It's a poser of question, and it took Cisko Hove a minute or two to answer.
The Vernon Panthers football alumnus is about to continue his career, winging out east to join the McGill Redbirds of Montreal in Canadian U-Sports where he'll suit up on the defensive side of the ball in what's called the Joker position 鈥� somebody who will line up as defensive end, then either rush the quarterback or drop into coverage as a linebacker.
Hove, 17, is coming off a year where he helped the Panthers win a third B.C. High School AA Senior Varsity football title in five years, playing a position he only learned to play at the start of his final year: offensive lineman (right guard, to be specific). And he only played defensive line, trying to get to the opposition QB.
Thus, the poser: Could offensive lineman Cisko Hove stop defensive lineman Cisko Hove one-on-one?
"Oh man, that's tough," laughed Hove. who only played defensive end with the Cats. "I was pretty good on the O-line. I'll go with offensive Cisko stopping defensive Cisko 鈥� for now. In a couple of months, I think defensive me would win the battle."
His play 鈥� and his social media platforms, where he posted videos and photos of him in action 鈥� got him noticed by the Redbirds. Hove had no idea the eastern school was interested until he got an email before Thanksgiving 2023 from McGill football. Then, things went silent.
"I was frustrated and disappointed because there was no further communication until after the B.C. championships," said Hove. "I then got a text message from (McGill defensive coach) Khaalid Hicks saying they were interested in me."
So Hove and his parents, Darren and Rhonda, flew to Montreal for a campus visit. He met the coaching staff, some of the players, and toured the football facility and campus, located in the heart of Montreal. Hove admits he fell in love instantly but needs to work on the language.
"My French is not good," chuckled the student who took German. "McGill stadium is surrounded by the city. It's a beautiful spot."
He also kept in touch with 琉璃神社's Jesse Briggs, a two-time Grey Cup champion with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He is on McGill's defensive coaching staff.
Hove is a kid who started football playing the flag version as a Grade 7 student at Silver Star Elementary. He immediately fell in love with the game's intensity, and the amount of work it took to win a football game.
He didn't begin tackle football until the spring of Grade 9, when he made a regional provincial squad, admittedly though, still nervous to hit somebody.
Those nerves have vanished after joining the Junior Varsity Panthers for Grade 10, and spending three seasons in head coach Sean Smith's successful VSS program.
"Now, I just love the game so much," said Hove, who has also dabbled in basketball and track and field at VSS. "When I first started I was just an athlete. Now, I've seen a huge, overall improvement and become an athlete and a football player."
He was moved to offensive line when VSS O-line coach, former CFL all-star and Grey Cup champion Angus Reid, saw something in Hove as a protector of the quarterback.
"He asked me to move to the offensive line, and I said if it's going to make me a better football player, I'll do it," said Hove.
That speaks volume to his integrity, and to his dedication on and off the gridiron.
This past year, Hove worked with Reid and learned how to protect quarterbacks and open holes for running backs. For the past three years, Hove and teammates would go to school from 8:30-3, practice from 3:30-5:30, watch film, hit the gym, and, of course, continue their studies.
At McGill, academics are huge. You have to have high grades and maintain them to get in.
"He had to have more than 87 per cent average to get into McGill, and to go forward, there would have to be no problems," said a beaming Rhonda Hove, Cisko's mom. "That's what makes us so proud as parents. Not only has he done the football training, but he had to have the academic scores to get there."
His parents (dad, Darren) are the first people Hove thanks for helping him get so far in just three short years. The others?
"Sean Smith has helped me through a lot and always been there for me, always giving good advice," said Hove. "Angus helped me when I moved to offensive line. He's been just phenomenal. And Connor (VSS running and defensive backs coach Rothwell, who was defensive coordinator in Hove's Grade 12 year). He was always hyping me up."
Hove is one of the first Panthers to earn a scholarship from an eastern Canadian university.
