CFC25 Small School Rankings WEEK 7: Hardware up for grabs in Ontario, Saskatchewan and Alberta

Losing is not an option with championship bouts across Ontario, Saskatchewan and Alberta.

*Editors Note: Chinook have permanently been removed from the CFC25 Rankings with school officials deciding to cancel the rest of their season after a hazing incident led to four student-athletes being charged with sexual assault with a weapon, assault with a weapon, and unlawful confinement. We encourage every coach across the country to speak with their players to reinforce the importance of maintaining a safe and welcoming environment for everybody involved with the football program.*

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HEADLINES

Saskatchewan

• The South Rural finals are set in stone after Weyburn and Central both prevailed in their semifinal contests. The Eagles flew past Peacock 45-21 to secure their third straight appearance in the championship game, while Central stormed back in the second half to take out Yorkton 28-14 to clinch a spot in the finals for the first time since 2018. Now we look forward to seeing if Central can hang around with defending back-to-back champions after falling to Weyburn 22-0 earlier in the regular season. The winner will move onto the 5A Provincial semifinals where they will face the winner of the RIFL Stewart Division.
• Don’t count out Bishop J. Mahoney just yet, who earned the chance to defend their Saskatoon 5A title against Aden Bowman for the third year in a row. The Saints advanced after an easy 37-7 victory over Tommy Douglas, while the Bears controlled the pace from start to finish in their 41-1 win over Marion Graham. Bishop J. Mahoney struggled earlier in the season falling 27-7 against Aden Bowman, but history is on their side with the Saints prevailing 17-3 in the 2021 finals, and 7-0 in last year’s league finale. It looks like it might finally be time for the Bears to overcome their championship demons, but we don’t expect it to be an easy task. The winner will move on to play the champions from the North Saskatchewan League.
• Barring catastrophic failure in the finals, the third championship contender out of Regina should be Greenall. The Griffins have once again dominated the Stewart Division outscoring their league opponents 273-51 this season, including a triumphant 57-1 victory over Thom in the semifinals. Their only loss came against CFC50 number one ranked Miller, but we are intrigued to see if they’ve been able to learn from that tough loss and turn it into extra fuel to make a run at the 5A Provincial title this year. Greenall are looking to bag their fifth Regina 5A city championship in six years, but have never been able to go the distance in the 5A Provincial Playdowns.

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Alberta

• Who’s ready for another Rocky View championship showdown between George McDougall and Cochrane? This contest used to be a forgone conclusion with Cochrane claiming eight straight league titles, but George McDougall ushered in a new era last season claiming their first Rocky View championship since 2014. The Mustangs carried the momentum into this year with a big 24-15 victory over the Cobras during the regular season, but Cochrane will be hungry to reclaim their throne and hand George McDougall their first loss of the season. These two will be heading in different directions after the finals with George McDougall declaring for the Tier I Provincial Playdowns halfway through the year, while Cochrane will be competing for a spot in the Tier II Provincial Playdowns. They could both end up with provincial banners, but we know deep down it won’t feel the same if they don’t snag the Rocky View trophy along the way.
• It’s time to sort out who will be heading to the Tier II Provincial Playdowns out of the South Central Zone, which means we get a juicy clash between Holy Trinity Academy and undefeated Strathmore. The two Independent programs have been barnstorming all year without a league to call their own, and it’s all led to these two weeks of action to determine the seeding for the Provincial Playdowns. A loss doesn’t mean their season is over, but neither team will be eager to take on Cochrane next week, who have already secured the number one seed from the Rocky View Conference due to George McDougall declaring for Tier I Playdowns. The winner will take on whoever survives the Rocky View third place battle between W.H. Croxford and Springbank. Only two of the four programs will earn a chance to compete for the Tier II title, so it’s put up or shut up time in the South Central Zone.

Quebec

• After a grueling eight game gauntlet, it’s finally playoff time in Juvenile DII. There’s no shocking results to announce from the regular season finale, which means we can get right to business with a fantastic playoff bracket that should provide a few surprises along the way with all 12 teams having a chance to make a run. Dalbe-Viau and Saint-Joseph remain the teams to beat after finishing the season 8-0, while Estacades and College Laval will join them on the sidelines this week with a bye in the first round. The winner of Deux-Montagnes versus Saint-Georges will take on Estacades, the winner of Triolet versus Jacques-Rousseau will face off against Saint-Joseph, the winner of Saint-Stanislas versus Roger-Comtois will earn a date with Dalbe Viau and lastly the winner of Nicolas-Gatineau and Pointe-Levy will battle College Laval in the quarterfinals. Let the madness begin.

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Manitoba

• The AAA playoffs are set to begin this week with Beaver Brae securing the top seed after completing a flawless 7-0 regular season campaign with a 51-12 win over Churchill. They will await the winners of the play-in game between Tec Voc and Churchill, while on the other side of the bracket Fort Frances gets a week to rest before taking on Dryden in the other semifinal matchup. So far, nobody has been able to keep pace with the Broncos or Muskies in the new AAA format, but the playoffs are where magic happens, so we will hold off on penciling in a championship rematch between Beaver Brae and Fort Frances for now.

Ontario

• Lo-Ellen are heading back to the Sudbury City Finals after defeating St. Benedict 30-10 in the semis. The Knights will be looking to capture their third straight league title against Lively, who they had no troubles beating 37-0 earlier in the regular season. If Lo-Ellen win, they will be heading to the NOSSA playdowns where the winners of the North Bay League and Sault Ste. Marie League will be waiting to determine who gets the honour of representing Northern Ontario at the OFSAA Football Festival.
• Oakridge faced their toughest test of the year against a 4-0 St. Joseph squad in their season finale, but they had all the answers necessary to run away with the 43-17 victory. They have now secured the top spot in the Darnell Division, and are getting ready to face East Elgin from the Williamson Division in the quarterfinals this week.

PAST RANKINGS: WEEK 1 – WEEK 2 – WEEK 3 – WEEK 4 – WEEK 5 – WEEK 6

#	Last	School	City	Prov.	Conf. Rec.	Non-Conf. Rec	Results
1	1	Dalbé-Viau Aigles D’Or	Lachine	QC	8-0	0-0	W 28-3 vs. Jacques-Rousseau
2	2	Robert Bateman Timberwolves	Abbotsford	BC	5-0	3-0	W 42-6 vs. Mission
3	3	Weyburn Eagles	Weyburn	SK	6-0	1-0	W 45-21 vs. M.J. Peacock
4	4	Aden Bowman Bears	Saskatoon	SK	7-0	0-1	W 41-1 vs. Marion Graham
5	5	Holy Trinity Academy Knights	Okotoks	AB	0-0	6-1	BYE
6	6	George McDougall Mustangs	Airdrie	AB	7-0	1-0	W 55-20 vs. Springbank
7	7	Séminaire Saint-Joseph Vert et Or	Trois-Rivieres	QC	8-0	0-0	W 50-20 vs. Triolet
8	8	Vernon Panthers	Vernon	BC	4-0	2-0	W 43-0 vs. Salmon Arm
9	9	St. Joseph Celtics	Grande Prairie	AB	5-0	0-1	BYE
10	10	Cochrane Cobras	Cochrane	AB	6-1	0-0	W 34-0 vs. W.H. Croxford
11	11	John Barsby Bulldogs	Nanaimo	BC	4-1	1-0	W 34-0 vs. Sullivan Heights
12	13	Holy Cross Crusaders	Surrey	BC	5-0	1-1	W 42-12 vs. Abbotsford
13	12	Central Cyclones	Moose Jaw	SK	5-1	0-0	W 28-14 vs. Yorkton
14	14	College Laval Maraudeurs	Laval	QC	5-3	0-0	W 36-17 vs. Nicolas-Gatineau
15	15	Greenall Griffins	Balgonie	SK	6-1	0-0	W 57-1 vs. Thom
16	16	Holy Rosary Raiders	Lloydminster	AB	4-0	2-1	BYE
17	18	Beaver Brae Broncos	Kenora (ON)	MB	7-0	0-0	W 51-12 vs. Churchill
18	19	Oakridge Oaks	London	ON	5-0	0-0	W 43-17 vs. St. Joseph
20	17	Académie les Estacades Aigles	Trois-Rivières	QC	6-2	0-0	W 28-21 vs. Saint-Georges
19	20	Strathmore Spartans	Strathmore	AB	0-0	6-0	BYE
21	23	Fort Frances Muskies	Fort Frances (ON)	MB	6-1	0-0	W 65-0 vs. Daniel McIntyre
22	22	Polyvalente Deux-Montagnes Centurions	Deux-Montagnes	QC	5-3	0-0	W 27-13 vs. Saint-Stanislas
23	21	Bishop J. Mahoney Saints	Saskatoon	SK	4-3	0-0	W 37-7 vs. Tommy Douglas
24	24	Lo-Ellen Knights	Sudbury	ON	6-0	0-0	W 30-10 vs. St. Benedict
25	25	L’Essor Eagles	Tecumseh	ON	5-0	0-0	W 17-6 vs. Cardinal Carter