Are you talking about playoffs? We certainly are because it’s finally that time of year in Canada with postseason plans materializing from coast to coast.
Saskatchewan were first out of the blocks with some massive playoff showdowns, including a high scoring battle between Yorkton and Central in the Rural semifinals. Central shook up the rankings when they delivered a blow to Yorkton a couple weeks ago, and it looked like they might pull it off again after clawing their way back to even the score at 21-21 going into halftime, but unfortunately they couldn’t hang for four quarters as the Raider Gridders ran away with a 60-34 victory on the back of an explosive second half performance. With Weyburn taking care of business in their semifinal against Peacock with an easy 46-13 triumph, it’s now time for a rural championship that should provide some thrilling football. Yorkton got the better of Weyburn in their first matchup, but the Eagles are now riding high with a 6 game winning streak since that day, so despite recent history there’s no clear favourite heading into this matchup. On the other side of the bracket in Saskatoon we will see Bishop J. Mahoney take on Marion Graham in the semifinals, while Greenall are looking to finish the job in Regina with a championship bout against Sheldon Williams after cruising by Martin in the semis. The winner of the Regina and Rural title fights will faceoff for a spot in the provincial finals against the program who eventually prevails from Saskatoon. It’s about to get spicy in Saskatchewan and we can’t wait to see who can handle the heat.
We also got some playoff action in Alberta where George McDougall corrected the record in their Rocky View semifinal matchup against W.H. Croxford. The Mustangs weren’t able to get the best of the Cavaliers during the regular season, but had no troubles sliding by this time around easing their way to a 35-7 victory to secure a spot in the finals. They’ll be looking to rewrite the narrative once again with the ultimate test in a championship rematch against powerhouse Cochrane, who prevailed 30-21 in their first matchup of the year, but the past means nothing now with both teams eyeing a chance to raise the league trophy above their heads. Elsewhere in the province St. Joseph’s will be looking to add another trophy to their cabinet with the Mighty Peace Conference playoffs getting underway this week with a semifinals matchup against Grand Prairie. The Celtics finished last season as the number one ranked team on the CFC25 Rankings, and are looking to make a late season climb by defending their Tier II provincial throne. Lastly our current top ranked program Holy Trinity Academy are gearing up for a provincial playoff run, and decided to test their skills against CFC50 top 15 ranked Raymond this past week. Unfortunately they hit an unstoppable force with Raymond taking home the 35-0 victory, but the experience against one of the top teams in Canada should go a long way once they reach the provincial playdowns after taking on the role of an independent program this season.
REGISTER NOW FOR THE CFC TRYOUT AND SHOWCASE (BORN 2004-2012)
The playoff scene is now set in Quebec, but of course we had to squeeze in another surprise in the regular season finale. While Estacades have been a tough side to beat all year long, they simply couldn’t hang with College Bourget who announced their intentions heading into the postseason with a huge 58-8 blowout over the Aigles. Luckily Estacades still secured a first round bye alongside College Bourget, College Laval and Saint-Joseph, meanwhile Dalbe-Viau will need to fight there way to the second round with a matchup against Pointe-Levy. If this week is any indication, they shouldn’t run into any difficulties as Dalbe-Viau devoured Pointe-Levy by a score of 49-7 to cap off the regular season, but they will need to stay sharp with a rematch with College Laval pending, who they battled to the finish line in a 30-28 defeat earlier in the year. If we know anything about Quebec, expect the unexpected now that it’s do or die time, and it’s going to be an absolute dogfight to the finish with every program chasing the Bol d’Or.
It’s officially playoff time in Manitoba as well with the DII bracket set with some killer matchups on tap. Vincent Massey and Sturgeon Heights find themselves on opposite ends of the playoff race with a potential clash of the titans in the provincial finals, but they will need to take down some stiff competition along the way. They’ll need to take it one game at a time with Vincent Massey ready to faceoff against Portage and Sturgeon Heights preparing for a contest against Kelvin in the quarterfinals. There are a few darkhorse programs to watch for like Miles Mac, Springfield and John Taylor, so neither program can afford to overlook any opponent if they want the chance to be crowned DII champions.
BC is the only province playing catchup in the playoff conversation, but there’s only two games left on the regular season schedule before they can join the party. Robert Bateman continue to storm their way through the competition with their third straight shutout in a 28-0 win over Argyle. John Barsby got back on track with a key 29-11 victory over Earl Marriott, while Langley took down a good Ballenas squad triumphing 34-8. We will get a clearer picture of the playoff situation this week with John Barsby and Langley facing off with second place in the AA Coastal Division on the line. Vernon finally played their first regular season game of the year in the AA Interior Division with a 48-13 victory over Clarence Fulton, and they’ll now be looking to keep the momentum going with a shot to take home provincial glory.
CFC100 CLASS OF 2023 3RD EDITION
There’s only one week left to decide the bracket in New Brunswick, and we were thrown a massive curveball as Mathieu-Martin dropped their first game of the season in a 49-45 shootout against Bernice MacNaughton. It was a much different story earlier in the year when Mathieu-Martin prevailed 40-0 in the regular season opener, and when you throw L’Odyssee into the mix it’s now looking like we will have a fight to the finish for the New Brunswick DII title.
We finish off with some reports from Ontario where Crestwood are getting ready to face their toughest test yet with a regular season finale against Thomas A. Stewart. Both teams enter the game undefeated, but only one can leave with a flawless record, and we have no idea how this one is going to shakeout. Meanwhile St. Mary’s will look to complete the rounds in the Bluewater Athletic Association by putting their unbeaten record on the line against Owen Sound in the regular season finale.
PAST RANKINGS: WEEK 1 – WEEK 2 – WEEK 3 – WEEK 4 – WEEK 5
| # | Last Week | School/Team Mascot | City | Prov. | Conf. Rec. | Non-Conf. Rec | Results |
| 1 | 1 | Holy Trinity Academy Knights | Okotoks | AB | 0-0 | 7-1 | L 35-0 vs. Raymond (CFC50) |
| 2 | 2 | Robert Bateman Timberwolves | Abbotsford | BC | 5-0 | 3-0 | W 28-0 vs. Argyle |
| 3 | 3 | Vincent Massey Vikings | Brandon | MB | 7-0 | 0-0 | W 42-6 vs. Crocus Plain |
| 4 | 4 | Cochrane Cobras | Cochrane | AB | 7-0 | 0-0 | W 49-6 vs. Chestermere |
| 5 | 5 | Sturgeon Heights Huskies | Winnipeg | MB | 7-0 | 0-0 | W 62-14 vs. Garden City |
| 6 | 6 | College Laval Maraudeurs | Laval | QC | 7-1 | 0-0 | W 43-0 vs. Jacques-Rousseau |
| 7 | 7 | Greenall Griffins | Balgonie | SK | 6-0 | 0-1 | W 41-9 vs. Martin |
| 8 | 15 | Collège Bourget Voltigeurs | Rigaud | QC | 7-1 | 0-0 | W 58-8 vs. Estacades |
| 9 | 8 | Holy Rosary Raiders | Lloydminster | AB | 5-0 | 2-1 | BYE |
| 10 | 13 | Yorkton Raider Gridders | Yorkton | SK | 6-1 | 0-0 | W 60-34 vs. Central |
| 11 | 9 | Séminaire Saint-Joseph Vert et Or | Trois-Rivieres | QC | 7-1 | 0-0 | W 38-0 vs. Deux-Montagnes |
| 12 | 11 | Weyburn Eagles | Weyburn | SK | 6-1 | 0-0 | W 46-13 vs. Peacock |
| 13 | 14 | Dalbé-Viau Aigles D’Or | Lachine | QC | 6-2 | 0-0 | W 49-7 vs. Pointe-Levy |
| 14 | 16 | St. Joseph Celtics | Grande Prairie | AB | 3-0 | 3-2 | W 60-0 vs. Peace Wapiti |
| 15 | 18 | Crestwood Mustangs | Peterborough | ON | 4-0 | 0-0 | W 35-0 vs. Adam Scott |
| 16 | 19 | Bishop J. Mahoney Saints | Saskatoon | SK | 5-0 | 1-0 | BYE |
| 17 | 12 | Central Cyclones | Moose Jaw | SK | 5-2 | 0-0 | L 60-34 vs. Yorkton |
| 18 | UR | George McDougall Mustangs | Airdrie | AB | 6-1 | 1-0 | W 35-7 vs. W.H. Croxford |
| 19 | 10 | Académie les Estacades Aigles | Trois-Rivières | QC | 6-2 | 0-0 | L 58-8 vs. College Bourget |
| 20 | 21 | William Aberhart Orange | Calgary | AB | 6-0 | 0-0 | W 23-0 vs. Bishop Carrol |
| 21 | 22 | John Barsby Bulldogs | Nanaimo | BC | 3-2 | 0-2 | W 29-11 vs. Earl Marriott |
| 22 | 24 | Langley Thunderbirds | Langley | BC | 4-1 | 2-0 | W 34-8 vs. Ballenas |
| 23 | 23 | St. Mary’s Mustangs | Owen Sound | ON | 4-0 | 0-0 | W 16-0 vs. Saugeen |
| 24 | 25 | Vernon Panthers | Vernon | BC | 1-0 | 3-1 | W 48-13 vs. Clarence Fulton |
| 25 | 17 | Mathieu-Martin Matadors | Dieppe | NB | 6-1 | 0-0 | L 49-45 vs. Bernice MacNaughton |
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