CFC25 Small School Rankings WEEK 10: Who doesn’t love a Hollywood underdog story?

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  • There’s always one super riser that flips the rankings on it’s head each year, and Carlton have rightfully earned the honour in 2024 after a magical run through Saskatchewan to claim their first ever 5A Provincial title. We’ve been joking that this season has unfolded like a Hollywood classic with the script writers keeping everyone guessing, and they didn’t fail to write one last epic chapter with Carlton going on a drive for the ages with just over one minute left on the clock to score the game winning touchdown and clinch a 35-34 victory.  Some historical context is needed to explain just how amazing this feat was for the Crusaders. They are the first team from the North Saskatchewan League to hoist the 5A Provincial banner since North Battleford in 2017, and prior to that, you have to go all the way back to 1995 to find the last time it happened when coincidentally North Battleford defeated – you guessed it – Carlton, which was also the last time they appeared in the big game. This was their fourth appearance in the provincial finals in school history, and they finally reached the summit in a season that people will be talking about in Prince Albert for years to come.

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  • There was more hardware handed out across the border in Manitoba where Tec Voc enacted their revenge at the perfect time against John Taylor to walk away with the 24-11 victory, and the AAA Currie Bowl raised high in the air. Tec Voc were cruising through the regular season until they ran into John Taylor back in week seven, who handed them a heavy dose of reality in a 38-23 defeat. In that situation a team can either crumble mentally, or use the loss as a rallying cry. The Hornets obviously chose the latter, and have been rewarded for their perseverance with the first bowl victory since 2006, and only the second in the school’s history.
  • The DII Bol d’Or is set in Quebec, and it promises to be a battle of the titans with Deux-Montagnes taking on Dalbe-Viau. They both took a different path to get here through the semifinals, with Deux-Montagnes hanging on for a tight 22-15 victory over the reigning champions Saint-Joseph, while Dalbe-Viau was in cruise control with a decisive 42-0 win over College de Levis. This will be their second meeting of the year, and let’s hope it turns out to be just as close as the first one where Deux-Montagnes prevailed 23-21. Dalbe-Viau are in search of their second Bol d’Or in three years after making the leap to DII, while Deux-Montagnes are looking to secure their first DII Bol d’Or with their only other appearance in the finals coming back in 2011. Strap in, because this should be a wild ride to the finish line.

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  • We’ve reached the semifinals in Alberta with just four teams remaining in the Tier II and Tier III brackets. The only shocking result in the quarterfinals came in Tier II, where Cold Lake pulled off an upset over Hunting Hills to earn the right to play St. Joseph’s in the North Championship after the Celtics battled their way to a hard-fought 41-36 victory over the defending Tier II champions Austin O’Brien. On the other side of the bracket, Holy Trinity Academy defeated Medicine Hat for the second time this year to clinch their spot in the South Championship against George McDougall, who punched their ticket with a dominant 55-13 victory over Bishop Carroll. At the Tier III level, top ranked Holy Rosary put together another masterpiece performance defeating Sylvan Lake 55-0, and now prepare to take on their Wheatland rivals from St. Paul one last time in the North Championship. The Raiders are already 2-0 against the Lions this year by a combined score of 90-7, but the players and staff at Holy Rosary know better than anybody that they can’t take St. Paul lightly after they pulled off an upset in the Wheatland championship game just one year ago before going on to win the Tier IV title. In the South Championship, Cochrane prepare to take on Willow Creek as they hunt for another provincial banner after dropping back down from the Tier II level where they lost to Austin O’Brien in the finals last season. Holy Rosary are the top seed, but you can never sleep on the Cobras, who have won 14 Tier III titles since 2002.

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  • We travel to Ontario now, where St. Joseph’s secured the TVRA Tier II championship with a 46-24 victory over College Avenue. It caps off a fantastic season for the Rams that saw them go unbeaten in eight games while outscoring their opponents 315-67. Holy Cross have punched their ticket to the OFSAA Eastern Bowl after securing a 17-0 victory over Centennial (Belleville) in the COSSA Finals, and will now have a couple weeks to put together a gameplan that can hopefully contend with Northern, who are the champions out of the Toronto Public league. Lastly we check-in with Clarkson, who are on a mission to win the ROPSSAA Tier II title with another blowout 39-7 victory against Cardinal Ambrozic in the semifinals, setting up a championship bout with Brampton Centennial this week.
  • We wrap-up this week’s coverage in British Columbia, where the quarterfinals will take place this week after a short wildcard round featuring only two contests. We are looking forward to an intriguing slate of games that features Vernon taking on South Kamloops, Windsor lining up against Mt. Douglas, Robert Bateman squaring off against John Barsby, and Holy Cross battling newly ranked College Heights.

PAST RANKINGS: WEEK 1 WEEK 2WEEK 3WEEK 4WEEK 5WEEK 6WEEK 7WEEK 8WEEK 9

# Last School City Prov. Conf. Rec. Non-Conf. Rec Results
1 1 Holy Trinity Academy Knights Okotoks AB 0-0 8-1 W 44-10 vs. Medicine Hat
2 3 Vernon Panthers Vernon BC 6-0 1-1 BYE
3 4 Holy Rosary Raiders Lloydminster AB 6-0 5-0 W 55-0 vs. Sylvan Lake
4 12 Carlton Crusaders Prince Albert SK 6-0 2-1 W 35-34 vs. Bishop J. Mahoney
5 5 Polyvalente Deux-Montagnes Centurions Deux-Montagnes QC 9-1 0-0 W 22-15 vs. Saint-Joseph
6 8 Dalbé-Viau Aigles D’Or Lachine QC 8-2 0-0 W 42-0 vs. College de Levis
7 2 Bishop J. Mahoney Saints Saskatoon SK 6-2 1-1 L 35-34 vs. Carlton
8 15 Tec Voc Hornets Winnipeg MB 9-1 0-0 W 24-11 vs. John Taylor
9 6 Windsor Wolves North Vancouver BC 6-0 1-1 BYE
10 10 St. Joseph’s Celtics Grande Prairie AB 5-0 2-2 W 41-36 vs. Austin O’Brien
11 9 Robert Bateman Timberwolves Abbotsford BC 6-0 1-3 BYE
12 11 Holy Cross Hurricanes Peterborough ON 7-0 0-0 W 17-0 vs. Centennial
13 14 St. Joseph’s Rams St. Thomas ON 8-0 0-0 W 46-24 vs. College Avenue
14 7 John Taylor Pipers Winnipeg MB 8-2 0-0 L 24-11 vs. Tec Voc
15 13 Austin O’Brien Crusaders Edmonton AB 4-3 0–1-1 L 41-36 vs. St. Joseph’s
16 23 Cochrane Cobras Cochrane AB 8-1 1-0 W 41-13 vs. W.R. Myers
17 19 Séminaire Saint-Joseph Vert et Or Trois-Rivieres QC 6-4 0-0 L 22-15 vs. Deux-Montagnes
18 24 Clarkson Chargers Mississauga ON 7-0 0-0 W 39-7 vs. Cardinal Ambrozic
19 16 Central Cyclones Moose Jaw SK 6-1 0-1 SEASON COMPLETE
20 18 Medicine Hat Hawks Medicine Hat AB 5-1 2-3 L 44-10 vs. Holy Trinity Academy
21 25 Holy Cross Crusaders Surrey BC 5-1 0-2 BYE
22 21 F.W. Johnson Wildcats Regina SK 8-0 0-1 SEASON COMPLETE
23 20 Greenall Griffins Balgonie SK 7-1 0-0 SEASON COMPLETE
24 17 College de Levis Commandeurs Levis QC 7-3 0-0 L 42-0 vs. Dalbe-Viau
25 UR College Heights Cougars Pringe George BC 5-0 1-1 BYE

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