Thursday Night Lights?

The high school football season got underway last week, rather quietly.

Fatdog.ca is about the best resource for this level of play.  The "football" tab was removed from the site recently, usually a sign that the schedule is going up, but by the time I saw it again, a few games had been played.

Thursday - Sep. 19, 2013
Franco Cite 07 @ St. Peter 27
Mother Teresa 16 @ Holy Trinity 04

Friday - Sep. 20, 2013
St. Mark 00 @ Sir Wilfrid Laurier 28
Immaculata 07 @ St. Joseph 48

There are 16 teams competing (pretty standard) across town.  If I understand correctly, the clubs playing at the AAA/AAAA level (St. Peter, Sir Wilfrid Laurier, St. Patrick, St.Mark) can compete provincially in the OFSAA Bowl Series in Toronto.

There are a couple of other things I've noticed about the schedule.  At first, I was disappointed to see that United Way Day seemed to be a thing of the past.  Every year, on the Thursday before Thanksgiving, 16 teams would converge on St. Joseph High School to play eight games on two fields from 9AM to about 7PM.  As much football as you can handle and fundraising for the United Way at the same time.  Always a fun time.

I eventually clued in that the event is still on, but the Thursday following Thanksgiving instead.  Here is the schedule for that day.

Colonel By @ St. Pius -- 10:00am at St. Joseph
Garneau @ Longfields DHS -- 10:00am at St. Joseph
Philemon Wright @ St. Matthew -- 12:00am at St. Matthew
Holy Trinity @ St. Joseph -- 12:00am at St. Joseph
St. Mark @ Franco Cite -- 2:00pm at St. Joseph   
St. Peter @ Sir Wilfrid Laurier --2:00pm at St. Joseph
Mother Teresa @ St. Patrick -- 7:30pm at Millenium Field

Things seem to have changed a little, probably for logistical reasons.  Previously, one game would start at 9AM on field one, then another on field two an hour later, and so on.  When the first game ended, the third would start on field one, and so on.  Now they all appear to start at the same times.  I can only assume that the Philemon Wright "at" St. Matthew location being listed as being played at St. Matthew is an error.

I doubt that the last game's location is an error though.  It seems that there's a game every Thursday evening now, something that was a rarity in the recent past.

So here's your Thursday night schedule now (not including the Mother Teresa/St. Patrick match-up from above).

Sep 26th: St. Joseph @ Mother Teresa 7:00pm at Bob Stevens Field
Oct  3rd: St. Patrick  @ St. Peter   7:30pm at Millenium Field
Oct 10th: St. Mark @ Holy Trinity    7:00pm at Bob Stevens Field
Oct 24th: St. Joseph @ St. Peter     7:30pm at Millenium Field

So people now have more opportunities to catch these teams in action.

Flashback, May 29th, 2013: Desjardins names Sunderland Ottawa's Assistant GM

Not much to add; If Sunderland was with the Montreal Alouettes prior to his Jets experience, then his path and Desjardins' would have crossed during that time.  Since Jeremy Snyder spent the last three seasons with the Alouettes, that makes only Miles Gorrell the only front office member to not have spent a significant portion of his career with Montréal.

In 2004, the Alouettes posted a 14-4 regular season.  In 2005 they were 10-8 and lost the Grey Cup to Edmonton in overtime.

OTTAWA -- Ottawa’s new Canadian Football League franchise today announced that Brock Sunderland has been appointed Assistant General Manager.

Sunderland, now in his 10th season in professional football, will be involved in all facets of football operations including scouting and player contracts.

“I’m delighted to welcome Brock to our organization” said team General Manager Marcel Desjardins.

“He brings a wealth of experience and a proven eye for talent that will be invaluable to our organization as we evaluate players and build our team for the 2014 season.”

Prior to joining the Ottawa franchise, Sunderland spent six seasons with the NFL’s New York Jets in scouting roles, most recently covering college players in the western United States.

He also served as an advance pro scout, preparing reports for the Jets on upcoming opponents.  Prior to joining the Jets, Sunderland spent three seasons with the Montreal Alouettes where he was promoted to Director of Scouting after serving as a professional and amateur scout.

“I consider myself very fortunate to be able to return to the Canadian Football League and specifically to Ottawa,” said Sunderland.  “I'm looking forward to helping build a team from the ground up with people who are well respected in this industry.  This is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

A native of Great Falls Montana, Sunderland was a wide receiver and punt returner for the University of Montana before knee injuries ended his playing career. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications.

Team Profile: Nepean Redskins

Not surprisingly, this post is "inspired" by the pending departure of the Redskins name for the Nepean NCAFA club.  That will apparently be announced officially tomorrow, so I'll hold off copying any articles and such until then.

The Redskins were born as the Barrhaven Buccaneers in August of 1978, playing at the Mosquito level.  The team changed its name to Redskins in 1983 and gradually added age levels over the years.  The midget level in particular was added in 2002.

The undefeated 2005 team has been, to this point, the most dominant in the brief history of the midget level in NCAFA.  I had recorded their roster, award winners, etc and will see if I can locate that again in something of a tribute page.  I'll also get my hands on 2012 scores at some point.

2003, 2005, 2010 NCAFA Midget Champions
(Est. 1978)

2011 Schedule (04-04)
Aug 27th: @ Norsemen      (W 20-00)
Sep  2nd: vs Colts        (W 04-01)
Sep  9th: vs Knights      (W 31-00)
Sep 21st: vs Bengals      (L 00-06)
Sep 25th: vs Norsemen     (L 10-14)
Oct  2nd: @ Colts         (W 20-07)
Oct  9th: @ Bengals       (L 00-14)
Oct 14th: @ Knights       (L 00-06)

Oct 28th: vs Colts        (W 23-13)
Nov 4th: at Bengals       (L 00-21)(Championship Game)


2010 Results (06-01)
Aug 20th: @ Norsemen      (W 27-20)
Aug 27th: vs Colts        (W 17-07)
Sep 12th: @ Dukes         (W 14-00)
Sep 17th: vs Stampeders   (W 33-07)
Sep 22nd: vs Norsemen     (L 16-18)
Sep 26th: @ Colts         (W 34-08)
Oct  1st: vs Dukes        (W 28-00)
Oct 17th: @ Stampeders    (W 01-00)

Oct 24th: vs Colts        (W 56-14)
Oct 29th: vs Norsemen     (W 14-07)


2009 Results (05-03)
Aug 28th: @ Norsemen      (W 18-03)
Sep  4th: vs Colts        (W 23-14)
Sep  9th: vs Mustangs     (L 28-54)
Sep 18th: @ Mustangs      (L 13-25)
Sep 25th: @ Colts         (W 23-00)
Oct  4th: @ Dukes         (L 14-20)
Oct  9th: vs Norsemen     (W 28-00)
Oct 14th: vs Dukes        (W 14-06)

Oct 23rd: Orleans Dukes 35, Nepean Redskins 10 (Playoff)


2008 Results (02-06)
Sep  5th: vs Dukes        (L 13-28)
Sep 12th: vs Norsemen     (W 34-07)
Sep 19th: @ Colts         (W 27-08)
Sep 26th: @ Mustangs      (L 26-34)
Oct  8th: @ Norsemen      (L 08-33)
Oct 13th: @ Dukes         (L 14-35)
Oct 17th: vs Mustangs     (L 06-19)
Oct 24th: vs Colts        (L 06-25)

Orleans Dukes 46, Nepean Redskins 14      (Playoff)


2007 Results (04-04)
Aug 31st: @ Norsemen      (L 00-25)
Sep  5th: vs Knights      (L 15-18)
Sep 14th: @ Colts         (W 21-08)
Sep 22th: vs Dukes        (W 12-08)
Sep 28th: vs Norsemen     (L 13-17)
Oct  8th: @ Knights       (W 37-14)
Oct 17th: vs Colts        (L 00-21)
Oct 21th: @ Dukes         (W 14-07)

Nepean Redskins 22, Orleans Dukes 15     (Semi)
Bel Air Norsemen 28, Nepean Redskins 14  (Championship Game)


2006 Results (09-01)(Specific dates not available)
Aug 26-27:  Redskins 15, Mustangs 07
Sep 01-04:  Redskins 26, Dukes 00
Sep 09-10:  Knights 03, Redskins 02
Sep 16-17:  Redskins 32, Colts 22
Sep 22-24:  Redskins 34, Dukes 00
Sep 29-Oct 1st:  Redskins 20, Norsemen 07
Sep 29-Oct 1st:  Redskins 43, Colts 03
Oct 06-09:  Redskins 34, Mustangs 00
Oct 13-15:  Redskins 22, Knights 07
Oct 20-22:  Redskins 07, Norsemen 05

Oct 27-29:  Redskins 31, Mustangs 00 (Semi)
Nov 01-05:  Norsemen 10, Redskins 07 (Championship)


2005 Results (10-00)(Specific dates not available)
Aug 27-28:  Redskins 33, Norsemen 00
Sep 02-05:  Redskins 43, Colts 00
Sep 09-11:  Redskins 21, Knights 14
Sep 17-18:  Redskins 24, Dukes 02
Sep 23-25:  Redskins 30, Mustangs 07
Sep 30-Oct 2nd: Redskins 21, Norsemen 08
Oct 05-10:  Redskins 21, Knights 00
Oct 05-10:  Redskins 30, Mustangs 07
Oct 14-16:  Redskins 01, Colts 00
Oct 20-23:  Redskins 35, Dukes 07

Oct 28-30:  Redskins 37, Mustangs 00 (Semi)
Nov 07-08:  Redskins 28, Norsemen 03 (Championship)


2004 Results (04-04)(Specific dates not available)
Sep 04-06:  Redskins 26, Norsemen 20
Sep 11-12:  Colts 33, Redskins 19
Sep 17-19:  Redskins 16, Knights 13
Sep 22-26:  Redskins 24, Mustangs 13 (game continued from Aug. 28-28) Mustangs 23, Redskins 14
Sep 29-Oct 03:  Redskins 35, Dukes 16
Oct 15-17:  Knights 20, Redskins 07
Oct 22-24:  Colts 46, Redskins 28

Oct 30-31:  Redskins 28, Knights 21  (Semi)
Nov 02-07:  Colts 48, Redskins 43    (Championship)


2003 Results (07-01)
Aug 30th:  vs Ottawa Colts        (W 49-21)
Sep  6th:  vs Gloucester Dukes    (W 28-18)
Sep 12th:  at Kanata Knights      (W 27-07)
Sep 20th:  at Bel Air Norsemen    (L 20-21)
Oct  1st:  at Ottawa Colts        (W 35-15)
Oct  5th:  at Gloucester Dukes    (W 27-17)
Oct 11th:  vs Bel Air Norsemen    (W 28-21)
Oct 18th:  vs Kanata Knights      (W 24-07)

Nepean Redskins 30, Kanata Knights 12   (Semi)
Nepean Redskins 16, Bel-Air Norsemen 08 (Championship Game)


2002 Results (07-01)
Aug 23-25:     Redskins 28, Norsemen 13
Aug 31-Sep 02: Redskins 62, Colts 00
Sep 06-08:     Redskins 15, Knights 00
Sep 20-21:     Dukes 30, Redskins 14
Sep 27-29:     Redskins 40, Colts 00
Oct 04-05:     Redskins 20, Norsemen 06
Oct 11-14:     Redskins 41, Knights 01
Oct 26-27:     Redskins 14, Dukes 05

Nov   2nd:     Redskins 22, Norsemen 18 (Semi)
Nov  10th:     Dukes 23, Redskins 15    (Championship Game)

Flashback, March 15th, 2013: Snyder, Gorrell and Covington hired

I originally tried to do these key events chronologically but, perhaps due to eagerness to get to the player personnel part of things, I skipped over some front office appointments from this past spring. Here they are:

March 15, 2013 (Ottawa ON.): Ottawa’s new CFL team today announced the appointment of two football veterans to the organization. Jeremy Snyder joins the team from the Montreal Alouettes as Pro/College Scout, and Miles Gorrell has been hired as Scouting Consultant.

“Both of these individuals will be key members of our football operations staff as we prepare to draft and sign players,” said Ottawa’s General Manager, Marcel Desjardins. “Jeremy has the ability to identify talent at the pro and college levels, both in Canada and the United States, and his administrative background will be invaluable to our Football Operations structure. Miles will focus primarily on the CFL and the upcoming CFL Draft. His hands-on approach to scouting and his ability to get to know prospects on a personal level will be of tremendous benefit to our organization.”

Miles Gorrell, an Ottawa U Gee Gee’s alumnus, is best known for his stellar 18-season career as an offensive lineman with five CFL teams, including the 1982 Ottawa Rough Riders. Since 2005, he served as a player personnel assistant with the Grey Cup champion Toronto Argonauts. Gorrell, a perennial CFL Eastern All-Star and two-time winner of the Leo Dandurand Trophy, will be inducted into the CFL Hall of Fame this September.

For the last three seasons, Jeremy Snyder scouted for the Montreal Alouettes. He prepared strategic advance scouting reports on opposing teams and assessed talent on US college and NFL rosters. Prior to joining the Al’s, Snyder was Pro Scout for the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles, and prior to joining the Eagles he spent four seasons as Football Operations Assistant with the Chicago Bears.

The Ottawa franchise also announced the appointment of Chantal Covington as Executive Assistant, Football Operations.

Not much to add, except to point out that these guys have been busy. Here's a paragraph from an Ottawa Citizen article fom August 3rd.

(Seattle) Seahawks camp was the second of Desjardins’ eight NFL stops, mostly in the Pacific time zone; he began with the Denver Broncos. Sunderland (RR edit: more on him later) and Snyder will each visit nine camps, but Gorrell just six because he’s returning earlier than the others to oversee Canadian Interuniversity Sport teams, whose season kicks off in August.

Oh, just six for that slacker Gorrell.  :-)

Sounds like no stone is being left unturned.

Article: "Midget Knights win opener 16-6 against Nouvelles Frontieres"

Kanata Kourier-Standard - The midget Kanata Knights held their home opener on Sept. 6 in front of a packed home crowd at Robert Barr Football Field.

The Knights started off slowly in the first half allowing the Frontieres to score.

However, a determined defense, led by linebackers Sebby Mordak and Eric Ricci, DL Jasmin Dervisevic and two-way powerhouse player Nick Krzaniak, who plays both defensive back and quarterback, helped keep the score close with the Knights trailing by just 6 after the half.

Early in the third quarter, the game shifted momentum and the Knights took control.

The pounding running game of Chris Bumstead, and Brandon Farquharson put quarterback Matt Duffy in scoring position where he punched in two touchdowns and Jared Blair converted both points after touchdowns.

Evan Yourth led the receiving core with three catches for 43 yards.

Matt Duffy was also a key factor on special teams with two kick returns for 73 yards.

The defence stood strong and shut out the Frontieres for the remainder of the game. Nick Krzaniak led the defence with three interceptions, a batted ball and two assisted tackles.

Sebby Mordak was a beast recording six solo tackles and five assisted plus put the game out of reach with a safety in the forth. Julien Smit continues to be a quarterback's worst nightmare with two sacks and rookie defensive linesman Sheldon McRae recovered a fumble.

Flashback, May 6th, 2013: RedBlacks draft SB/WR Tyler Digby in the 4th round of the college draft.

The timing for this post couldn't have worked out any better.  On the day that I look for articles similar to the ones I found for the other three choices, Digby gets drafted by the Vancouver franchise of the National Lacrosse League.

First, let's revisit his selection through the Royal City Record.

New Westminster's Tyler Digby was selected in the fourth round of the Canadian Football League college draft on Monday.

The 6-3, 250-pound junior tight end at Robert Morris University was drafted by the new as-yet-unnamed Ottawa franchise, which will begin playing in the CFL in the 2014 season.

"I was just excited, humbled and everything. It was a pretty proud moment for sure," said Digby on a long-distance call from the Pittsburgh, Pensylvania campus.

Digby, who has one varsity letter in football and two in field lacrosse, will play his senior year at Robert Morris before weighing his sporting options.

In the CFL draft, Ottawa had the opportunity to draft four NCAA players with eligibility remaining. Next year, as a full-fledged member of the league, Ottawa will have the first pick in all rounds of the draft.

In February, Digby was also drafted in the first round, sixth overall, by the Burnaby Lakers in the Western Lacrosse Association junior entry draft.

Must be nice to be wanted...

At the time of the pick, this seemed like a nice late score.  Digby's Robert Morris bio lists him as being 6'4" and 255, great size for an inside receiver, but it also mentions that he moved to the offensive line in a pinch. In three games this year, he has six receptions for 53 yards and a score.

The National Lacrosse League schedule runs from January to April.  There's no overlap, so on that level there doesn't seem to be anything preventing him from playing both sports if he wishes (unless CFL contracts forbid it, which I doubt).

But you would think that someone from New Westminster might want to play football close to home as well so I could see Digby being sent to BC in a trade at some point.  It may be best to not get too attached to him.

History: The Ottawa Renegades Dispersal Draft

In acontinuing effort to record anything and everything related to Ottawa football, and as a result of mentioning it yesterday while posting about RedBlacks draft pick Kalonji Kashama, here are the players that were chosen from the Renegades roster following that team's "suspension".  The draft was held on April 19th, 2006.

Round 1

#     Team               Player           Pos
1     SSK (from HAM)     Kerry Joseph     QB
2     WPG                Ibrahim Khan     OL
3     SSK                Jason Armstead   WR
4     CGY                Cam Yeow         LB
5     WPG (from TOR)     Val St. Germain  OL
6     BCL                Korey Banks      DB
7     MTL                Kai Ellis        DB
8     EDM                Anthony Collier  DE



Round 2

#     Team               Player           Pos
1     HAM                Pat Fleming      P
2     TOR (from WPG)     Marc Pilon       DL
3     SSK                Cory Hathaway    FB
4     CGY                Markus Howell    WR
5     WPG (from TOR)     Brad Banks       QB
6     BCL                Matt Kirk        DL
7     MTL                Greg Moss        DB
8     EDM                Sean Suisham      K



Round 3

#     Team               Player           Pos
1     HAM                Gilles Lezi      FB
2     WPG                Hakeem Kashama   DL
3     SSK                Charles Howard   DT
4     CGY                Crance Clemons   DB
5     TOR                David Azzi       WR
6     BCL                Sean Weston      DB
7     MTL                D'wayne Taylor   DB
8     EDM                L.P. Ladouceur   DT



Round 4

#     Team               Player           Pos
1     HAM                Greg Bearman     DB
2     WPG                Cameron Legault  DL
3     SSK                Donald Ruiz      DB
4     CGY                Jason Thomas     QB
5     TOR                Sean Poole       OL
6     BCL                Sandro Sciortino  K
7     MTL                Brandon Evans    OL
8     EDM                Pat Woodcock     WR



Round 5

#     Team               Player           Pos
1     HAM                Steve Smith      DB
2     WPG                Lenard Semajuste FB
3     SSK                Pass             --
4     CGY                Greg Cole        LB
5     TOR                Sean Bennett     RB
6     BCL                Anthony Jones    WR
7     MTL                Dwayne Levels    LB
8     EDM                Israel Idonije   DE



Round 6

#     Team               Player           Pos
1     HAM                Pass             --
2     WPG                Henri Childs     RB
3     SSK                Trevor Kine      OT
4     CGY                Canary Knight    DT
5     TOR                Sean Riley       WR
6     BCL                Pass             --
7     MTL                Kenny Smith      DL
8     EDM                Pass             --



Round 7

#     Team               Player           Pos
1     HAM                Pass             --
2     WPG                Robert Grant     DB
3     SSK                Allen Burrell    WR
4     CGY                Jamaal Perry     WR
5     TOR                Roderick Warren  WR
6     BCL                Pass             --
7     MTL                David Ashkinaz   OL
8     EDM                Pass             --



Round 8

#     Team               Player           Pos
1     HAM                Pass             --
2     WPG                Pass             --
3     SSK                Pass             --
4     CGY                Pass             --
5     TOR                Pass             --
6     BCL                Pass             --
7     MTL                Jeremy Pearl     DB
8     EDM                Pass             --

No matter how big a fan of the Renegades you might have been, you could be excused for not recognizing some of these names.  Several players had been signed earlier in the year to compete in camp.  Most didn't amount to anything in the CFL though several of the veteran players are still contributing in 2013.  Some special teams guys are in the NFL (Suisham, Ladouceur).

Flashback, May 6th, 2013: RedBlacks draft Kalonji Kashama in the Third Round of the College Draft

The RedBlacks continued to build along the trenches during their first college draft.

Does the Kashama name seem familiar?  It might; Kalonji's three older brothers have played professionally.  It doesn't get mentioned much in his bios, but brother Hakeem Kashama was briefly an Ottawa Renegade.  He had signed on before the 2006 season that never was and was picked by Winnipeg in the dispersal draft.

As for Connor Williams, let's retain some of Kashama's Eastern Michigan bio for future reference...

Full name: Kalonji Sylvain Kashama.

2012: Started 11 games for the Eagles at defensive end...Recorded 30 tackles including three sacks...Forced two fumbles, one sack and five solo tackles at Purdue (Oct. 15).

2011: Appeared in all 12 games, earning four starts for the Eagles...Recorded 28 total tackles (10 solo & 18 assisted), 1.5 sacks, four QB hurries and one pass breakup...Had 3.5 tackles for loss on the season...Notched a season high four total tackles at Michigan (Sept. 17)...

2010: Earned his first letter after redshirting as a freshman in 2009...Played in 11 games, earning eight starts on the defensive line...Finished the year with 14 tackles, three tackles-for-loss of 11 yards and two sacks for 10 yards...Turned in four tackles in his collegiate debut, Sept. 4 against Army...Second-best effort was a three-tackle effort at Ball State (Oct. 16), including 1.5 sacks for five yards...

HIGH SCHOOL:  Graduated from Notre Dame H.S. in Brampton, Ontario, Canada where he played football for Head Coach Dario Pretto...Was a member of the Honor Roll...Earned four varsity letters in football and three each in basketball and track...Played at Avondale H.S. in Decatur, Ga. in his final season of high school football...Avondale’s Head Coach was his brother, Hakeem Kashama...Senior Year:  Named one of the Top 20 Players in the Greater Toronto area...Junior Year: Finished his 11th grade in Canada where he played at Notre Dame School in Brampton, Ontario...Picked for the Greater Toronto Area All-Star team and was named one of the Top 20 Players in the Greater Toronto area...Had 14 sacks with 71 tackles on defense and also played offensive receiver....Sophomore Year:  Named one of the Top 20 Players in the Greater Toronto area...Freshman Year: Lettered in football and helped the team win the conference championship.

All very nice, but let's let the man tell us about himself:



In light of his size (6'04" / 270), experience and blood lines, I'm surprised he lasted until the end of the 3rd round.  Hope to see Kashama wearing the "R" next spring.

Team Profile: Holy Trinity Tornadoes

The mention of the Holy Trinity Tornadoes in Connor Williams' bio motivated me to restore their historical results as best I could. Over time, I'll do the same to all the NCSSAA teams in the Ottawa area and the RSEQ teams in Gatineau.

Holy Trinity Tornadoes

2007 Tier Two Champions

2012 Results (2-4)(Tier Two)
Sep 26th: vs Mother Teresa          (L 12-49)
Oct  4th: at Glebe                  (L 21-22)
Oct 10th: at Sacred Heart           (W 39–06)
Oct 16th: at Immaculata             (L 13-20)
Oct 24th: vs Franco Cité            (L 07-14)
Oct 29th: at Immaculata             (W 27–22)

Nov  2nd: at St. Pius               (L 08-36)


2011 Results (2-4)
Sep 23rd: at St. Joseph             (L 00-27)
Sep 30th: at St. Pius               (W 28–07)
Octr 6th: vs St. Francis Xavier     (L 00-47)
Oct 14th: at South Carleton         (L 14-15)
Oct 19th: vs Mother Teresa          (L 01-28)
Oct 28th: vs Immaculata             (W 14–03)

Nov  1st: at South Carleton         (W 14–10)
Nov  4th: at Immaculata             (L 07-14)


2010 Results (5-1)(Tier Two)
Sep 23rd: vs St. Joseph             (L 00-29)
Sep 30th: vs Bell                   (W 48-00)
Oct  7th: at Sacred Heart           (W 14-00)
Oct 15th: at Merivale               (W 33-10)
Oct 21st: vs John McCrae            (W 46-00)
Oct 29th: vs Franco-Cité            (W 15-03)

Nov  5th: vs Glebe                  (W 37-06)
Nov  9th: at Franco-Cité            (L 00-20)


2009 Results (2-4)(Tier Two)
Sep 17th: vs Merivale               (L 20-27)
Sep 24th: at Sacred Heart           (L 00-08)
Sep 29th: vs Mother Teresa          (W 21-06)
Oct  8th: at St. Joseph             (L 16-19)
Oct 16th: vs Notre Dame             (W 67-00)   
Oct 23rd: at John McCrae            (L 00-26)

Oct 27th: at Merivale               (W 34-07)
Oct 30th: at Mother Teresa          (W 24-14)
Nov  3rd: at ST. Patrick            (L 40-07)


2008 Results (1-4-1)(Tier Two)
Sep 19th: at Sir Robert Borden      (L 06-21)
Sep 24th: vs St. Pius               (L 07-19)
Oct  2nd: at Sacred Heart           (W 15-00)
Oct  9th: vs John McCrae            (T 06-06)
Oct 18th: at Merivale               (L 00-07)
Oct 23rd: vs Ottawa Tech            (L 20-33)


2007 Results (5-1)(Tier Two)
City Champions
Sep 24th: vs All Saints             (W 29-01)
Sep 27th: at Merivale               (W 35-00)
Oct  3rd: vs John McCrae            (L 21-35)
Oct 12th: at Bell                   (W 52-00)
Oct 19th: at South Carleton         (W 17-02)
Oct 25th: vs All Saints             (W 36-10)

Nov  2nd: vs St. Patrick's          (W 35-00)
Nov  7th: vs St. Pius               (W 46-00)
Nov 13th: at Immaculata             (W 38-15)

Flashback, May 6th, 2013: RedBlacks draft Kanata native Connor Williams in the Second Round of the college draft

This was a fun pick.  I'd been tracking local players in NCAA for some time, and would watch Williams during the rare occasions when Utah State was televised (such as bowl games).  When the RedBlacks had the opportunity to make a draft choice again after MacMillan, and Williams was available, I was very much hoping that they would take him and obviously they did.

The Utah State website has a good bio of him, particularly of his pre-NCAA years. I'll copy that part here for future reference.

HIGH SCHOOL: Was a two-time first-team all-region honoree at Holy Trinity (Ontario) High School... Also participated in the all-Canada Gridiron Ottawa May Showcase, as well as playing in the Athletes in Action East/West Bowl, where he was the only junior selected, and then again as a senior... Was Holy Trinity's defensive MVP his sophomore, junior and senior seasons, as well as team captain all three years... As a junior, helped the Tornadoes win the National Capital Secondary School Athletic Association Tier 2 football championship... Also played for the Kanata Knights and the Myers Riders of the Ontario Varsity Football League, where he set a league record for single-season tackle assists with 80 as a junior... As a senior, had 80 total tackles (35-solo, 45-assists) with 10 total sacks (5-solo, 5-assists) along with two forced fumbles and one interception... Was also the Riders' team MVP as a senior and was a two-time team captain.

Recently, the Salt Lake Tribune had an article about Williams and his time with the program which included a mention of his selection by the RedBlacks.  Have a read at that below.

The teasing comes with the territory for Connor Williams, though at first he fought it.

Arriving in Logan from Ontario as a freshman, Williams didn’t appreciate it when his new Utah State teammates egged him on by saying Canadians couldn’t play football. In the first few days of his freshman camp, he tried to show them all how wrong they were.

"I shut [up] a few people my very first few days: All I did was headhunt people," he said, laughing at the memories. "Actually, I got a reward for that in my first scrimmage from Kellen Bartlett. He’s going to kill me for bringing that up."

These days, the 21-year-old is comfortable with both where he’s from and where he is. The senior defensive end is coming off an all-WAC honorable mention season, and he’s one of the Aggies’ leaders on defense after topping the team with six sacks last year.

He still strides onto the field looking to prove himself every day, only now, he takes out his aggression on opponents.

...

Williams invites his reputation: The brawny lineman has the thick beard, tattoos on his biceps and a long, flowing mane that inspired his most well-known nickname: Conan the Barbarian.

At a recent team get-together, the Aggies had a look-alike event. When a picture of Arnold Schwarzenegger in full movie get-up popped up on the screen next to Williams’ picture, he rolled his eyes. The name has just stuck.

"Honestly, I just call him Conan," Larsen said. "I can’t remember the last time I called him Connor."

Williams hasn’t always had long hair. He didn’t even always like football. Which was funny, because the sport has long been the family’s pastime.

His uncles Shane Ireland and Brian Wise both played in the CFL. Williams played, mostly out of a sense of duty — and because hockey was expensive — but he didn’t much like it.

That changed when he saw Utah play in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl against Pittsburgh. Wise, a former Ute player, introduced his nephew to the excitement of college football. Afterward, Williams was pushing and pushing to go to Utah before he got a late call from Gary Andersen.

"He told me he came up here to rebuild a program, it was going to be something special, and I wanted to be a part of that," Williams remembered. "At the last minute, I signed."

Mining the Canadian recruit turned out to be quite the coup for Utah State. Williams started all 13 games last year and enters this season as the most experienced lineman in the Aggies’ defensive fold. He’s one of the strongest players on the team, earning an Iron Aggie last year and getting some of the heaviest squats in the weight room.

...

For years, Williams kept his hair close-cropped. But not long after another football-playing uncle, Phil Ireland, died, Williams missed a haircut.

"My uncle played football, and he always wore his hair long," Williams said. " I thought maybe I’d honor him in a way."

There’s no doubt that Williams is making his hometown proud, or at least drawing its attention. During the offseason, Williams was selected by the Ottawa Red Blacks, a CFL expansion team that will start playing in 2014. They hope that Williams considers returning home to begin his pro football career after his senior campaign is over.

That’s far ahead of him at this point. Yes, he’s still proud to be Canadian. But for now, he’s just an Aggie.

"If I have a successful season, we’ll see what comes out of it," he said. "I assume one day when I have to get a real job, I’ll have to cut my hair. I’m just enjoying it for now."

History: The Midget level, pre-NCAFA

The Midget level was introduced in the Ottawa area in March of 1980 with the birth of the Ottawa Trojans.  Roster rules dictated that teams could include six 18-year olds with the remainder of the team being 17 years old or less.

The Trojans, coached by Pat Billings, began play in spectacular fashion by defeating the three-time Ontario Midget Football League champion Scarborough Spartans 14-06.  Including playoffs, they achieved a 7-2 record and reached the league semi-finals, bowing out to the Scarborough Spartans 7-6.

The Trojans were joined in the Ontario Minor Football League by the Dukes of Gloucester in 1981, then the Nepean Norsemen in 1982. The Myers Riders program fielded a team in that league as well, winning seven championships during the 90's, until they moved to the Ontario Varsity Football League for the 2001 season.

In 2002, the Midget level was entered into NCAFA through a merger with the former OMFL.

2001: Ottawa Norsemen       Def. Gloucester Dukes 20-17

2000: Ottawa Norsemen       Def. Myers Riders 10-00
--RB Joe Costanzo ran for 100+ to earn offensive MVP honours. The defensive MVP nod went to Nick Beaton of Myers

1999: Myers Riders          Def. Gloucester Dukes 25-16
--The team had a 7-3 regular season record under head coach Jim Delahunty.

1998: Myers Riders

1997: Myers Riders

1996: Myers Riders          Def. Gloucester Dukes 27-03
--Head coach was Bill Palmer.  The team was endefeated on the season.

1995: Myers Riders          (undefeated)

1994: Myers Riders        

1993:

1992:

1991:

1990: Myers Riders

1989: Nepean Norsemen

1988: Nepean Norsemen       Def. Markham Raiders 27-06
--From The Star: "Three turnovers proved to be extremely costly for Markham. On all three occasions the Raiders fumbled the ball when they were within their own 20-yard line. Nepean went on to score touchdowns on each of these miscues."

1987: Nepean Norsemen

1986: Ottawa Trojans        Def. Barrhaven Redskins 20-07
--RB Gi Gi Costanzo ran for 132 yards on 20 carries, including a 47-yard score.  Head coach was Dick Weber.

1985: Ottawa Trojans        Def. Nepean Norsememen 24-10
--RB Gary Lloyd scored twice.  Trojans took a 5-1 regular season record into the game.

1984: Ottawa Trojans        Def. Durham Dolphins 31-08
--Trojans were 9-1 in regular season play under head coach Bob St. George. RB Gary Lloyd totalled 103 yards on 25 carries.  LB Gord Weber was credited with 15 tackles.

1983: Gloucester Dukes      Def. Ottawa Trojans 18-09
--Pierre Plante scored on an 80-yard fumble return.

1982: Gloucester Dukes rallied from a 14-00 deficit to beat the Ottawa Trojans 21-14 in overtime in the quarterfinals.  The following weekend, the Toronto Steelers knocked Gloucester out, winning 14-06.

1981: Ottawa Trojans        Def. Toronto Steelers 29-21
--Said to be the first ever provincial midget crown for an Ottawa-based team, and tenth championship game overall.  Andy McEvoy threw two touchdown passes.  Head coach Pat Billings retired following the game.

1980: Ottawa Trojans were defeated in the semi-finals

Flashback, May 6th, 2013: Ottawa takes OL Nolan MacMillan with first ever college draft pick

The CFL press release about the first college draft pick in RedBlacks history was pretty underwhelming.  Here is a portion of it.  Emphasis on the spelling error is mine, of course.

TORONTO -- The new Ottawa franchise has made their first ever draft selection, taking Iowa offensive lineman Nolan MacMillan.  He was selected in the first round, 8th overall in the 2013 CFL Draft.

MacMillan, 22, joins the Ottawa after starring on the Hawkeyes' offensive line for four seasons. He missed the entire 2011 campaign with an injury.

The six-foot-six, 290-pound Toornto, ON native ranked sixth on April's CFL Scouting Bureau rankings, jumping up four spots from December's Top 15.

The rest of it was about how GM Marcel Desjardins is honoured to represent Ottawa and what other draft choices the team had remaining.  They had selections at the end of the next three rounds, if they chose to make use of them, and I'm going to have a post for each pick separately.

Oh, and MacMillan was 9th overall, not 8th.  Leave it to the CFL to forget how many teams are in its league.  I'm still going use the picture from their article below though, because it at least appears as though they got the right guy.

Aside from what we're told above, what do we know about MacMillan?  Not an awful lot, so I located the article below which goes over his career at Iowa.

No doubt he's talented, but you may find that the CFL's claim that he "starred" on the Iowa line is a touch overblown in light of time lost to injury.  The article was posted on Hawk Central in October of last year and written by Ryan Suchomel.

UI CMP Photo Services

Offensive lineman Nolan MacMillan knows about injuries and setbacks.

The junior started the first six games as a redshirt freshman in 2010, then went down with injury.

Now the 6-foot-6, 290-pound lineman is slated to make his seventh career start Saturday at Northwestern, almost two years after his last one.

“It was a long time,” MacMillan said. “It was a tough wait. You’ve got to focus on each day, taking care of what you can.”

MacMillan earned freshman all-American honors for his half-season of work in 2010.

The hope was MacMillan would put his shoulder injury behind him and become a starter again last fall.

But a sports hernia in the spring lingered and he missed all of 2011.

“It’s been a bit of a long process,” MacMillan said. “You come to a place like this, you want to play. Playing early is great, but obviously I wasn’t able to stay healthy.”

On Saturday, MacMillan was put in the game when sophomore Brandon Scherff went down with a season-ending injury against Penn State.

“I think he did a good job,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. “He went in there. He was ready. He was mentally ready for it, and he’s practiced well.

“He’s missed some time but he’s practiced well when he’s been out there. Now hopefully we can keep him healthy and keep him advancing, because we’re going to need everybody’s best effort now.”

...

MacMillan said he is a lot different than that redshirt freshman that enjoyed a 5-1 record as a starter.

“I think I’m a lot more confident in the offense scheme and what I’m doing,” MacMillan said. “And I think I’m more physically mature.”

The junior from Toronto, Ontario, is not given to long-winded proclamations. But he’s sat in the offensive line meetings while hurt and lately even when he was passed up by younger players.

“He’s a tough guy,” junior lineman Brett Van Sloten said. “I think everyone on the team can contest to that. He’s a fighter.

“He’s persevered through a lot. It’s nice to see him progress through all those injuries.”

...

“He’s got the right mindset,” (redshirt freshman Austin) Blythe said. “Coming back for him is just like getting back on a bike. It’s just about getting the reps, getting the confidence back. He’ll be just fine.”

The Ottawa Sun got a hold of MacMillan that day and had the following quote in its article about his selection:

“I’m really happy, totally excited that Ottawa picked me. It’s a great feeling,” said MacMillan, who was born in Arnprior and lived (with parents Paul and Janet) in Renfrew as a kid. “I was tracking the draft (online) and I had to do a double take when my name came up.”

MacMillan doesn't seem to be drawing much NFL attention, at least for the moment, so chances that he'll be in RedBlacks camp next spring appear to be quite good.

History: Article about the formation of the Ottawa Football Club in 1876

The article below is a scan from, if I recall correctly, the Ottawa Citizen.  I believe it was dated September 21st, 1876, making reference to the night before as the night the Ottawa Rough Riders were born.  I point this out because records often show September 19th as the Riders' "birthday" but I'm not sure that accurate.

I am restoring this article from Capital Region Football.  Finding it in the library very much triggered my interest in recording the history of football in Ottawa (and region).  That the team was created in 1876 is very well known, but I think it has become just a number to many people.  I recall that one of the articles on the same page was about a disruptive Apache tribe in the southwestern United States.  Seeing that really helped set this event in its historical place.

A few years later, I find it a little ironic that the RedBlack name is being referred to as a "fresh new name that pays tribute to Ottawa's past".  Certainly, if you were to ask anyone what colours are associated with Ottawa football, it's unlikely anyone would respond "cerise and French grey".  They are indeed red and black.  But the Rough Riders, for some time, were actually very similar in appearance to that of the University of Ottawa (who, of course, are named after their colours).  The "Gee-Gee" colour scheme might very well have become the one most associated with football in this city.

Flashback, January 30th, 2013: Ottawa Tabs Desjardins as First General Manager

After several months of legal wrangling, and with the stadium's construction well underway, the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group took to building its front office with the naming of the Marcel Desjardins as their first General Manager.

Photo credit unavailable.

OTTAWA -- The Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group today announced that Marcel Desjardins has been appointed General Manager of Ottawa’s new Canadian Football League franchise.  Desjardins, a 19-year CFL football operations veteran, will be responsible for all facets of team operations in Ottawa, including coaches, scouts and player contracts.

“I’m delighted that one of the CFL’s most experienced and accomplished football operations leaders has agreed to become the architect of our new team,” said Jeff Hunt, President, OSEG Sports.

“As an Assistant General Manager with the Montreal Alouettes, Marcel played a major role in the design of three Grey Cup winning rosters and he oversaw one of the League’s most effective football operations teams.  He has an ideal skill-set that’ll only grow in his new role with us, and I can’t wait to see the fruits of his labour when we kick-off a new era of CFL football in Ottawa in the summer of 2014.”

“I’m honoured and humbled by this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build a CFL team from the ground up,” said the 46-year-old Desjardins.  “Jeff Hunt and the other team owners are committed to reestablishing a winning football tradition in Ottawa and reigniting fan passions, and to be able to contribute to that process is a dream come true.”

Prior to joining the Ottawa franchise, the bilingual Desjardins served 5-seasons as Assistant General Manager under Jim Popp with the Montreal Alouettes, winning Grey Cups in 2009 and 2010.  He was responsible for scouting NFL camps, CIS football and some US college bowl games, as well as contract negotiations, salary cap management and day-to-day administration of the team.

Desjardins admitted he's looking forward to finally putting everything he's learned in Montreal into practice in Ottawa.

"It's done right there. (Jim Popp) has done a good job of structuring things," he said.

"Continuity means a lot at all levels, I honestly believe that. If you have the right people there, there's no reason to make changes. That's how the approach has to be here."

...

Prior to his AGM role with the Al’s, Marcel, a native of Burlington ON.,  served as General Manager of the Hamilton Tiger Cats from August 2006 through the 2007 season.  Prior to that, he served 5 seasons as Montreal’s Assistant General Manager and won a Grey Cup in 2002, and he served 3 previous seasons as the Al’s Assistant Director of Football Operations.

Before joining Montreal,  Marcel spent 5 years at CFL headquarters in Toronto where, among other things, he helped transition the football operations department into the database age.  He also ensured player contracts adhered to the League’s Collective Bargaining Agreement and was involved in other player personnel matters. 

Marcel holds an Honours Bachelor of Commerce degree with a specialization in Sports Administration from Laurentian University in Sudbury, ON.  His experience in the sports industry prior to joining the CFL office included tenures with the Sudbury Wolves of the Ontario Hockey League and the Canada Games Council.

"It's not about one person, you do it right, do it with the right people and if your thorough with the things you do, you'll have success," he said.

Following the 2006 and 2007 seasons, the Ti-Cats were 4-14 and 3-15 respectively.  Bearing in mind that Desjardins only took the reins in August of 2006, with that season well underway, it's clear he took over a franchise that was in need of more than a few tweaks in order to be competitive.

I recall that, when he was ousted, Desjardins made a comment along the lines that he was asked to rebuild from the foundation up, yet his superior(s) expected immediate results. It seems that not everyone was on the same page in Hamilton, whereas that's unlikely to be the case in Ottawa.  Everyone is keenly aware of the challenge facing Desjardins.

History: Ottawa Trojans 1944-1947

The information below was included on my capitalregionfootball.info page.  Alas, that website has been blown up, but I managed to recover the information.

When I was made aware of a method by which I could view screen captures of past version of CRF, the Trojans page was among the first few that I checked. They have an interesting history, some of which appears to be poorly recorded, and left at least one significant mark on the football landscape at the time.  That mark was among several reasons that I suggested the Trojans name for the CFL club which would become the RedBlacks.  See the bottom of the page.

Ottawa Trojans

I first read about the Trojans to a greater extent in the 2002 Ottawa Renegades media guide.  There was little information provided aside from stating that they were active in the 1940's, but that they were on hiatus throughout in 1945.

That last part is odd because it doesn't appear to be true.  I'd be curious to find out what the source was for that statement because researching Ottawa Citizen newspapers from 1945, I came across several scores for the Trojans.  I believe I have now located all of them.


1944 - Ontario Rugby Football Union
Head Coach: Gordie Perry
Sep 30th- Hamilton Wildcats 06 @ Ottawa 01       L
Oct  7th- Ottawa 07 @ Hamilton Wildcats 12       L
Oct  9th- Ottawa 31 @ Toronto Indians 11         W
Oct 14th- Toronto Balmy Beach 33 @ Ottawa 00     L
Oct 21st- Toronto Indians 00 @ Ottawa 21         W
Oct 28th- Ottawa 14 @ Toronto Balmy Beach 09     W
Record: (03-03)

Flying Wing: Ace Powell
Halfbacks: Fern Labrosse, Ted Edwards, Tommy Daley
Quarterback: McWatters
Snap: Stan Fulton
Insides: Leo Seguin, George Fraser
Middles: Eric Chipper, Ray Uhrig
Outsides: Bert Haigh, Al Leach

Alternates: Jack Mowatt, Jake Dunlap, Frank Dunlap, Bill Linegar, Emile Dagenais, Gerry Lefebvre, "Spud" Daley, Jimmy Conyers, Herve Pilon, Bunny Wadsworth, Lloyd Hutt, Graziano, Roy Annany, Bob Gilian (middle wing), J. Thompson, Curly Moynahan


1945 - Ontario Rugby Football Union
Head Coach: Arnie McWatters
Sep  7th- Windsor Rockets @ Ottawa               C**
Sep 15th- Toronto Indians 19 @ Ottawa 01         L
Sep 22nd- Ottawa 11 @ Balmy Beach 24             L
Oct  5th- Ottawa 11 @ Toronto Indians 16         L
Oct  8th- Windsor Rockets 01 @ Ottawa 09         W
Oct 13th- Hamilton Wildcats 11 @ Ottawa 15       W
Oct 27th- Balmy Beach 05 @ Ottawa 02             L
Nov  4th- Ottawa 06 @ Hamilton Wildcats 02       W
Record: (03-04)
**this game was "cancelled by agreement"


1946 - Ontario Rugby Football Union
Head Coach: Arnie McWatters
Sep  7th- Windsor Rockets 08 @ Ottawa 01         L
Sep 14th- Ottawa 02 @ Hamilton Wildcats 13       L
Sep 21st- Sarnia Imperials 18 @ Ottawa 06        L
Sep 28st- Ottawa 03 @ Toronto Indians 18         L
Oct  5th- Ottawa 07 @ Windsor Rockets 12         L
Oct 12th- Ottawa 00 @ Toronto Indians 05         L
Oct 14th- Ottawa 09 @ Sarnia Imperials 11        L
Oct 19th- Balmy Beach 11 @ Ottawa 00             L
Oct 26th- Ottawa 01 @ Balmy Beach 08             L
Oct 30th- Ottawa 07 @ Hamilton Wildcats 13       L
Record: (00-10)


1947 - Ontario Rugby Football Union
Head Coach: Wally Masters
Sep  6th- Ottawa 06 @ Toronto Indians 06         T
Sep 13th- Toronto Indians 12 @ Trojans 11        L
Sep 20th- Ottawa 05 @ Hamilton Wildcats 16       L
Sep 27th- Sarnia 15 @ Ottawa 20                  W
Oct  4th- Ottawa 18 @ Balmy Beach 05             W
Oct 11th- Ottawa 21 @ Sarnia 06                  W
Oct 13th- Windsor 06 @ Ottawa 24                 W
Oct 18th- Ottawa 23 @ Windsor 06                 W
Oct 25th- Balmy Beach 15 @ Ottawa 08             L
Nov  1st- Hamilton 46 @ Ottawa 12                L

Nov  8th- Ottawa 16 @ Balmy Beach 07             W (ORFU semi-final)

Nov 15th- Ottawa 15 @ Hamilton 03                W (ORFU final)
-Ottawa Citizen, Nov 17th- "Doug Smylie...intercepted a pass by Mel Lawson to gallop 55 yards for touchdown no. 1 at the five-minute mark, and raced 19 yards along the north touchline on a lateral from playing-coach Wally Masters for the other major score six minutes before the end of the first quarter."

Nov 22nd- Ottawa 01 @ Toronto 22                 L (Eastern final)
Record: (05-04-01)(02-01)

So whatever happened to the Trojans?  I located a Montreal Gazette article (uncredited) from 1948 which explains it:
March 4th - Exclusive rights to Ottawa's Lansdowne Park playing fields for the next two years today was granted to the Rough Riders football club on the stipulation that they amalgamate with the Ottawa Trojans - 1947 ORFU champions.

Article: "Sooners win thanks to Braves miscues"

The Ottawa Sooners had started their 2013 season with three straight losses, including two at home.  This past Saturday, they travelled to Burlington and notched their first victory.  The article below is by Kevin Nagel for thespec.com.

Hamilton - Here’s how the Ottawa Sooners scored their points in a 29-13 Ontario Football Conference victory over the  Burlington Braves at Nelson Stadium on Saturday night.

• Running back Carl Bernade scores on a one-yard run after his fumble on the preceding play, recovered by Burlington, was wiped out by a Braves offside penalty.

• Quinton Soares kicks a 15-yard field goal following an interception by Sooners’ John Skubic on a pass from Braves quarterback Mickey Trumper .

• Bernade scores his second TD on a six-yard run five plays after teammate Chad Grimonte blocks a punt by Braves’ Mark Milan that gives the Sooners the ball at the Braves 15 yard line.

• Soares kicks a 39-yard field goal after Trumper fumbles the ball at Braves’ 30-yard line.

• Soares kicks another field goal three plays after a Burlington penalty on a punt from the Braves’ own 16-yard-line results puts the ball on the Burlington 19.

The points on Braves miscues gave the Sooners a 22-7 fourth quarter lead, which they extended with a clock-eating drive culminating in another short Bernade TD run. It was the team’s first win of the Ontario Football Conference season.

It ties the Sooners with the Braves, also 1-3, in league standings.

“This was huge,” sighed Ottawa Sooners coach Matt Murfitt, whose team is 70 per cent first-year juniors. “We know we have Hamilton next week and that’s a tough game so we had to get the W tonight. We’ve been playing well but we just haven’t been able to finish. Tonight we were able to hang in there.”

Game stats suggest the Braves could have been a lot closer, or ahead of the Sooners, in points, with more disciplined play. The Braves gained 287 yards of net offence, 59 yards more than Ottawa.

Down 16-0 at the half, the Braves finally got on the board when Trumper recovered from an early snap that him when he wasn’t looking. The surprised QB quickly gathered up the ball and found Tyler Bistrovich in the endzone for a nine-yard touchdown, Mark Milan converting.

Braves coach Kelly Hughes inserted Mark Divito in at quarterback late in the game and he hit Cyrlin Cadete for a 15-yard major against a Sooners team in a prevent defence. Still Divito was 6-for-6 for 72 yards. The TD, followed by an unsuccessful two-point convert attempt, narrowed the Sooners’ lead to 16 points with only 1:52 remaining. Burlington would get the ball again but ran out of downs and time at midfield.

Notes

• Nelson High School graduate Graham Kelly saw limited action at quarterback for the Sooners. He has split playing time with Matthew Levasseur this year but is still learning the ropes, according to Murfitt.

“Both quarterbacks are having a little trouble adjusting to the speed of the game at this level,” said the Ottawa coach. “It’s a steeper learning curve for Graham. He’s got the size. He just has to settle down and play football.”

Kelly, six-foot-seven and 250 pounds, played the entire game against Windsor and split time with Levasseur in the team’s opening game. Despite the limited action in his hometown, it was a thrill for him.

“Definitely on the ride here I was super-excited,” he said. “I only played about 10 per cent (last game) and the same tonight. It’s a team decision. You have to keep your head up and you gotta keep fighting in practice.”

Kelly, who is attending Algonquin College in Ottawa, also handles the team’s punting and kickoff duties, punting seven times and averaging just under 40 yards against the Braves.

Flashback, January 19th, 2011: Expansion Draft Plan Approved

The expansion draft formula had been eagerly anticipated by fans of the club that would become the RedBlacks.

It was largely felt that method used to stock the Ottawa Renegades upon their entry into the league in 2002 was weak.  The major deficiency preventing the 'Gades from being competitive was a lack of experienced options at the quarterback position.  The system created for the RedBlacks is more generous in that regard; it allows the existing clubs to protect only one quarterback as opposed to two in the earlier system.

That aside, the RedBlacks expansion draft is front-heavy in terms of draft picks.  The Renegades had the opportunity to stock draft picks during their first two seasons, whereas the RedBlacks were able to participate in the college in the year prior to them taking the field (more on that later).

For now, let's post the rules for easy reference when December 16th, 2013, rolls around and the RedBlacks finally get to make use of them.

ROUND ONE:  IMPORT DRAFT

Member Clubs may protect one quarterback, and ten additional Import players.

Ottawa will select one Import player from each Member Club.

Import quarterbacks, kickers, and punters are eligible for selection (and protection), provided that:

– Each Member Club may protect a maximum of one quarterback in the Import Draft.

– All other quarterbacks on a Member Club’s roster at the time of the draft are eligible for selection in this section.

– Ottawa will only be able to select two quarterbacks in the Expansion Draft.

– If a quarterback is selected from a Member Club in the Import Draft, such Member Club will be able to protect the names of an additional two Non-Import players in the first round of the Non-Import Draft.

– If a kicker or punter is selected from a Member Club in the Import Draft, such Member Club will be able to protect one additional Non-Import player in the first round of the Non-Import Draft.


ROUND TWO: NON-IMPORT DRAFT

Each Member Club will protect six Non-Import players.

Non-Import quarterbacks, kickers, and punters are eligible for selection (and protection), provided that:

– If a Member Club had a quarterback selected from its roster in the Import draft, it will be permitted to protect eight Non-Import players in the first round of the Non-Import Draft (instead of six); and

– Ottawa will be prevented from also selecting a kicker or punter from that Member Club.

- If a Member Club had a kicker or punter selected from its roster in the Import Draft:

– That Member Club will be permitted to protect seven Non-Import players in the Non-Import Draft (instead of six); and

– Ottawa will be prevented from also selecting a quarterback from that Member Club.

Any kicker or punter selected in the Non-Import Draft must be selected in the first round. If a Member Club had a kicker or punter selected from its roster in the Non-Import Draft, such Member Club would be eligible to protect eight Non-Import players in the second round of the Non-Import Draft, instead of six.

Ottawa will then select one non-import player from each Member Club.


ROUND THREE: NON-IMPORT DRAFT

Member Clubs will then submit a second list of an additional six Non-Import players for protection

If a Member Club lost a Non-Import kicker or punter in the first round of the Non-Import Draft, such Member Club would submit two additional Non-Import player names for protection.

Ottawa will then select one non-import player from each Member Club.

The Commissioner will resolve any dispute related to player eligibility for the Expansion Draft process.

Teams will submit their lists of protected players a week prior to the draft.

Myers Riders are 2013 OVFL Varsity Champs!

Even though it happened a few weeks ago now, I want to acknowledge the most recent championship-winning squad in town, and record their accomplishment.  The article below is from the Niagara Falls Review.

ST. CATHARINES - There were more than 1,400 fans at Kiwanis Field Saturday night and the Niagara Spears looked like they had everything in place to win the Ontario Varsity Football League championship.

The Ottawa Myers Riders, howeer, had other plans for who would be wearing the 2013 varsity championship ring.

...

The Riders came into the game undefeated at 10-0 and were well worth the price of admission.

Overall, Riders quarterback Nick Gorgichuk completed 24 passes for 299 yards and three touchdowns, putting an exclamation point on his record-breaking season in which he threw for more than 4,000 yards in just 11 games.

“This team set 17 OVFL records this year, and he (Gorgichuk) is the best quarterback I have ever seen in this league,” Riders coach Max Palladino said as his team celebrated their first varsity championship.

“We had a bad taste in our mouths after losing to London last year in the finals, and this win feels incredible because we talked about this right from the beginning of the year.”

The Spears actually went ahead 3-0 on a Michael Domagala field goal to start the game, but the Riders came back with a vengeance, scored three straight touchdowns in the next 12 minutes and surged ahead 21-3.

The Spears put together a 70-yard drive in the middle of the second quarter and had the crowd and momentum on their side as they looked poised to score. But Spears quarterback Blair Robertson’s pass was intercepted by Riders linebacker Brad Herbst, who ran the ball back 85 yards to give his team a 25-point lead.

Early in the second half, the Spears didn’t give up and their defence came up big with a two-point safety, which also returned the ball to their offence. The ensuing drive, however, ended in another interception thrown by Robertson. The Riders then put the game away when they took a 23-point lead with an 18-yard touchdown pass from Gorgichuk to wide receiver Kory Morgan.

“Their quarterback actually gets rid of the ball really quickly,” Spears defensive coordinator Sean Jones said. “He throws it well and their receivers did a really good job of catching it. “We missed a couple of assignments, but at the end of the day their offence played really well against us.

Spears 20 Riders 42

St. Catharines Standard Star of the Game: Ottawa quarterback Nick Gorgichuk with 299 passing yards and three touchdown completions.

For the Myers Riders: Offence: Jonathon Cimankinda, 59 yards rushing and two touchdowns; Kory Morgan, 135 yards receiving and two touchdowns; Jaeger Prot, 24 yards receiving and touchdown; Connor Ayre, six extra-point conversions; Defence: Jordan Grogichuk, interception; Brad Herbst, interception.

Here's a team roster, as posted on the OVFL website.  The players highlighted in red were named to the league's all-star team. Considering that we are referring to an undefeated championship team, that there are only three guys so awarded is a bit surprising. Guess it's a team effort. ;-)

 1  QB Gorgichuk, Nick    
 2  LB Butler, Justin    
 3  QB Jones, Costa     
 4  DB Laing-Richardson, Cam   
 5  RB Cimankinda, Jonathan   
 6  LB Cimankinda, Alain   
 7  QB Duffy, Matt    
 9  WR Charles, Rouben     
10  WR Krzaniak, Nick    
11  WR Malenfant, Cassidy     
14  DB Jean-Baptiste, Philip  
16  QB Sheahan, Kyle     
19  WR Bradley, Mathieu     
20  DB Gorgichuk, Jordon     
21  DB Smyth, Graham    
22  DB Elliott, Ty    
23  RB Tanti, Keenan    
24  DB Pierce, Daley    
25  WR Taha, Hussein    
26  RB Guest, Andrew    
29  LB Ramos, Vicente   
30  DB Doucette, Jordan 
31  RB Ferron, Jahdel   
32  DB Matthews, Taylor 
33  RB Keenan, Charlie  
34  WR Barrie, Kiell    
35  WR Morgan, Kory     
36  RB Legault, Jacob   
39  RB Moore, Julien    
42  DL Ferris, Scott 
44  DB Henselwood, Mitchell    
45  LB Herbst, Brad     
47  LB Bakshi, Akash     
48  DB Clayton, Jackson     
50  LB Fletcher, Kyrique 
51  LB Bonhomme, Ben     
53  OL Johnson, Will     
54  OL Butt, Kris     
55  OL Scott, Richard   
56  DL Bonifacio, Mark  
57  OL Bolumbe, Gedeon  
58  DL Allarie, John    
59  OL Pisani, Josef    
60  OL Young, Tyler     
61  SB Lachance, Jason  
63  OL Brakus, Andrew   
64  OL Lukusa, Paul    
65  OL Rowlands, Thomas 
67  OL Redmond, Conor 
68  DL Caissie, Paul 
70  PK Ayre, Connor  
73  LB Buckley, Jason
75  WR Cenatus, Eddy
76  DL Adams, Brett
77  SB Prot, Jaegar    
83  SB Trunzo, Vincenzo
84  SB Papalia, Joseph
85  DB Pankow, Patrick
88  DB Urbani, Nicolas
91  DL Dervisevic, Jasmin
92  DL Bolton, Parker
93  DL Parker, Cabe
99  DL Derdzinski, James