilvie said the key would be “trying to exploit their defence and put points up on them early.”
Looking ahead
Now that he is in Grade 12, Ogilvie’s thoughts have turned to life after high school. He intends to go to St. F.X. to study kinesiology.
“I spent a co-op term last year at a physiotherapy clinic,” he said. “I’d like to get into sports therapy.”
And if it ends up being in the cards, he would like to try out for the St. F.X. football team.
“I know their offensive co-ordinator, who was the O.C. on the provincial team,” he said.
“I don’t have a recruiting trip planned, but closer to the end of the year, I may go up there on my own and check the place out.”
He is looking forward to be able to experience living away from home.
“I’d like to be able to play it for as long as I can, and go as far as I can. It’s a great sport. I’ve played it and enjoyed it for 10 years now.”
