2015 OUA Uncovered Football Preview

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OUA UNCOVERED: 2015 Football Season Preview

PRESEASON POLLS OUA POLL

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

FAN POLL

COACHES POLL

#34 RB Dillon Campbell

FEATURES OUA.tv Season Preview Past Yates Cup Misery Fueling Gryphons Onyeka’s Ready To Anchor Revamped Hawks D All-Rookie Rioux and Ravens Ready For 2015 Day by Day: Kevin Collins Living With Diabetes Five Questions With Chris Bertoia

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TEAM PREVIEWS Western Mustangs Guelph Gryphons McMaster Marauders Ottawa Gee-Gees Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks Carleton Ravens Queen’s Gaels Windsor Lancers Toronto Varsity Blues York Lions Waterloo Warriors

20 26 30 38 40 46 52 58 62 68 74

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OUA UNCOVERED: 2015 Football Season Preview

OUA.TV SEASON PREVIEW The Quest for the 108th Yates Cup begins Sunday, Aug. 30 when another exciting season of OUA football season kicks off with a full slate of action around the league!

Each week will feature a Marquee Matchup that you won’t want to miss, beginning Week 1 when the Carleton Ravens travel to Kingston, Ont. to take on the Queen’s Gaels at Richardson Stadium at 1:00 p.m.

The Ravens will have revenge on their minds as last season, the already eliminated Gaels stormed into Keith Harris Stadium and defeated Carleton 37-15, dashing their postseason hopes.

Week 2 falls on the Labour Day long weekend this season (Sept. 6/7) and a matchup between the upstart Laurier Golden Hawks and the powerhouse Guelph Gryphons highlights the schedule. Last season, Guelph defeated Laurier 41-36 in the final game of the regular season, en route to a 7-1 record and their second Yates Cup appearance in the past three seasons.

There will be no love lost Week 3 (Sept. 12) when the Ottawa Gee-Gees travel to the “Steel City” to take on the defending Yates Cup champions, the McMaster Marauders. Last season, the GeeGees spoiled the Marauders bid at a perfect regular season record, defeating McMaster 38-18 in the final game of the regular season. The Marauders, however, would get revenge when the teams met again two weeks later in the semifinals, defeating the Gee-Gees 42-31 to advance to the 107th Yates Cup. Week 3 will also feature Frosh Week games on the campuses of Windsor, York, Queen’s and Laurier.

Fans of OUA football will have Week 4 (Sept. 19) circled on their calendars as the aforementioned Marauders will travel to Guelph, Ont. for a homecoming meeting with the Gryphons in a rematch of last season’s Yates Cup. The Marauders hoisted the Yates Cup for a third time in four seasons with a 20-15 victory over the Gryphons in a game dominated by the defences. The two teams combined for 12 turnovers, including five interceptions by the McMaster defenders. Despite some key losses on both teams, this matchup features two of the top three defensive teams in the province, with both allowing less than 22 points a game last season.

Speaking of dates circled on the calendar, Week 5 (Sept. 26) is one that a certain Carleton receiver has probably had marked down since the schedule was announced earlier this year. It will be a homecoming on homecoming for London, Ont. native Nate Behar, as his Ravens visit the Western Mustangs on Saturday afternoon. Last season, Behar who appeared in all eight games for the Ravens, averaged 104.6 yards per game and seven TDs. Week 6 (Oct. 2/3) will be Rivalry Week across OUA featuring some of the biggest matchups and fiercest rivalries. There may not be a bigger rivalry in OUA than the one that’s been brewing in the nation’s capital the past couple of seasons. After the Gee-Gees won the first Panda

Game since 1998 two seasons ago, Carleton proved that they wouldn’t be pushed around by their crosstown rival, defeating Ottawa in dramatic fashion last season on a last second “Hail Mary.”

Other rivalries around the league include the Toronto Varsity Blues heading across town to take on the York Lions for the Argo Cup, the Laurier Golden Hawks and Waterloo Warriors renewing hostilities in the Battle of Waterloo, McMaster heading to the “City of Roses” to take on the Windsor Lancers and the Gryphons in Kingston, Ont. to face off against the Queen’s Gaels.

The October air might be cooler, but the action will be heating up in Week 7 (Oct. 8/9) when the Gee-Gees travel to Waterloo, Ont. for a preThanksgiving meeting with the Laurier Golden Hawks. If the Gee-Gees hope to hang with the Golden Hawks, they’ll have to find a way to try and slow down last season’s CIS-leading rusher, RB Dillon Campbell.

Campbell helped carry the Golden Hawks from a 1-7 record in 2013 to a playoff appearance last season, amassing 1458 rushing yards along the way.

During Week 8 (Oct. 17) and Week 9 (Oct. 24), “OUA Tackles Breast Cancer” games will raise awareness and funds to help battle the disease within our communities.

On Oct. 17, the Windsor Lancers and Guelph Gryphons will wear their pink paraphernalia as they take to the gridiron for a late season tilt. Last season, the two teams met on Oct. 4 with the Gyphons prevailing on the road 24-9. However, the game might have been much closer if it wasn’t for the strong leg of Grpyhons’ kicker Daniel Ferraro, as he converted five of six field goal attempts in the victory.

Other “OUA Tackles Breast Cancer” games include: Toronto @ Waterloo (Oct. 17), Waterloo @ Windsor (Oct. 24), Toronto @ Ottawa (Oct. 24) and Guelph @ Carleton (Oct. 24).

The craziness of the final day of the regular season ensues on Week 9 (Oct. 24), and what better way to close out the season than a meeting between perennial powerhouses, the Western Mustangs and the McMaster Marauders.

Last year, the Marauders stormed into TD Waterhouse Stadium in London, Ont. and knocked off the 2013 Yates Cup champion Mustangs 32-29 thanks to a last minute 10-yard touchdown pass. The Mustangs, who struggled with injuries last season, would like nothing more than to return the favour to McMaster on their home field to end the regular season on a high note.

Catch all of these Marquee Matchups, as well as every other OUA football game this season, live online at OUA.tv!

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OUA UNCOVERED: 2015 Football Season Preview

1. WESTERN MUSTANGS BY: MIKE HOGAN October 25, 2014. It was on that date that the Western Mustangs - no worse than a co-favourite to play in the Vanier Cup - had to move forward without the services of quarterback Will Finch. He was taken off the field at TD Stadium on a body board, with a concussion that would cost the Burlington, Ont. native the rest of his season.

The great news is that Finch has been cleared to play and has returned to lead the Mustangs into the 2015 campaign. He’ll also be looking to improve upon his numbers from last year. He threw the ball 86 fewer times than the previous season, and saw his yardage drop from 3,047 yards to just 1,762.

Finch threw seven fewer touchdown passes, yet actually increased his interception total from six to seven.

The highly-hyped pivot is back, healthy and ready to go. The ‘Stangs will try to reduce the times he takes off downfield in an attempt to limit his exposure as much as possible, but other than that it’s business as usual for Finch, Stevenson Bone, Josh Beach, or whoever happens to be running the show at any given time.

There are three other reasons why the passing game should improve: the depth of the receiving corps, a very good offensive line, and a running game that should take the pressure off the air attack.

Yannick Harou will again be the starting running back. While not the fastest at the position, he’s a tremendous all-round back that possesses great vision, patience, good hands out of the backfield, and is a very good blocker. His 8.1 yards per carry led CIS last season. Harou has Alex Taylor and Adam Sinclair, a couple of talented, veteran understudies waiting in the wings.

Top receivers Matt Uren and George Johnson succumbed to the injury bug last year, but both are back to lead a very talented receiving corps. Justin Sanvido

will start in place of the graduated Brian Marshall, while Jamal Kett has transferred from Simon Fraser. A two-time conference all-star, the 6’ 5” target should fit right in with this group.

The offensive line was really good last year and should be even better this time around. Left tackle Eddie Meredith and right guard Sean Jamieson return, both coming off seasons where they were named First-Team All-Canadians. Centre Matt Van Praet and

“To be more consistent than last year and to stay healthy.”

– Coach Marshall’s goal this year

tight tackle Kadeem Adams were FirstTeam OUA All-Stars in 2013. If all four put it together, the sky is the limit. The group lost Joe Circelli to the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts, but he’ll be replaced by fourth-year Mustang Kane McEwen.

The Argos also grabbed First-Team All-Canadian Daryl Waud from Western, while Rory Connop is also in the CFL with Saskatchewan. Despite taking that significant hit, the defensive line should still be effective, just not very deep. Ricky Osei-Kusi, John Biewald, Rupert Butcher and Andrew Pedda make up a pretty good front four.

Jean-Gabriel Poulin will be the man in the middle at linebacker. Hamilton Tiger-Cat draft pick Preston Huggins will play the Will spot, while Cory Roboch and Nick Vanin will see

time at the Sam spot.

The Mustangs secondary wasn’t the club’s strong point a year ago, something even head coach Greg Marshall would have to admit.

This season he’ll see a group that should show improvement and should certainly be deeper. Jesse McNair is 100-percent healthy and will patrol the middle at safety, while veterans Josh Woodman and Kalvin Johnson return. Malcolm Brown and Clay Harris, a transfer from Albany, will in all likelihood comprise the starting group.

This year the kicking job is up for grabs.

Two players are competing, or there’s a chance both may make the club. Ben Kelly and freshman Marc Liegghio are each vying to be the starter. Kelly is a better place kicker, while Liegghio is the premier punter.

The ‘Stangs may use both as the season opens.

Last year the Mustangs had more than their fair share of injuries. A 6-2 regular season record meant third place in the conference and no first-round bye. In their playoff opener, the ‘Stangs fell behind Laurier 10-0 before righting the ship in a 25-10 win. They were then blown out 51-26

by Guelph. It was a humbling conclusion to a disappointing season.

While injuries can be used as an excuse, they can also indicate why a team is struggling. The Mustangs had more than their fair share a year ago and are simply trying to keep their best players upright this season.

There is an exceptional amount of talent on this club, so there is no question they are one of the favourites to win the Yates Cup.

#4 QB Will Finch

#17 RB Yannick Harou

OUA UNCOVERED: 2015 Football Season Preview

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2014 TEAM LEADERS OFFENCE Passing

Comp Att

W. Finch S. Bone

127 188 1762 67.6 14 7 42 58 702 72.4 6 2

Rushing

Att Yds Avg TD

Y. Harou G. Sanvido W. Finch

84 87 61

Receiving

680 586 409

Yds %

8.1 6.7 6.7

TD

4 6 5

Rec Yds Avg TD

B. Marshall J. Sanvido G. Johnson

40 28 24

657 473 326

SPECIAL TEAMS

16.4 16.9 13.6

4 1 2

DEFENCE

Kickoff Return

Ret

Yds

Avg

Lng

Tackles

Tot Solo Ast

S. Johnson A. Sinclair

11 6

236 176

21.5 29.3

35 55

Punt Return

Ret

Yds

Avg

Lng

P. Huggins R. Osei-Kusi P. N’Djore

33 23 20 30 21 18 28 26 4

Y. Harou 22 219 10.0 32 J. Sanvido 20 189 9.5 24

Sacks Sack

Kickoffs

Att Yds Avg

53

Interceptions

3386 63.9

Punting

Att Yds Avg

Z. Medeiros

43

1667

Field Goals

Att

Made %

Lng

Z. Medeiros

25

20

39

39.7

80

R. Osei-Kusi 2 Players Tied

J. Woodman J. Beaulieu K. Johnson

4.5 3

Int 5 2 2

Int

#12 QB James Roberts

OUA UNCOVERED: 2015 Football Season Preview

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PAST YATES CUP MISERY FUELLING GRYPHONS BY: justin dunk Guelph has lost three straight Yates Cup games since the last time the Gryphons hoisted North America’s oldest football trophy in 1996.

And head coach Stu Lang did not want his team to forget about it.

When you get to the top of the stairs and enter the Gryphons weight room, there is a big picture mounted on the wall with the words “Lest We Forget” across the top. It’s a snapshot from the Ron Joyce Stadium scoreboard with McMaster fans cheering as the Yates Cup is being brought out and the final score reads: Marauders 20, Gryphons 15.

Each time a Guelph player works out they’re reminded about the defeat in last year’s OUA championship. Lang wanted his team to remember the past so they could change the outcome in the future.

“Unlike Pete Carroll, who said he only thought about his Super Bowl 49 loss for 24 hours, for me it’s a pain that I go through everyday. This is a passion for us to get back and correct last year’s mistake,” Lang says.

“Sometimes you want to get beat by 50 points rather than five points because then you know the other team is better. In this case you go through the statistics – all the players know it – McMaster didn’t score an offensive touchdown. They didn’t get past our 25-yard line. The only touchdown they got was on an interception and beyond that it was all field goals.”

“We felt we should’ve won the game,” Lang said.

Finally capturing a Yates Cup is what Lang and the Gryphons are focused on. Three consecutive 7-1 regular season records have raised expectations for Guelph’s program and the Gryphons have become perennial contenders for the provincial title. But they know they won’t be called champions until they put Guelph colours on a particular trophy.

“We don’t want to be a 7-1 team that keeps losing in the Yates Cup,” fifth-year linebacker John Rush said.

Since 1997, every team that’s played in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) conference title game has won the Yates Cup at least once - except for Guelph. Waterloo, Western, McMaster, Laurier and Queen’s are the other teams who have all hoisted the trophy. For Guelph to get mentioned as a true elite football power in Ontario and across Canada, the Gryphons need to capture the Cup. The Gryphons have many important components to make a championship run in place heading into the season. All five starters along the offensive line are back, with seniors and OUA First-Team All-Stars Matt Nesbit and Matt Toppan leading the big eaters. Speedy No. 1 target A’dre Fraser returns, coming off a campaign where he averaged more than 100 yards per game - he led the team with 601 receiving yards in 2014. Guelph also has senior defenders at each level on defence with Donnie Egerter on the defensive line and linebackers

John Rush , Curtis Newton and Tristan Doughlin in the secondary. Add All-Canadian returner Ryan Nieuwesteeg and it’s a strong foundation for a team focused on hoisting a Yates Cup. And there are some younger players who will be vital to Guelph’s success.

At quarterback second-year man James Roberts enters his first full season as a starter. No 11 started one regular season game – which he won - in his rookie season and saw action in a handful of other games.

Most impressively, Roberts came on in relief and threw for 238 yards and three touchdowns in Guelph’s 51-26 OUA semifinal victory against Western. He didn’t fair so well in a similar situation in the Yates Cup, tossing two interceptions, but Roberts gained valuable experience that should help him in 2015.

“James is constantly working. He pushes himself to get better every single day and it’s really unifying this offence” Rush said. “I’ve never seen this offence this close, excited and energetic to be together.

“It’s pretty amazing to see that just one person can do that.”

Even though Roberts displayed plenty of potential in his first year, Guelph went out and landed Vanier Cup winning quarterback Alex Skinner to strengthen the position group. The Ottawa, Ont. native has two years of eligibility left and provides important depth at the quarterback spot.

Meanwhile, third-year running back Johnny Augustine appears set to take over for Rob Farquharson, who graduated, in the backfield.

Augustine toted the rock 57 times for 282 yards and three touchdowns last season, so he should be productive from the get-go as the main back.

One or more consistently productive receivers needs to be found to go with Fraser. Alex Charrette and his team-high 49 receptions from a season ago are gone to the CFL, when he was drafted in the fourth round, 36th overall by the Alouettes. Outside of Charette and Fraser, no Gryphon had more than 16 catches in 2014, so finding reliable options in the passing game for Roberts has to be at the top of offensive coordinator Todd Galloway’s to-do list.

No matter who puts on a Gryphon jersey in 2015, you can bet they will be out to create a new picture to hang in the weight room, one that includes a victorious Guelph final score with the team gathered around the Yates Cup.

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OUA UNCOVERED: 2015 Football Season Preview

2. GUELPH GRYPHONS BY: MIKE HOGAN It’s been a question that’s been asked for each of the last few seasons: ‘Is this the year that the Gryphons finally win the Yates Cup?’ They’ve come close, but haven’t won an OUA championship since 1996. They’re hoping that this is the year, and they certainly have a legitimate shot.

This year the club will enter the season without Jazz Lindsay at quarterback. In his stead, the Gryphons will go with James Roberts, a sophomore out of Cambridge, Ont. Average sized for the position, he’s a pocket passer and certainly not as mobile as his predecessor, but is skilled and brings all the intangibles you would want out of a quarterback. Roberts also will benefit from having played in both the Gryphons playoff games last season, taking over when Lindsay was injured in the semifinal against Western.

He threw for 421 yards over those two games, completing 58 percent of his passes.

He tossed three touchdown passes but had just as many interceptions.

The running game will feature Johnny Augustine, now in his third year. He’s slimmed down a bit in an attempt to get a little faster, which has never seemed to be a problem to begin with. He’ll be the feature back with the departure of Rob Farquharson.

Mason Swift will play an H-back role on the team, while Mack Jones and Jamal Hooker are freshmen worth watching.

The receiving corps took a hit when Alex Charette made the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes.

However, the good news for the Gryphs is that they have a lot of skill at that position.

A’dre Fraser leads the group, coming off an injury-plagued season. Fraser averaged 100 receiving yards a game in the six that he played. Lucas Spagnuolo and local product James Ingram are poised to improve on

their numbers and will provide an additional veteran presence to the group, while recruits Kade Belyk and Colton Jones are young players the coaches are excited about.

It has been quite some time that you could say that the Gryphons offensive line is better than the defensive line. That’s the case this year and it’s not a slight on the d-line; the guys protecting James Roberts are just that good. Matt Toppan, Matt Nesbitt, Cam Wilhelm and Kyle Fraser are set as starters.

There is a job opening at left guard and

“Every spring we have a team dinner. The seniors put together a list of goals that we put in the front of our playbook.

This year there is only one goal: win the Yates Cup.”

– Coach Lang’s goal this year

that’s perhaps been the most interesting battle to watch during camp. Among the newcomers the Gryphs are happy about are Jaylen Guthrie from Ajax, Ont. and Andrew Chichka from B.C. The defensive line will suffer from the loss of Cam Walker to the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts. The front four may feature the likes of speedy end Jordan Thompson and Zack Mallough, who are both back this year.

However, Eric Bierman and Byron Mackinnon are new players who may be counted on

sooner rather than later.

The linebacking corps could be special.

John Rush is back for a fifth season, while fourth-year backer Curtis Newton was a Second-Team All Canadian last year and there’s no reason why he can’t do it again.

Perhaps the group’s emotional leader, Andrew Graham, returns for a third year.

It’s a group that is equal parts ability and experience.

There was bad news in the secondary, as Mike Carney suffered a leg injury playing some basketball in the off-season and he won’t play this year. It remains a deep group despite the injury and will be led by the hard hitting Tristan Doughlin at safety. Receivers are aware of where he is on the field at all times. Nick Parisotto and Royce Metchie are veterans who will also make an impact. Colin Mandich and Iain Hutchison will be back as well.

The kicking situation is an interesting one to say the least. The sad news is that incumbent kicker Daniel Ferraro won’t be playing this year after he required knee surgery. Instead, he’ll be coaching the person that replaces him, his brother Gabe, who was with the team last year.

Guelph had a tremendous season last year. They essentially toyed with most of the conference, save McMaster and Western.

The Gryphons beat the Mustangs and lost to the Marauders in two incredibly compelling regular-season games. They breezed past Western in the playoffs, only to lose for a second time to McMaster in the Yates Cup final.

This team has as good a chance as any to win the conference title this season. As it does for any team, luck has to play a role, especially in terms of health. The Gryphons are for real and they’re very, very hungry.

#23 DB Tristan Doughlin

#27 RB Johnny Augustine

OUA UNCOVERED: 2015 Football Season Preview

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2014 TEAM LEADERS OFFENCE Passing

Comp Att

Yds %

TD

Int

J. Lindsey J. Roberts

124 26

1731 356

13 5

3 2

Rushing

Att Yds Avg TD

R. Farquharson J. Augustine B. Gordon

103 57 34

Receiving

Rec Yds Avg TD

A. Charette A. Fraser L. Spagnuolo

49 36 16

213 53

651 282 219

567 601 285

SPECIAL TEAMS

6.3 4.9 6.4

11.6 16.7 17.8

58.2 49.1

5 3 0

6 3 2

DEFENCE

Kickoff Return

Ret

Yds

Avg

Lng

Tackles

R. Nieuwesteeg A. Charette

17 3

508 27

29.9 9.0

81 16

Punt Return

Ret

Yds

Avg

Lng

C. Newton 56 49 14 J. Rush 41.5 37 9 I. Hutchison 38 35 6

R. Nieuwesteeg L. Spagnuolo

44 5

739 59

16.8 11.8

81 43

Kickoffs

Att Yds Avg

44 2055 46.7

Punting

Att Yds Avg

D. Ferraro

60

2352

Field Goals

Att

Made %

D. Ferraro

30 26 87 43

39.2

Lng

Tot Solo Ast

Sacks Sack C. Walker D. Gravilo C. Taggart

5 3 3

Interceptions Int N. Parisotto C. Mandich T. Doughlin

4 2 2

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OUA UNCOVERED: 2015 Football Season Preview

3. McMASTER MARAUDERS BY: MIKE HOGAN It was the cruelest way possible to end a season.

Trailing 20-19 to Montreal in the final minute of the Vanier Cup, the Marauders marched down the field and lined up for a 31-yard field goal to win the national championship. They sent out Tyler Crapigna - one of the nation’s best kickers - to seal the deal. Stunningly, the kick was blocked, giving the Carabins their first Vanier Cup win.

The Marauders will now have to do without quarterback Marshall Ferguson. He’s gone from calling plays in the huddle to calling the play-by-play as the team’s new radio voice on TSN 1150 in Hamilton.

Asher Hastings will start the season at quarterback for the Marauders. He’s a former Canadian junior football player of the year in Regina, who spent training camp this year with the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts. He’ll be pushed hard by a trio of incoming freshmen, led by Windsor’s Anthony Bontorin. Dylan Astrom from Peterborough, Ont., and Welland Ont., native Blair Robertson are also newcomers.

Wayne Moore will be the starting running back this season for McMaster. A powerful runner who fell just eight yards shy of 500 last season, Moore is also unbelievably good at blocking.

Head coach Stefan Ptaszek jokes that he could start on the offensive line, though he might not be joking. The back up to Moore will be Kasean Davis-Reynolds. Also in the mix may be veteran Chris Pezzetta. The Burlington, Ont. native had suffered two serious knee injuries in his career before sustaining yet another one in the Mitchell Bowl against Mount Allison. He’s close to returning, but has a serious decision to make about his future.

The Marauders receiving corps may be the best in the conference. “The Flying Dutchmen,” Daniel Vandervoort and Joshua Verdeweerd, are back. Vandervoot led McMaster with 44 catches for 683 yards.

OUA Rookie of the Year Daniel Petermann will look to improve on his 35 catch, 468 yard season. Max Cameron averaged over 16 yards per catch last year and Aaron Baker became an internet sensation for a pair of catches he made during the first week of training camp.

The group is very good and very deep.

It will be a different looking group with the graduation of Tyler Goldsworthy, but the offensive line should still be solid. Zach Intzandt is back after playing in the East/West Bowl. Tackle Sean Smith is back for a fifth

“It’s always to play our best football in October and November and see where it gets us.”

– Coach Ptaszek’s goal this year

year. Lining up alongside Smith and Intzandt will be Nicholas Firlit, Thomas Sterling and Cody Speller.

On the defensive line, Adam Dickson is a huge loss both literally and figuratively.

Kevin Aleinik is back for a fifth year, which will certainly help. It could be an eight-or-nine man rotation over the course of the season, with Mike Kashak and Conner Mackay being key components of the group.

Nick Shortill was one of the best defensive players in the country last year, but has taken his talents to the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes.

The coaches will be looking at several young

players to see if they can make an impact at the next level, including Jacob Heathcote, Cole Munden and Eric Mezzalira.

Coaches around OUA dreaded playing McMaster over the last few years for several reasons. One of which was facing a secondary that seemed like it played together for a decade. Sadly for McMaster, three of the group have graduated, but life goes on without Joey Cupido, Allan Dicks and Steven Ventresca. Keldyn Ahlstedt will be back at safety. Aaron Clarke and Bennett Megarry are former receivers that will look at things from the other side of the ball, while second-year player Steven McNicoll will also get a look. The Marauders are anxious to look at freshman Robbie Yochim out of B.C. Tyler Crapigna has also graduated. Coach Ptaszek jokes that the Marauders are moving from a 5’ 6” kicker to a 6’ 5” kicker as Bobby Frame will handle the punting and place-kicking duties. He will get a regular opportunity to show off his strong leg.

You could flip a coin last year to determine who was the better team between McMaster, Western and Guelph, they were that close.

After beating the Gryphons and Mustangs, the Marauders’ only regular-season loss came against Ottawa on the final week of the season. They’d get back on track, avenging the loss against the Gee-Gees in the semifinals, before beating Guelph in the Yates Cup. After disposing of Mount Allison in the Mitchell Bowl, they’d have their hearts ripped out by the Carabins in the Vanier Cup. There are two major questions to be answered this season: will the play at quarterback be adequate, and how soon will the defence come together?

If the answers are answered to the affirmative then the Marauders will once again be in the thick of things.

#34 RB Wayne Moore

#8 QB Asher Hastings

OUA UNCOVERED: 2015 Football Season Preview

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2014 TEAM LEADERS OFFENCE Passing

Comp Att

Yds %

TD

Int

M. Ferguson A. Hastings

163 30

2058 447

15 2

6 1

Rushing

Att Yds Avg TD

W. Moore C. Pezzetta K. Amankwaa

97 82 31

Receiving

Rec Yds Avg TD

D. Vandervoort D. Petermann M. Cameron

44 35 30

258 50

492 488 160

683 468 490

SPECIAL TEAMS

5.1 6.0 5.2

15.5 13.4 16.3

63.2 60.0

6 3 0

5 4 2

DEFENCE

Kickoff Return

Ret

Yds

Avg

Lng

Tackles

Tot Solo Ast

D. Petermann J. Vandeweerd

8 5

199 127

24.9 25.4

37 39

Punt Return

Ret

Yds

Avg

Lng

N. Shortill J. Heathcote S. Ventresca

40 25.5 24

E. Mboko 21 205 9.8 25 I. Mels 25 192 7.7 25

Kickoffs

Att Yds Avg

T. Crapigna

41

Punting

Att Yds Avg

T. Crapigna

52

1864

Field Goals

Att

Made %

Lng

T. Crapigna

27

24

44

2357

57.5

35.8

89

29 16 21

22 19 6

Sacks Sack C. Mackay S. Martin 2 Players Tied

5 3 2.5

Interceptions Int S. Ventresca J. Cupido Z. Ishmael

4 2 2

OUA UNCOVERED: 2013 Football Season Preview 35

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OUA UNCOVERED: 2015 Football Season Preview

4. OTTAWA GEE-GEES BY: MIKE HOGAN The 2014 Gee-Gees season mirrored the rest of OUA: either win big or lose big.

Only one game was decided by less than a touchdown, that being the heart breaking last-play loss to Carleton in the Panda Game.

Even their two playoff games were decided by double digits. They cruised to a 46-29 win over Windsor, before a tremendously entertaining 42-31 loss at McMaster - a game uOttawa led early in the fourth quarter – which sent them home for good.

Over the last decade or so the Gee-Gees have been blessed with some outstanding quarterbacks. 2010 Hec Crighton winner Brad Sinopoli, Josh Sacobie and Aaron Colbon blazed quite a trail for those who will follow them. The latest player to man the position for Ottawa is Derek Wendel, and he looks like he’ll keep the tradition alive.

Now in his fourth year, the Belleville, Ont. native got better and better as the season went along, impressive when you realize he broke the thumb on his non-throwing hand early in the season. A hard worker who loves the game, Wendel finished second in the conference and fifth in the country last season with 16 TD passes.

There was good news when Ian Stewart let it be known he’d be back for a fifth season. The receiver led the Gee-Gees with 44 catches, which ranked him tied for sixth overall in OUA. The Burlington, Ont. product is a student of the game who will give the garnet and grey some much needed stability in what will be a very young receiving corps.

Head coach Jamie Barresi says there will be intense competition in camp for the remainder of the receiver spots. Barresi believes there are a number of recruits and players who were in reserve roles a year ago who will be trying to win one of those starting jobs, with Nicolas Dagher perhaps having the best chance of securing one. The coaching staff is also eager to get a look at recruit

Carter Matheson from Kingston, Ont. a 6’3” converted basketball player.

The Gee-Gees are so deep at running back that veteran Mack Tommy will shift over and play some defensive back this season.

He was made available to the defence with the emergence of freshman Bryce Vieira.

The 5’9” Montrealer averaged 7.9 yards per carry, the same as CIS rushing leader Dillon Campbell from Laurier. Toronto native Donald Shaw is a recruit who also is expected to get

“The goal is always to advance further.

We were right there on the cusp with McMaster, we’d like to take the next step and play in the Yates Cup.” – Coach Barresi’s goal this year

some playing time this season.

There will be a new pair of bookends on the offensive line. Cody Moynes will play centre and will have Will Green and Ibra Ndiaye on either side of him at guard. The tackle positions are up for grabs in camp.

Coach Barresi says he’s not very concerned about the talent level at the tackle spots and is positive that whoever wins the battle will be a good player, just someone who hasn’t started at the position before.

Defensively the Gee-Gees will have to

deal with the loss of Ettore Lattanzio to the CFL team that also calls Ottawa home. The undersized lineman brought a wealth of talent and an incredible relentlessness to the field, but the unit should be okay despite his graduation. Osas Obas, Gabriel Caissy, Sam Randazzo and Rashid Timbilla, who will be a player counted on to help replace some of Lattanzio’s leadership intangibles, will anchor the front four.

The linebacking corps may be the strongest unit the Gee-Gees have. Fifth-year player Nick Lecour brings leadership to the group as well as talent. He averaged over six tackles a game last season. Khadim Mbaye will again be an impact player; he piled up five sacks last year, second on the Gee-Gees to Lattanzio. Tanner Care will be another player worth watching at linebacker.

Conversely, the biggest area to watch during training camp will be the defensive secondary. More than 20 players will be competing for the five jobs. Coach Barresi said that he’ll let the players compete but he’s just anxious to see how the group’s communication and cohesion progresses.

Lewis Ward will handle the place-kicking duties for Ottawa. He was 18-for-21 last year, with his longest being from 43 yards out.

The Kingstonian has been a clutch kicker for the Gee-Gees and has shown steady improvement since first arriving on campus.

Once again this season, Domenic Bellardini will handle the punting chores. He averaged 36-yards per punt a year ago and also showed a willingness to get downfield and make a tackle.

There are more positives than question marks heading into the season for the GeeGees. If everything comes together, it should be a team that is capable of making an impact in the playoffs.

#12 QB Derek Wendel

#80 REC Ian Stewart

OUA UNCOVERED: 2015 Football Season Preview

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2013 TEAM LEADERS

2014 TEAM LEADERS

OFFENCE Passing

Comp Att

Yds %

TD

Int

D. Wendel V. Twynstra

159 6

2172 107

16 0

8 0

Rushing

Att Yds Avg TD

B. Vieira M. Tommy D. Wendel

75 76 48

Receiving

Rec Yds Avg TD

I. Stewart

44

550

12.5

4

M. Baines N. Dagher

27 26

359 324

13.3 12.5

1 1

255 11

589 436 333

SPECIAL TEAMS

7.9 5.7 6.9

62.4 54.5

3 4 3

DEFENCE

Kickoff Return

Ret

Yds

Avg

Lng

J. Bennett B. Vieira

5 7

182 160

36.4 22.9

101 32

Punt Return

Ret

Yds

Avg

Lng

B. Vieira V. Campbell,

37 9

477 157

12.9 17.4

54 72

Kickoffs

Att Yds Avg

43 2395 55.7

Punting

Att Yds Avg

D.Bellardini

59

2108 35.7

Field Goals

Att

Made %

Lng

L. Ward 21 18 86 43

Tackles N. Lecour Z. Wilkinson K. Mbaye

Tot Solo Ast 49.5 47.5 33.5

41 45 30

17 5 7

Sacks Sack E. Lattanzio K. Mbaye

8 5

Interceptions Int T. Cranston 3 Players Tied

2 1

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OUA UNCOVERED: 2015 Football Season Preview

5. LAURIER GOLDEN HAWKS BY: MIKE HOGAN There are many things that can be debated about last year’s CIS season. When it comes to who the best running back was, there is no question about the correct answer.

Dillon Campbell was not only the leading rusher in the country, but he almost lapped the field. The Whitby, Ont. native finished with an eye-popping 1,458 yards, 471 more than his nearest national competitor, and 696 more yards than anyone else in OUA. The 5’8” dynamo was drafted by the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts, but was released before the regular season began, leaving him eligible to play his fifth season of ball with the Hawks. Great news for the Laurier, not so much for the rest of the conference.

Handing off the ball to Campbell will be fourth-year quarterback James Fracas. He’s much more than Campbell’s caddy though.

The Waterloo, Ont. native has used his star running back’s ability to his advantage and has become very adept at the play-action fake. Fracas’ ability to freeze defensive players, as well as his ability to extend plays with his feet, has made him a much more dangerous player.

Fracas was tenth in the country last season, completing 62.3 percent of his passes. It would be beneficial if he could cut down on the number of interceptions from a year ago, as he threw eight picks, tied for the highest number in OUA. The Hawks are hoping that the receiving corps is better than it was a year ago. Greg Nyhof is expected to lead the group. The 6’4” target had just 15 catches in five games in 2014, but was impressive during the East/West Bowl week. Marcus Arkarakas is expected to continue his improvement. He’s a student of the game who had a fantastic spring camp. Anthony Pizzuti will also be counted on to produce for the Hawks. He led the team with 40 catches and 359 receiving yards. He tied Nyhof for the club lead

with five touchdown catches. A couple of freshmen to watch are Kurleigh Gittens and Zeph Fraser.

Head coach Michael Faulds is excited about his offensive line. Among the starters Chris Reddy will line up at left tackle, Jamie Lalonde will be the centre while Brett Golding will play right guard. It’s a young group, but has a wealth of game experience. It also has the benefit of having arguably the best offensive player in the country behind them.

“The goal is the Yates Cup. We’re internally confident. Externally we’re looked upon as a team that’s risen to the middle of the pack.”

– Coach Faulds’s goal this year

If you’re going to discuss who the best defensive player in the CIS is, you can’t have the discussion without mentioning the name Kwaku Boateng. He’s up to 240 pounds and the Hawks intend to move him around, presenting potential match-up nightmares for the opposition. Look for him to improve upon his six sacks of a year ago.

Rashari Henry will play at the end, with Asante Mizan returning at tackle after attending the Montreal Alouettes training camp.

Boteng’s presence will help the team get over the loss of two of its key players Chris

Ackie and Ese Mrabure-Ajufo who both made their CFL teams after being first-round picks in April. Ackie was selected fourth overall

by Montreal, while the B.C. Lions made Mrabure-Ajufo the next pick in the draft.

The linebacking corps will feature Brandon Calver in the middle, Nakas Onyeka in the Will linebacker spot, while East/West Bowl participant Anthony Pizzuti, will play the Sam position. The Hawks are salivating over the group they recruited to play linebacker, saying it’s the best group of newcomers at any position.

Ben Millar is back for a fifth year and will anchor the secondary at safety. Will Pitt-Doe and Tanner Philp will be the field corner and half-back respectively. Godfrey Onyeka gets the start at the all-important boundary corner spot, while the boundary halfback job will be determined at camp.

Laurier got some bad news when Ronnie Pfeffer signed with the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts when Swayze Waters was injured.

He responded by booting a 50-yard field goal in Regina on his first kick as a pro. It represents the biggest loss for the team as Pfeffer led the country with a 42-yard punting average and also kicked a 50-yarder, the longest field goal in CIS last season.

The battle to replace the Kitchener native is wide open. Coach Faulds wants to use the same kicker to handle both duties to free up a roster spot somewhere else. May the best man win.

Laurier jumped out to a 4-1 record last year before losing its final three regularseason games. A playoff trip to Western ended with a 35-10 loss. They did not win a game against a playoff team all season.

The Hawks are blessed with star power and a very good crop of young players. Taking this team lightly would be a very serious mistake.

#3 DL Kwaku Boateng

#10 REC Greg Nyhof

OUA UNCOVERED: 2015 Football Season Preview

43

2014 TEAM LEADERS OFFENCE Passing

Comp Att

Yds %

TD

Int

J. Fracas E. Morelli

132 4

1574 37

13 0

8 1

Rushing

Att Yds Avg TD

D. Campbell J. Fracas

185 44

Receiving

Rec Yds Avg TD

A. Pizzuti M. Arkarakas G. Nyhof

40 30 15

212 9

1458 272

359 350 265

SPECIAL TEAMS

7.9 6.2

9.0 11.7 17.7

62.3% 44.4

13 0

5 2 5

DEFENCE

Kickoff Return

Ret

Yds

Avg

Lng

Tackles

C. Ouellette M. Arkarakas

12 7

281 198

23.4 28.3

59 54

Punt Return

Ret

Yds

Avg

Lng

C. Ackie 48.5 42 13 B. Calver 41.5 33 17 N. Onyeka 38.5 28 21

C. Ouellette M. Arkarakas

31 11

236 103

7.6 9.4

39 19

Kickoffs

Att Yds Avg

39 2199 56.4

Punting

Att Yds Avg

R. Pfeffer

60

2535

Att

Made %

Lng

24

18

50

Field Goals R. Pfeffer

42.3

75

Tot Solo Ast

Sacks Sacks

K. Boateng E. Mrabure-Ajufo R. Henry

6 5.5 2.5

Interceptions

Int

4 Players Tied

1

OUA UNCOVERED: 2015 Football Season Preview

45

ONYEKA’S READY TO ANCHOR REVAMPED HAWKS D BY: Virginia Tremaine “How many people can say that they’ve played on the same competitive team as their brother or their cousin?” says defensive back Godfrey Onyeka, glancing at his teammate and cousin, linebacker Nakas Onyeka.

Godfrey, and his older cousin Nakas, both doned the purple and gold and played on the same side of the field for the first time in 2014. Since then, the two Golden Hawks have grown to become valuable assets within the Laurier defence.

Nakas first chose Laurier and played his rookie year for the Golden Hawks in 2013; a choice which carried heavy weight for Godfrey’s decision to also join the purple and gold a year later.

“Growing up we were always kind of close,” explained Nakas about their familial relationship on the team. “We were taught that family does come first, so when we both make plays we get a little more excited. If he makes a play, even if it is at practice, I’ll say, ‘That’s my cousin! That’s my cousin!’ just to give everyone a reminder, kind of a bit of a joke.”

For the Onyeka’s, it has been a rare opportunity to share memories and successes.

“In the game against McMaster, we both

had first starts and we had really good games, and we had a couple tackles we actually combined on,” commented Godfrey. “The one sideline tackle in particular, I helped Nakas up after the tackle and when I realized it was him it was like—it was great.”

In that particularly memorable game where Laurier had travelled to Hamilton, Ont., to take on the Marauders, both cousins accrued personal season-highs in tackles in their first starts at their respective positions. Nakas led with 11 total tackles and Godfrey notched five total tackles.

“I’m always going to be rooting for him,” said Nakas about the success. “I feel like the advantage of having [Godfrey] on my team is that it’s going to push me to help make him better.”

Both Golden Hawks hail from Brampton, Ont., but before playing together with the Golden Hawks, the two cousins had never played football on the same team.

“We both didn’t start playing football until late. [Godfrey] started when he was 18 and I was 17 years old when I started,” detailed Nakas. “We always had the love for it though; we were always playing tackle football in the back yard in the winter and Thanksgiving with our brothers.”

Despite the late start, both Nakas and Godfrey are on the starting lines when the Golden Hawks hit the gridiron.

“He’s probably the hardest working guy I’ve

ever been around,” said a grinning Godfrey, “When he first came here, he wasn’t the biggest guy in the world, and now he’s way faster than me. I don’t understand how it happened. It really shouldn’t be a thing, but now he is one of the fastest guys on our team.”

With both young men finding success early at Laurier, the Onyeka family is just as proud as you’d expect them to be, according to Nakas; “My mom’s first game was Homecoming last year and she took great pride in telling people that both of her kids— she calls us both her kids—were playing. She’s proud of us, and I know that his parents are the same way.”

Nakas and Godfrey enjoyed last year’s successes, but are looking forward to the goals ahead.

“We both want to be All-Canadians—if not this year then next, but definitely by the time we graduate we want to be the best at our positions,” Nakas explained, “And a lot of the guys are like that: they set goals and when we all reach them, we become a great team.”

Football is something that he and Godfrey don’t take for granted.

“Some people might say that football is just a game, but it’s a way that we connect in our relationship that not many people can say that they have,” Nakas shared.

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OUA UNCOVERED: 2015 Football Season Preview

6. CARLETON RAVENS BY: MIKE HOGAN This has not been a normal building process.

Two years ago, the Ravens program rose from the ashes like another bird, the Phoenix.

Year one went as expected, no wins in eight games. A funny thing happened in 2014 though. Carleton went 4-4 and came within a win, or a major Ottawa upset of McMaster in the final week of the season from going to the playoffs.

So what do they do for an encore?

For one thing, they’ll go with one starting quarterback instead of a two-man rotation.

Nick Gorgichuk has left the program, leaving Jesse Mills as the unchallenged QB 1. Mills saw the lesser playing time of the pair in 2014, but had a very interesting statistic. He only completed 56 percent of his passes, but threw six touchdown strikes as opposed to just one interception, something that can be used to build his confidence.

Jahvari Bennett was a pleasant surprise for the Ravens. He finished sixth in CIS with 740 rushing yards. It’s hard to say a player at this level bulked up to 165 pounds, but that’s the case here. Luckily, he’s elusive enough that he never seems to get hit really hard.

He has a polar opposite in body types in the presence of 220-pounder Kurtis BurtonRowe, who along with Christian Battistelli, will compete for carries.

Nate Behar may be the best receiver in the conference, if not the country. He hauled in 48 passes for 837 yards and seven touchdowns, finishing fourth in CIS in both yards and touchdowns last season. With a better team on the field he is poised to improve upon those numbers. He has size, speed, hands and there’s an intangible at play here - his football IQ is very high. Head coach Steve Sumarah says that Behar is a student of the game and will make a fantastic coach down the road. He’ll be

complemented by the speedster Theshawn Barry, Kyle Van Wynsberghe, 6’ 6” Malcolm Carter, Wilson Birch freshmen Jonathan Muamba and Fred Lamoureux, who may also punt.

The offensive line is certainly an area to watch. In past seasons, some players may have been starting because five guys needed to be on the field. Now, as the players mature, the group should be bigger, stronger and more experienced. The o-line will now average around 6’5”, 300 pounds. Some of the players to watch include the pair on the

“We want to definitely be competing for the playoffs and once you get in, anything can happen.”

– Coach Sumarah’s goal this year

left side, Tyler Young and KC Bakker, all 6’ 8”, 340 pounds of him. Kwabena Asare will also be part of a group that now goes eight or nine players deep.

It could be a very impressive line in the Ravens base 3-4 defence. Jeremy Rioux was very good last year off the edge, while Emmanuel Adusei started as a 17-year old and now checks in at 6’3”, 330 pounds.

Other players of note in this group are Dan Omara at nose tackle, along with a pair of freshmen from St. Thomas, Ont., Jessy Kocins and Bill Aziz.

There’s not a ton of depth at linebacker for the Ravens. Leon Cenerini will play one of the inside spots and Bamki Adewale will see significant playing time as well. Kene Onyeka will play one of outside spots and will often line up as an end. There are chances here for younger Ravens to earn playing time.

The secondary may be the strongest, deepest group at Carleton. It’s a group that is collectively fast, so yes, these Ravens, Nathaniel Hamlin, Tunde Adeleke and James McCallum, can fly.

Kicker Michael Domagala is back and will get a challenge from Jonah Zlatinszky.

Freshman receiver Lamoureux may also get a look as a punter.

2014 was quite a season for a second-year team. The highlight would be a thrilling, lastplay, 55-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass from Mills to Behar in a 33-31 win over Ottawa in the Panda Game. The lowlight would be watching the scoreboard on the last Saturday of the season in disbelief as the Gee-Gees got their revenge by sneaking into the playoffs with the win over McMaster, while at the same time the Ravens were losing to Queen’s.

The improvement can be shown in one simple stat. Two years ago the average score was 49-12, while it improved to 33-24 last year. An average deficit of 37 points a game to just nine points a game in one year. That’s remarkable.

It promises to be a fun season in the capital. Only in its third year, the program is growing by leaps and bounds and they’re no longer the free space on the bingo card.

There’s nobody who follows the league closely that doesn’t expect them to contend for a post-season berth.

#2 DB Tunde Adeleke

#11 REC Nate Behar

OUA UNCOVERED: 2015 Football Season Preview

49

2013 TEAM LEADERS

2014 TEAM LEADERS

OFFENCE Passing

Comp Att

Yds %

TD

Int

N. Gorgichuk J. Mills

112 45

1399 783

7 6

4 1

Rushing

Att Yds Avg TD

J. Bennett K. Adusei M. Patterson

107 16 14

Receiving

Rec Yds Avg TD

N. Behar D. Brown W. Birch

48 26 23

181 80

740 112 87

837 431 280

SPECIAL TEAMS

6.9 7.0 6.2

17.4 16.6 12.2

61.9 56.3

2 0 0

7 3 0

DEFENCE

Kickoff Return

Ret

Yds

Avg

Lng

Tackles

Tot Solo Ast

J. Bennett T. Adeleke

16 7

357 232

22.3 33.1

36 96

Punt Return

Ret

Yds

Avg

Lng

L. Cenerini N. Hamlin T. Adeleke

61 54.5 42

T. Adeleke

35

296

8.5

35

49 49 35

24 11 14

Sacks Sack

32 1741 54.4

L. Cenerini 2 C. Picco 2 K.Onyeka 1.5

Punting

Att Yds Avg

Interceptions Int

M. Domagala

71

T. Adeleke 5 Players Tied

Field Goals M. Domagala

Att Made % Lng 17 13 76 43

Kickoffs

Att Yds Avg

2477

34.9

2 1

Photo by: Michael P Hall

OUA UNCOVERED: 2015 Football Season Preview

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ALL-ROOKIE RIOUX AND RAVENS READY FOR 2015 BY: Carlos Verde Jeremy Rioux had a remarkable freshman year.

On the field, the Carleton Ravens defensive tackle battled through a hand injury, relearned how to play his position along the way, and earned an OUA All-Rookie team nomination in the process. In the classroom, he posted a A-grade GPA, made all the more impressive by the fact that he had never studied in English before.

“It’s largely time management,” explains the soft-spoken Rioux, whose demeanour betrays his 6’2”, 265 pound build. “We build a detailed schedule, with designated school time and football time, and the biggest thing is not letting anything go until the last minute.”

The bulky Francophone came to Carleton from Cégep de l’Outaouais, and saw studying in English at Carleton as both an obstacle and a challenge.

“I’d always been bilingual, but I’d never studied or written in English before,” says Rioux, a Criminology major. “That was one of the things that almost kept me from coming here, but at the same time that’s what attracted me, as now I can say I’ve studied in English at the university level.”

On the field, the Ravens d-lineman faced more adversity than most freshman face in a typical rookie season. Dealt a hand injury during Carleton’s Week 2 bye, the Ravens pass rusher underwent surgery on Sept. 7 and was initially told he would miss four to six weeks. Essentially, his season was over.

“It crushed me (mentally); you’ve got to go to all the practices, watching from the sidelines while the other guys go, and even with school, you just don’t feel up to it,” reflects Rioux, who battled the blues every injured athlete goes through when on the

injured list. “You’re with the guys, but it’s just not the same.”

Some student-athletes would have buckled and collapsed under the stress of rehabbing an injury and missing games during their freshman year. But Jeremy Rioux is not one of those student-athletes.

Less than three weeks after surgery, Carleton’s No. 92 took the field against Laurier in Week 5.

“In order to shed a block, you have to grab a jersey,” explains Rioux, who had to protect his still-broken bone with a club-like wrap upon his return to the Carleton lineup. “Obviously with a club I couldn’t do that - it was a struggle to basically relearn how to play, relearning every technique.”

But he did it. Every week, the Gatineau native came on stronger and stronger, striking fear into opposition quarterbacks. His hard work on the field culminated in Week 9, when he registered three assists and a 0.5-sack.

After the season ended, Rioux was named to the OUA All-Rookie team.

“That meant a lot to me, because I wasn’t at a hundred percent and wasn’t expecting a lot out of myself when I came back,” beams the towering lineman. “Being voted on by other coaches who know their stuff, that was a big deal, because they saw something in me.”

Away from the field, the Carleton defensive lineman has a clear idea of what he wants his life to look like after football.

“Hopefully down the road I can get into the Ottawa Police force, or the RCMP, something in the law enforcement field,” says Rioux, who worked for Ottawa by-law this summer. “I’m all about psychology and law classes, and my concentration within criminology is in law.”

With his build, smarts, and area of study,

it is a safe bet to assume that Rioux will be successful in a career in policing down the road.

While the 2014 season went about as well as Rioux could have hoped for, considering his injury setback, he is holding himself and his teammates to a higher standard in 2015.

“For myself, I’m expecting an improvement since I’ll be playing with two hands, going back to normal,” says the now-sophomore. “We’ve got to be better than last year, status quo isn’t acceptable for myself or the team,” he continues, voicing the opinion of many within Carleton’s camp.

“Everybody signed here to win a championship, and the goal is to win.”

As a sophomore, Rioux embodies the modern-era Carleton Ravens: young, eager to improve, and determined to turn heads. With a mix of strong recruits and returning secondand third-year veterans, the Ravens fancy themselves contenders in OUA. Rioux and the rest of Carleton’s ‘Bird Gang’ will have a chance to start convincing the competition of their legitimacy as Yates contenders on August 30th, when they will open up the season in a hostile environment at Queen’s.

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OUA UNCOVERED: 2015 Football Season Preview

7. QUEEN’S GAELS BY: MIKE HOGAN It was a tough year for graduating quarterbacks in OUA. Austin Kennedy, Jazz Lindsay and Marshall Ferguson are gone, and the Queen’s Gaels also bid adieu to Billy McPhee.

Graduation is a fact of life in university sports, but that doesn’t make the transition any easier. McPhee’s graduation left a job opening with the Gaels, and two talented newcomers are ready to fill the position.

Nate Hobbs didn’t get a whole lot of snaps in his freshman campaign, but may have the inside track on the starting job. Hobbs threw just 18 passes last year, completing six of them, including one for a touchdown. He’ll be challenged by the incoming Matt Duffy, a transfer from Carleton. Both bring size and mobility to the position, but either little or no game experience at this level. There will undoubtedly be growing pains ahead.

Anyone who follows CIS football knows that Dillon Campbell of Laurier won the rushing title last year, but many may not realize that Jesse Andrews was second in OUA, albeit a whopping 696 yards behind. To Andrews’ defence, he missed a couple of games, but with all things equal, Andrews’ 127 yards per-game average was second in CIS, again trailing only Campbell.

Considering the quarterback will be younger and the offensive line older than a year ago, the ground game may be even more important to the Gaels, who also have Jonah Pataki, Adam Black and Brad Innis competing for playing time.

The Gaels offence took a hit when leading receiver Alex Carroll graduated to the greener pastures of the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders. But Doug Corby is back and poised to make his mark among the best receivers in the conference. Last year, he had 33 catches for 487 yards and should improve upon those numbers this season.

The remainder of the receiving corps will feature a trio of receivers in what can only be described as a great recruiting class. Chris Osei Kusi, Niclas Bembenek and Rudy Uhl could be terrorizing OUA opponents for the next four or five years.

The offensive line did a nice job for a group of first-year starters, best exemplified by Andrews’ success on the ground. The group of first year starters is bigger and should be better. It’s impossible to miss 6’ 10” Nick Romanchuk on the field. Daniel Hayes, Emilio Frometa, Stew Anoya, Erick Lessard,

“To get into the playoffs and into the upper echelon of the league. To learn how to compete.”

– Coach Sheahan’s goal this year

Seton Battin and John Meenagh, will in some combination comprise the guys up front.

There will be a lot of players flying around on the Gaels front four. Kingston area products Luke Ball, Nic Dowd and Corey Flude will be joined by the likes of Natu Myers, Tanner Gennaro and Zac Sauer.

The new guy to watch is Montrealer Allen Champagne, a transfer from the University of North Carolina. Heading back North to Queen’s for Graduate School, his presence will benefit a group that in the words of head coach Pat Sheahan is “coming of age.”

Michael Moore was on the OUA All-Rookie team a year ago and looks to lead a group of young linebackers. A trio of players to keep an eye on are: Nelkas Kwemo, a 6’ 4”, 230 pounder from Montreal, Luke McQuilken of Burlington, Ont. and D’Antal Sampson from Mississauga, Ont. The secondary is also young, but this may be among the tallest group of defensive backs ever assembled by one team in any league, professional or otherwise. Jason Shamatutu is 6’ 3”, Jake Firlotte is 6’ 4”, Chris Mackie is 6’ 2”, Justin Bowman is 6’ 2” and James Donald is a mere 6’0”. It’s just not the unusual height of the group that has the coaching staff excited, the players all move well. This unit will be very interesting to watch as it develops.

Some CIS teams may have kicking issues, but Queen’s sure doesn’t. Dillon Wamsley is back for a fourth year. He hit a career high 71 percent of his field-goal attempts and has a very strong leg. His longest field goal last season was only 39 yards, but he has a career long of 52. As a punter, Wamsley had a career-high average of 39.2 yards in 2014.

Last year was a tough one for the program.

The team started with a 1-1 record, but the victory was stripped due to the use of an ineligible player. The next two games were humbling losses to Western and Guelph by a combined 109-12 score. They’d lose to McMaster before finally beating Toronto, York and Carleton, but the damage was done.

Their 3-5 record was not good enough for post-season play.

There should be less drama this year, and the Gaels hope there are more wins.

#23 REC Doug Corby

#42 DB Jason Shamatutu

OUA UNCOVERED: 2015 Football Season Preview

55

2014 TEAM LEADERS OFFENCE Passing

Comp Att

Yds %

TD

Int

B. McPhee N. Hobbs

156 6

2240 101

17 1

6 0

Rushing

Att Yds Avg TD

J. Andrews J. Pataki B. McPhee

120 76 22

Receiving

Rec Yds Avg TD

A. Carroll D. Corby C. Carmichael

52 33 21

269 18

762 361 125

875 487 357

SPECIAL TEAMS

6.4 4.8 5.7

16.8 14.8 17.0

58.0 33.3

4 1 0

8 4 4

DEFENCE

Kickoff Return

Ret

Yds

Avg

Lng

Tackles

Tot Solo Ast

A. Carroll J. Andrews

16 6

314 120

19.6 20.0

34 46

Punt Return

Ret

Yds

Avg

Lng

M. Moore D. Wiggan J. Shamatutu

48.5 36 33.5

D. Corby 34 408 12.0 60 A. Carroll 14 93 6.6 18

Kickoffs

Att Yds Avg

40 2217 55.4

Punting

Att Yds Avg

D. Wamsley

66

2586

Field Goals

Att

Made %

Lng

D. Wamsley

21

15

39

39.2

71

38 28 28

21 16 11

Sacks Sack D. Wiggan 5.5 N. Dowd 4 L. Bell 3.5

Interceptions Int J. Shamatutu 2 6 Players Tied 1

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OUA UNCOVERED: 2015 Football Season Preview

8. WINDSOR LANCERS BY: MIKE HOGAN One can forgive Windsor head coach Joe D’Amore if he looks a little confused this season. For the first time in eight years he won’t be working with quarterback Austin Kennedy.

D’Amore coached the former OUA FirstTeam All-Star quarterback with the Lancers, as well as the Essex Ravens before that. Now he’ll have to get used to a new player under centre and that player is likely to be Casey Wright.

The 5’9” native of Sault Ste Marie, Ont. has a very quick release. He may not be as athletic as Kennedy, who was incredibly fun to watch play the position, but Wright was impressive during spring camp. He’s not completely new to the position at the OUA level, but lacks game experience, having only thrown 41 passes over the last two seasons, including just eight last year.

The Lancers were also thrilled to land one of the country’s most sought after recruits at the position, as Brantford, Ont. product Liam Putt committed to the program.

Beau Lumley will make life a little easier for Wright. The former running back has made to move to receiver, where he will be the go-to guy in the passing game. His 25 catches last year was second on the team to the now graduated Evan Pszczonak. Scott McEwen is back after having ACL surgery and Gilbert Stewart returns for another season as does Nate O’Halloran, who will be the h-back.

Among the other players to keep an eye on is Clark Grace, who may be on the verge of a break-out season.

The Lancers were able to move Lumley to receiver because they’re pretty deep at running back. Tarrence Crawford carried the workload last season, averaging just under 80 yards per game. Jaydon Gauthier will get some carries for the Lancers as well this season. After spending time at a junior college in New Mexico, the Windsor, Ont.

native returns home and might move to receiver to make sure he’ll be a part of the offence. He may also return kicks.

The offensive line will be the team’s most veteran-laden unit. Jeremy Veres is back for a fifth season, while Greg Bolger, Randy Beardy and Daniel Benson also supply veteran leadership. The player to watch on the o-line may be Drew Desjarlais, another Windsor, Ont. native who was a very highly recruited player.

If the offensive line is a position of stability, the same cannot be said of the defensive

“Every year it’s to get to the Yates Cup. We’ve been a playoff team for four straight years and we’d like to host a playoff game this year.”

– Coach D’Amore’s goal this year

line. Certainly the departure of the dynamic Tai Pham would hurt any group, but there’s not a lot of game experience to make up for his loss. John Langley, Jeremy Rogers, Kellen LeClair are all back for another season, while a freshman to keep an eye on is Collin Lesperance.

The Lancers suffered a huge blow in the off season when linebacker Frank Renaud tore his ACL at the East/West Bowl. The

injury leaves a gaping hole in the linebacking corps, which now looks to be more of a young, athletic group. Marcel Ugoh and Matt Chamberlain are among the returnees. The Lancers have done a tremendous job in terms of recruiting talent. Carter Wood is another example of that and is a freshman worth watching.

Austin Crumb, Kuinton Elliott, Tarik Bonas and Matt Gayer are all back for another season in the secondary. Gasper Stare is a Windsor native who returns home after redshirting at Saginaw Valley State last season, while also new to the DBs is freshman Spencer Trinier from, you guessed it, Windsor. It’s a very athletic group.

There will be an open competition to see who the kicker will be. Coach D’Amore only wants to carry one kicker to both punt and place kick. Anthony Malandruccolo and Hugh Paulin are both capable place kickers. The decision will likely come down to who is the better punter.

To say last year was one of huge emotional swings would be an understatement. The Lancers opened the season with a loss to Queen’s, but the Gaels used an ineligible player and forfeited the game to the Lancers.

That was followed by one of the most exciting games of the season where Windsor erased a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter, defeating Laurier 39-34.

At the other end of the spectrum was the way the season ended. After a double-digit win over the Gee-Gees three weeks earlier, the Lancers hosted Ottawa at Alumni Field in the first round of the playoffs and were bounced with a 46-29 loss.

There are some interesting pieces to the puzzle at Windsor. If one of the young quarterbacks can take charge it would go a long way toward the Lancers hosting another playoff game. If not, it will be a season of watching some great young prospects develop.

#3 REC Beau Lumley

#26 RB Tarrence Crawford

OUA UNCOVERED: 2015 Football Season Preview

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2014 TEAM LEADERS OFFENCE Passing

Comp Att

Yds %

TD

Int

A. Kennedy C. Wright

164 3

2252 73

15 0

8 0

Rushing

Att Yds Avg TD

T. Crawford B. Lumley A. Kennedy

66 77 42

Receiving

Rec Yds Avg TD

E. Pszczonak B. Lumley G. Stewart

35 25 27

283 8

477 463 310

710 326 259

SPECIAL TEAMS

7.2 6.0 7.4

20.3 13.0 9.6

58.0 37.5

3 3 1

7 1 1

DEFENCE

Kickoff Return

Ret

Yds

Avg

Lng

Tackles

Tot Solo Ast

A. Crumb Q. Van De Cruize

11 4

207 128

18.8 32.0

42 68

Punt Return

Ret

Yds

Avg

Lng

F. Renaud 36 24 24 M. Ugoh 33.5 21 25 M. Gayer 33 24 18

A. Crumb Q. Van De Cruize

29 18

272 102

9.4 5.7

26 12

Kickoffs

Att Yds Avg

Sacks Sack T. Pham 3.5 2 Players Tied 2

42 2170 51.7

Interceptions Int

Punting

Att Yds Avg

3 Players Tied 3 Players Tied

A. Malandruccolo

45

1603

Field Goals

Att

Made %

Lng

A. Malandruccolo

15

10

43

35.6

67

2 1

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OUA UNCOVERED: 2015 Football Season Preview

9. TORONTO VARSITY BLUES BY: MIKE HOGAN Over the long history of the storied Varsity Blues program, there have been some tremendous quarterbacks. Last season Simon Nassar guaranteed his name will be listed among the greats. Only the legendary Dan Feraday had a higher single-season passing total than Nassar’s 2,280-yard performance. The yardage total was tremendous, but perhaps even more impressive was that he threw 11 touchdowns against just two interceptions in 281 attempts. The super-competitive QB will be backed up by fourth-year teammate Marcus Hobbs. Nassar is back for his fifth season but will be missing a couple of his key targets.

Llevi Noel led CIS by averaging 126 receiving yards per game, but has left the program. Kevin Bradfield was drafted by the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts, released, but subsequently re-signed. Both were in the top ten in CIS receptions last year. Bradfield was also a very dangerous returner on special teams.

So who is left? Queen’s transfer Boris Isakov returns for another year with Varsity.

He had 32 catches with four touchdowns last year. Rahul Madan is a transfer from Western who should step into the starting lineup. Third-year Blue Anthony Naccarato and Domenic Battistella will also be key contributors, as will Freshman Nick Stadnyk of Wasaga Beach, Ont. who should see significant playing time.

Despite the gaudy passing numbers, the Blues were more than just a one-dimensional offence. Lukas Gavac was eighth in the country with 677 rushing yards. The Mississauga, Ont. native returns for his third season. He’ll get the majority of the carries, but second-year back Divante Smith will also get some snaps.

Sam MacMillan is back for a second year.

The right guard was named to the OUA AllRookie Team last season. Danny Sprukulis will play right tackle, while the left tackle will be Zach Van Kerrebroeck. D.J. Sackey made the switch from defence to offence last season and it worked out well, he’ll be the left guard. Kevin Williams will be the man in the middle. The Blues landed a couple of key recruits in Duncan Robertson from Nova Scotia and London, Ont. native Eddie Nam. It’s an improved group that could be very good in a year or two.

There will be a group of players competing for time in the defensive line rotation.

“We want to make the playoffs. We want to be more competitive and move into the middle pack of teams.”

– Coach Gary’s goal this year

Fourth-year Mark Ehioghae and fifth-year Zack Lukings will be counted on to be key players along the line. Ryan Searle is a 6’ 5”, 280-pound transfer from Guelph who could make an impact, while Grant McAdam, who led the club last year with three sacks, will also be a piece of the puzzle.

Head coach Greg Gary should be excited by his linebacking corps. New to the group will be freshman Matt Renaud from Ottawa, who played two years at a prep school in

Virginia before returning North this season.

He’ll play the Will position. Middle linebacker Adrian Bernard is back after missing last year, while Brittley Mokube returns to play the Sam spot.

There is a veteran presence in the secondary. JJ Lam is back for a fourth season. He led the Blues with three interceptions last year. Safety Jaiden McBride led Varsity in tackles and also returns for a fourth season in blue. Joining Lam on the boundary side of the field will be Trevor Harvey, who returns after a year away from the program. The Gillespie brothers will man the field side of the secondary with Jordan playing the corner spot and Richard playing halfback.

The Blues lost both Aaron Gazendam and Eric Hewitson, so both the punting and place kicking jobs are up for grabs. There’s a major competition in camp to see who the place kicker will be. Anthony Iafrate and freshman Ethan Shafer will determine who will get the opening day assignment. The punter will be a transfer from the NCAA’s Susquehanna University. T. J. Morton will also be working on his place-kicking skills.

It was a strange season for the Blues in 2014. They showed great progress offensively, finishing sixth in the conference in points scored. However, they struggled defensively, with only Waterloo and York allowing more points against. The bottom line showed a 2-6 record, which again left them on the outside looking in at the playoffs.

Losing Noel and Bradfield is a body blow to the Blues. They still have good players on offense, but someone will have to step up their game dramatically. It should also allow a heady quarterback like Nassar to use the system he seems to have mastered to spread the ball around a little bit more. An improving offensive line and a pair of good running backs will help. The team will have to show improvement on defence.

#30 RB Lukas Gavac

#1 LB Adrian Bernard

OUA UNCOVERED: 2015 Football Season Preview

65

2013 TEAM LEADERS

2014 TEAM LEADERS

OFFENCE Passing

Comp Att

Yds %

TD

Int

S. Nassar C. Jugovic

180 24

2280 263

11 2

2 0

Rushing

Att Yds Avg TD

L. Gavac D. Smith A. Rochester

87 37 21

Receiving

Rec Yds Avg TD

L. Noel K. Bradfield B. Isakov

49 48 32

281 44

677 269 166

758 603 362

SPECIAL TEAMS

7.8 7.3 7.9

15.5 12.6 11.3

64.1 54.5

7 2 1

4 2 4

DEFENCE

Kickoff Return

Ret

Yds

Avg

Lng

K. Bradfield D. Smith

17 15

349 330

20.5 22.0

36 63

Punt Return

Ret

Yds

Avg

Lng

R. Comish K. Bradfield

21 20

205 149

9.8 7.5

29 28

Kickoffs

Att Yds Avg

40 2084 52.1

Punting

Att Yds Avg Lng

A. Gazendam

66

2563

Field Goals

Att

Made %

E. Hewiston

16 12 75 40

38.9

101

Lng

Tackles

J. McBride J. Lam B. Mokube C. Williams

Tot Solo Ast 44 35 18 38 30 16 28.5 22 13 25.5 21 9

Sacks Sack G. McAdam J. McBride 11 Players Tied

3 2 1

Interceptions Int J. Lam 3 6 Players Tied 1

OUA UNCOVERED: 2015 Football Season Preview

67

DAY BY DAY

KEVIN COLLINS LIVING WITH DIABETES BY: Jordon Hall Imagine. Imagine being at the crucial point of the game. Imagine your team needs you.

Yet, imagine you can’t go on the field.

Third-year Varsity Blues wide receiver Kevin Collins knows this feeling.

He has felt first-hand how painful it is to watch his teammates continue to play and be unable to contribute. In this instance, Collins had gone to test his blood - a routine check as a Type 1 diabetic, and it indicated his blood sugar levels were too low to continue playing.

When this occurs he must sit and take sugar until he can get those levels back up to an appropriate number to continue playing.

Most times it is rather quick. This time it seemed excruciatingly slow, but at no point does the idea of quitting ever become an option.

Collins was first diagnosed as a Type 1

diabetic at the age of 13.

“One of the first memories that I have from the day that I was declared diabetic was thinking that I had done something wrong,” said Collins.

“That thought is shared by many younger children when first diagnosed and it took a while for me to realize that the condition was nowhere close to my fault.”

Type 1 diabetes is a genetic condition in which the pancreas produces either too little or no insulin at all. Insulin is needed as a hormone which allows sugar (glucose) to enter cells and produce energy. When he was younger, Collins would need to take approximately eight needles in order to do the work his pancreas could not. Now, Collins uses a diabetic insulin pump.

“Instead of eight plus needles a day, I now have a semi-permanent needle that is connected by a tube to an external pump that acts as an external man-made pancreas,”

explains Collins. “It is consistently pumping insulin into me throughout the day, I just have to count the sugars in the food I eat and it aids in figuring out the rest.”

With the advanced technology, a rather hectic schedule consisting of classes, practices, training, and serving as a residence don becomes even more manageable. Add years of experience, support from family and some of the best diabetes doctors in the world, and he now has living with his condition down to a science.

Yet, even with all the progress he has made, Collins lives with an understanding that a repeat of that instance when he was unable to help and unable to contribute could happen again.

“Diabetes, even when properly controlled, as I have it, can still be a very unstable condition,” says Collins. “And that instance was just a little reminder that no game is ever bigger than life.”

#3 REC Kevin Collins

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OUA UNCOVERED: 2015 Football Season Preview

10. YORK LIONS BY: MIKE HOGAN It was a humbling season for the Lions.

High expectations at the beginning of the season turned into an injury plagued 0-8 record, punctuated by a 32-31 loss to Waterloo in the final game on the schedule.

Jahmari Bennett will get the first look at quarterback. The fourth-year pivot took most of the snaps under centre a year ago, but was far from the every-down QB. He completed just 56 percent of his passes and threw more interceptions than touchdowns, so there is certainly room for improvement.

He is a threat to run the ball.

The Lions have done a good job of mining the talent in Alberta, which helped land them freshman Brett Hunchak from Calgary. It didn’t hurt that Lions head coach Warren Craney was a part of the Canadian Under-19 Team, of which Hunchak was a member. He will most certainly see a lot of playing time this year.

Adrian Dolley is back from a hamstring injury that cost him the 2014 season and the Laurier transfer will in all probability be the starting running back this year. Dolley will be pushed for carries this season by freshman Jesse Amankwaa from Etobicoke, Ont. The Lions got a two-for-one deal when they landed Brett Hunchak’s brother Colton. The 6’ 2” receiver was one of the most sought after high-school players in the country. He’ll join another Albertan, Jacob Janke, in an improving receiving corps. Ryan Dunaway is back. He had a strong freshman campaign, before missing all of last year with an injury.

Veteran Adam Adeboboye will add some experience, while Nathaniel Pinto is another freshman who will get a long look. He’s not very big, but the hometown Toronto product will get a chance to play.

Four of five starting offensive linemen are back at York, two of whom return after

battling injuries. The main man is Jamal Campbell, who will be under the watchful eye of CFL scouts this year. The 6’ 7”, 300-pound former defensive end has quick feet and is surprisingly fast for a big man. A couple of other key components of the o-line will be Chris Kolankowski and Chris Smith.

The defensive line may be an area of concern as the group will be very young. A couple of the players to watch are fifth-year lineman Hussein Hazime from Toronto and Cole Austen from Barrie, Ont. There is a huge

“We definitely have to beat Toronto and Waterloo. That’s not negotiable.”

– Coach Craney’s goal this year

opportunity here for a young player or two to step up and win a starting job.

Fourth-year player Michael Runowski will lead the linebacking corps. A fellow fourthyear Lion, Damone Williams, will get the start at the Sam position. The Lions are also thrilled to have landed Jakob Butler from Alberta. In many people’s eyes he was the top Canadian recruit available at the position and one of the most sought after players in the country. Adding depth to the group will be Nikita Starchenko, who transferred to York from Western.

The Lions should have a pretty good secondary. Josh Small is in his CFL draft year and had a good week at the East/West Bowl.

Connor Pritty is back for a second year after some injury problems. The field corner will be Ian Lawrence of Paris, Ont. Rees Paterson, who was a top recruit a year ago and another member of York’s Alberta pipeline, returns for another season. He was an OUA All-Rookie member last year.

It could be some of the old and some of the new in the kicking department.

Newcomer Nicholas Bested from Etobicoke, Ont. has a chance to take over the placekicking duties from Nick Naylor, who will be the punter. He averaged just under 37-yards per punt in 2014.

Last year was a disaster for the Lions. Not only were they winless, but the loss to the Warriors on the final Saturday of the season underscored that the program has a lot of work to do.

The Lions have done a nice job in adding young talent, much of it from the west. Coach Craney’s connection to the national team program, coupled with the recruiting ability of former CFL receiver Kamau Peterson the Lions receivers coach and associate offensive coordinator - has helped stock the shelves with some very talented prospects.

The problem that York faces this year is that they don’t have enough top-of-the-line talent, they’re very young, and they aren’t blessed with a lot of depth. That’s a bad combination.

This year will be all about growth. If they can win a couple of games and see progression with the players who will be wearing the red and white or the next few years, the season may be deemed a success.

#77 OL Jamal Campbell

#5 REC Colton Hunchak

OUA UNCOVERED: 2015 Football Season Preview

71

2014 TEAM LEADERS OFFENCE Passing

Comp Att

Yds %

TD

Int

J. Bennett N. Stamatis

53 23

742 248

2 0

4 5

Rushing

Att Yds Avg TD

J. Howard C. Anderson J. Bennett

49 70 46

Receiving

Rec Yds Avg TD

A. Adeboboye M. Marks J. Carson

26 19 20

95 67

312 246 241

304 273 250

SPECIAL TEAMS

6.4 3.5 5.2

11.7 14.4 12.5

55.8 34.3

0 2 1

0 1 0

DEFENCE

Kickoff Return

Ret

Yds

Avg

Lng

Tackles

Tot Solo Ast

J. Howard R. Paterson

18 9

302 170

16.8 18.9

25 34

Punt Return

Ret

Yds

Avg

Lng

H. Hazime J. Small B. Cameron

49.5 41.5 27.5

R. Paterson J. Bennett

18 3

115 78

6.4 26.0

31 60

Kickoffs

Att Yds Avg

16 929 58.1

Punting

Att Yds Avg

N. Naylor

82

2893

Field Goals

Att

Made %

Lng

N. Naylor

13

8

38

35.3

62

33 32 22

33 19 11

Sacks Sack H. Hazime 6 J. Small 3 C. Austen 2.5

Interceptions Int 4 Players Tied

1

OUA UNCOVERED: 2015 Football Season Preview

73

FIVE QUESTIONS WITH...

CHRIS BERTOIA BY: MARSHALL FERGUSON What was your perception of Waterloo when you were coaching at Western?

“The hiring of our new Athletic Director, Roly Webster, was a big piece.

He was hired five months in advance of me and he’s the one that’s made a lot of things happen here. I wasn’t going to leave Western, put pen to paper until I knew that that was concrete.

We’ve got the backing of our central administration, we’ve doubled our scholarships, $25,000 renovation of our locker room. There’s just so many things coming to fruition from what Roly said and why he wanted me to be the leader. That’s where it starts. It’s a team effort.

Perception was really reality.”

Family is a buzz word. How do you bring a different aspect of family and friendship to the program?

“First thing we did we had to change the attitude in the locker room and change it into a winning attitude. Most people will say “Got to win games to have a winning attitude” and I say I think yes that’s a part of it but everyday you wake up you have a choice to be positive or negative. I think when you have too many people around who are choosing to be negative, that’s going to bring things down. I’m choosing to be positive and I think it’s a top down effect and so that’s why it’s trickling down and I think you can feel the positive energy by all the guys and the coaches and everyone involved with the program. These guys, between the white lines they are brothers, they have to trust each other. I tell them

do your one-twelfth and have faith that everyone else is going to do their one-twelfth and we’re a whole unit and we’re going to be strong. Family is important, you got to know that people are there for you. I want to build this program not through x’s and o’s but through relationships and I think the stronger our relationships the stronger the bond gets.”

What can Warriors fans expect to see from the offence this season?

“Think it’s going to be a mixed combination. You can’t do something that you don’t know. I’m learning the spread stuff a little more and more. At the end of the day to me, it’s blocking up front that’s where everything starts.

You build your defence from the interior.

I love the power run game. I’m going to find ways to be unique.”

What type of player is Lucas McConnell and how important is he to a program that is rebuilding?

“Lucas was one of the first guys who truly bought in. When you have a young kid who has the want to. He’s wants to watch film, he wants to come in the o-line meetings. Lucas has been fantastic in how he’s embraced.

Really as a second year guy, become a leader.

The quarterback is the CEO, so you better have those leadership skills.

Guys believe when you’re capable.

Lucas has absolutely showed more than just flashes of being capable. We need to make sure we’re putting him in situations to be successful.”

How do you personally feel energy wise heading into the season?

“I’m ecstatic to be here.

It’s my dream job really. I see myself as long as everything goes well, retiring here. I can’t see myself being a head coach anywhere else. This is where I see myself finishing whether it’s five years from now or 20 years from now.

It’s my dream job.

If we just stay the course and keep the positive energy, I think only good things will happen. We’re going to land recruits because that’s what I’m good at. And the opportunity, the school piece. Everything that’s here.

I’m just excited for the future and excited to be back and hopefully bring these guys back to the opportunities that I had and memories that I had of putting two Yates Cups above my head, playing in four straight. Those were great days and great memories.

At the end of the day, I want these kids to have an experience like that, similar to that and at the same time, go away feeling good about this program down the road.

I’m super excited. We’ve got a great coaching staff assembled. A young staff, an energized staff. It’s exciting.

The future is exciting. We’ve got a lot of young guys that will be playing. We’re going to take our lumps but all we can control is being physical. Fly around the field and let teams know that they’re playing us because we’re a physical team and build from that. As long as we carry the momentum forward, nothing but success is in our future.”

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OUA UNCOVERED: 2015 Football Season Preview

11. WATERLOO WARRIORS BY: MIKE HOGAN An eternal optimist would say the Waterloo Warriors are undefeated this season and are riding a one-game winning streak. That’s the attitude the program is taking under new head coach Chris Bertoia.

Bertoia returns to the program from Western, where he had been the offensive line coach and recruitment coordinator for the last five seasons. Bertoia’s ties to Waterloo date back to his playing days along the Warriors’ offensive line. He was a part of the team’s last period of sustained success, when they won the Yates Cup in 1997 and 1999, with the latter team featuring Bertoia as a captain.

The black and gold are a long, long way from those days, but Bertoia sees great things down the road.

Lucas McConnell will be the quarterback this season. He played a bit as a freshman while backing up Jamie Cook. The biggest concerns at this stage are a couple of things he lacks: experience and size. At 6’0”, but only 170 pounds, the Warriors will have to do a good job of keeping him on his feet. The biggest positive about him is his hunger to learn, so knowing the offence should not be a problem. There is a long list of players looking to be the back-up QB. The new-look Warriors want to be like the old-school Warriors: they want to run the football. Ryan Di Risio and Danny Silvestri are both back for a fifth year and will see ample playing time. The pair will no doubt be reenergized by the new regime. They should no doubt improve on their 81 yards per-game total of a year ago, by far the worst in OUA. It’s a young, but potentially good group of receivers. Mitch Kernik and Richmond Nketiah will be the primary players to watch.

Blair McKay brings top-end speed to the receiving corps, while Victor Fassulo will also be featured. All four of those players are just entering their second year, so there is certainly hope for the future.

If there’s a group that has the new head coach excited it’s the young offensive line.

The veteran of the group is Taz Martin, who is back for a fourth year and will play left tackle.

Next to him at guard will be Ben Koczwara, who made the OUA All-Rookie Team a year ago. He’s added 30 pounds to his frame and coupled with his quick feet, he could be a player to watch this season. A couple of freshmen are slated to start, Kyle Boismier from London will get a look at centre, while

“To get back to the old days, to play physical football where (opponents) know they played us on Sunday.”

– Coach Bertoia’s goal this year

Hamilton’s Jesse Gibbon will be the right tackle. The 6’ 5”, 290-pound Gibbon is raw, having only played two years of football. The right guard will be determined at camp. The group will take its lumps this year, but could be a force down the road.

Defensively, the Warriors could have some success rushing off the edge. At end, the pair of Paul Kaija and Pabek Gany will make opposing coaches pay attention. They’ll surround the interior pairing of Ivan Gritsiniak and Braden Southern. Younger players will be given every opportunity to become a part of the rotation on the front four.

There will be a definite veteran presence at linebacker. Fifth-year players Greg Zaitz,

Brendan Conway and fourth-year Brandon Corelli will be the starters. Again, the coaching staff is anxious to see which young players step up and push the vets for playing time.

It’s a fairly deep group in the secondary, led by fifth-year halfback Christian Mahler.

He’ll be joined by Miklos McMaster at corner, Lucas Merlin at safety and Jordan Hoover at the other half-back spot. There will be an open competition for the field corner position.

Caleb Girard was 9 of 15 on his field-goal attempts last year and will once again be the place kicker and may also punt, though that’s not his strength. Another position player, perhaps Mitch Kernik will be the punter this year.

Last season wasn’t pretty. Their only win was a 32-31 triumph at York in the final game of the season. Over the course of the season the Warriors gave up 52 points per game, the worst in the country with opponents totaling 612 yards of offence per game.

It’s an odd situation at Waterloo. There’s a realization that things aren’t going to be easy for the immediate future. If the team wins three games this year there may be a parade around Ring Road. At the same time there’s an incredible energy among the coaches, players and alumni, who see what could happen down the road.

#7 QB Lucas McConnell

#40 LB Brandon Corelli

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2013 TEAM LEADERS

2014 TEAM LEADERS

OFFENCE Passing

Comp Att

Yds %

TD

Int

J. Cook L. McConnell

101 52

1009 611

3 0

6 5

Rushing

Att Yds Avg TD

J. Cook R. Di Risio D. Silvestri

29 50 36

Receiving

Rec Yds Avg TD

M. Dedys P. Cecile C. Lewis

44 32 20

165 115

184 162 159

376 370 179

SPECIAL TEAMS

6.3 3.2 4.4

8.5 11.6 9.0

61.2 45.2

1 0 0

0 0 1

DEFENCE

Kickoff Return

Ret

Yds

Avg

Lng

Tackles

Tot Solo Ast

G. Ganza D. Silvestri

20 19

442 365

22.1 19.2

31 33

Punt Return

Ret

Yds

Avg

Lng

G. Zaitz B. Conway J. Hoover

54 41.5 39

G. Ganza D. Silvestri

10 7

64 60

6.4 8.6

20 19

Kickoffs

Att Yds Avg

15 903 60.2

Punting

Att Yds Avg

M. Kernick

81

2889

Field Goals

Att

Made %

Lng

C. Girard

15

9

42

35.7

60

40 31 32

28 21 14

Sacks Sack I. Gritsiniak B. Southern

3 2

Interceptions Int C. Mahler J. Hoover M. McMaster

2 1 1

Comments, Questions or Ideas Please Contact: Matthew Walker 1119 Fennel Ave. East, Suite 230 Hamilton, ON, L8T 1S2 Phone: 905-870-9773 Fax: 905-574-2840 E-mail: matthew.walker@oua.ca