THE Simon Fraser University football team is heading into uncharted territory this year and four of the guys leading the way at the skill positions of running back and quarterback are North Shore products.

Running backs Gabe Ephard and Bo Palmer will be counted on to lead the attack while quarterbacks Ryan Schwartz and Jonathan Roney are both battling to earn the starting spot.

SFU’s players will need to make the most of their skill as they begin their first season of play in the NCAA Div. 2 Great Northwest Athletic Conference after leaving Canadian Interuniversity Sport’s Canada West Conference.

It’s a “dramatically higher level of football,” says SFU head coach David Johnson, adding that massive player turnover — the Clan has 59 new players on the roster — makes things even tougher. “I think we’re in tough. But if we keep working and stay focused on the things that we can control, we’ll move on from there.”

With inexperience all over the field on offence, veterans Ephard and Palmer will be called on to do the heavy lifting, says Johnson.

“They are 10s out of 10. As Gabe and Bo go, will go our offence. We’re very young at receiver so we’re going to lean on those two players.”

And they have the talent to deliver, says Johnson.

“Both (Bo) and Gabe have the ability to score from anywhere on the field,” he says. “Those guys have the element of speed and both of them will play and are going to make huge contributions to our team this year.”

A superstar at Windsor secondary, Ephard began his college career at Minot State before moving back to the Lower Mainland to play for SFU. Last year he led the Clan in rushing, averaging 74 yards per game, and Johnson says the junior may be ready for even more.

“Gabe really worked hard this off-season, particularly this summer, getting his body ready for the American game,” he says.

Palmer was also a star running back at Windsor. He started his SFU career as a wide receiver but has now switched back to the ground game.

“When he came out of high school he was 165 pounds and was too small to play running back so we moved him to receiver. I think he’s 180 pounds now and just a ball of muscle — quick, coachable,” says Johnson. “(Before this season) he came to me and said, ‘Hey coach, I know I’ve been at receiver the last couple of years but, you know, I’ve gotten stronger and faster and added some weight and I think I’m ready to play running back again.’ He is right where he wants to be.”

At quarterback Schwartz and Roney are both fighting for the starting spot left vacant by the tragic death of junior Bernd Dittrich this off-season. Five QBs are on the roster looking for that starting role.

Schwartz, a second year player, is the only one of the five who was on the team last year. He attended Seycove secondary, a school that doesn’t have a football program, so his reps came from a junior team in Vancouver.

“When he got to us a couple of years ago he was a very raw athlete at the quarterback position and has really responded to the coaching that he has received,” says Johnson. “Ryan is awesome, extremely athletic. He’s become much more accurate and has really developed his arm strength. This year, more than all that development, he has really stepped into the role of leadership of our team. Being one of the few returning players — and of course he’s competing for the starting job — he’s been just tremendous for us in our locker room.”

Roney moves to SFU after his former program at the University of Waterloo was suspended for a year following a drug scandal. The Handsworth grad led the Royals to a AA provincial title in 2007 while playing under head coach Jay Prepchuk, an instructor known for his skill at teaching the quarterback position.

“Coach Prepchuk did a very good job with Jon Roney, that’s for sure,” says Johnson. “Jon certainly has the physique — 6-5, 225 pounds, strong arm. He’s played some college football so he has some experience.”

Good coaching, starting at the Gordon Sturtridge Football League and continue in high school, is one of the main reasons that the North Shore has produced high calibre players, says Johnson. And it’s not just the offensive guys on SFU’s team. Windsor grads Marcus Paiero and Malcolm Allen and Carson Graham product Dylan Roper are on SFU’s defensive roster.

They will all be tested in this tumultuous season.

“We’re going to be young and we’ve got a real uphill battle,” says Johnson. “The experience and the growing pains we’re going to go through maybe a little bit this year, my hope is in two to three years we start reaping the rewards of that.”

The Clan open their season at home on Saturday with a conference game against Western Oregon.

aprest@nsnews.com