Dramatic week of playoff action ends with cheers and tears across Canada.
HEADLINES
Saskatchewan
- The safety heard round the world. Miller brought home their third straight Saskatchewan 6A title in an ending that even Hollywood executives wouldn’t have believed with Holy Cross fumbling the ball in their end zone in the dying seconds to concede two points that handed the Marauders a dramatic 12-10 victory. You couldn’t script a more heartbreaking ending for the Crusaders, who fought back from 10-0 to tie the game up with under three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, but unfortunately the football gods weren’t on Saskatoon’s side this day with their city-wide provincial title drought extending to 14 years. On the other sideline was pure bliss with Miller enshrining themselves in history as one of the greatest dynasties the prairies have ever seen with their fourth provincial triumph in five season.
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Manitoba
- After putting together a performance for the ages in the semifinals against St. Paul’s, unfortunately Grant Park ran out of steam when it mattered most as Dakota cruised to a 28-7 victory to win their first ever ANAVETS Bowl in school history. From 2015-2022 the trophy was traded back and forth between St. Paul’s and Vincent Massey, but we finally have a new king in Manitoba, and it’s safe to say the revamped divisional format introduced by the WHSFL this season was a huge success.
Ontario
- It was a chaotic week in the Golden Horseshoe with championship battles all over the map. In Hamilton, the reigning Catholic champions Bishop Tonnos doubled up with a 33-17 victory over S.J.H. Newman to claim their second straight league title. Waiting on the other side of the GHAC bracket was Corpus Christi, who also repeated as the Halton Catholic league champions with a decisive 47-7 victory over their rivals from Holy Trinity, and then the final piece of the puzzle was the Halton Public finals where Nelson repeated as well after meeting little resistance in their 41-6 victory over Georgetown. Now it’s time for some inter-league battles with Bishop Tonnos getting ready to take on Nelson, and Corpus Christi preparing for a showdown against Newman in the GHAC semifinals. Only one of these great programs can contend for provincial glory at OFSAA, and we’re expecting an absolute war on the field to determine who is heading to the Golden Horseshoe Bowl against Huron Heights.
- The SOSSA playdowns are bound to be dramatic with Westmount returning for another chance at provincial supremacy after easily defeating Saltfleet 35-6 in the Hamilton Public finals. They will now get ready to take on Saint Michael in the SOSSA semis, who will quickly need to forget about their 45-7 loss to Notre Dame in the Niagara Catholic finals. On the flip side, Notre Dame will be game planning for a tough semifinals matchup against A.N. Myer, who took home another Niagara Public title with a 50-10 victory over Centennial last week. A.N. Myer enter as the reigning SOSSA champions, but there isn’t much separating the three champions in this bracket, so it’s anyone’s guess who’s going to punch their ticket to the OFSAA Central Bowl.
- St. Mary’s will be competing for an OFSAA Bowl for the first time since 2012 after defeating Lo-Ellen 23-6 in the NOSSA finals. The Knights will have lofty expectations to live up to after their rivals from Korah won four straight OFSAA Bowl games representing the region between 2018-2022, which resulted in the organizers scheduling a juicy matchup between NOSSA and WOSSAA in the Western Bowl this year. Now St. Mary’s will just have to sit back and relax while they wait for the results between South and A.B. Lucas in the London city finals this week.
- Bear Creek have prevailed as the Simcoe Public champions once again with a thrilling 16-14 victory over Barrie North. The Kodiaks now turn their attention to the Catholic champions St. Joan of Arc with a spot in the OFSAA Simcoe Bowl hanging in the balance.
- After nine years of dominance by Jacob Hespeler, we’ve finally got a new champion out of Waterloo County as Laurel Heights snatched the baton with a 21-7 victory over Bluevale in the league finals. We’d regret not giving a huge shoutout to Bluevale, who managed to end Hespeler’s streak in a shocking semifinals result, but this day belongs to Laurel Heights, who now move onto the CWOSSA playdowns with a big semifinals matchup against the Waterloo District 8 champions Resurrection. On the other side of the CWOSSA bracket will be Bishop Macdonnell, who held on for a 16-13 victory over CCVI to win the Guelph District 10 championship, and now prepare to face the Brant/Haldimand/Norfolk County champions Assumption in the other semifinal.
- The Richview Saints are heading back to the OFSAA Festival for the first time since 2019 after defeating Western Tech 20-11 in the Toronto Public finals. The Saints will now take on Holy Trinity in the Metro Bowl, who defeated Paul Dwyer 10-7 in the LOSSA championship over the weekend.
CFC PROSPECT GAME/CFC SELECTION CAMP NOMINATIONS
Quebec
- The Bol d’Or promises to be a special one with Saint-Jean-Eudes advancing after a 34-0 demolition of College Notre-Dame, and College Bourget finding a way to triumph 26-20 in overtime against Armand-Corbeil. While both programs deserve credit for a tremendous season so far, it’s an extra special moment for College Bourget, who made the jump from DII to DI this year and have proven any doubters they have left wrong with a chance to bring home the Bol d’Or. The last time these two met on the field, the Condors kept their unbeaten record intact with a 33-27 victory over the Voltigeurs, but they’ll need to do it one more time if they want to capture their first Bol d’Or since 2019 and complete their perfect run through Quebec this year.
Alberta
- St. Francis still have a chance to lift the provincial trophy above their heads after advancing to the semifinals with a 18-5 victory over their rivals from Notre Dame. They now have a mountain of a task laid out in front of them with a matchup against the reigning provincial champions Raymond, who will be looking to repeat for the first time since 2010.
- It was nothing but a formality for Ernest Manning, who had zero issues dispatching Bev Facey 36-8 in the other quarterfinals matchup. This now sets up colossal showdown with Harry Ainlay in the semifinals, who will be looking to secure their sixth straight appearance in the Alberta Bowl.
- Paul Kane are still kicking in the Tier I Regional Based playdowns after a massive 49-0 victory over Grand Prairie. They now take on a very familiar opponent with a matchup against Salisbury in the North Championship with the winner moving onto the finals against the winner of LCI and Foothills in the South Championship. The last time the Blues met the Sabres on the field they walked away with a 22-10 victory during the regular season, but wins are a lot tougher to come by in November, so we are expecting a fantastic finish between these two programs.
British Columbia
- If you can do it once, you can do it again. That was the mantra for South Delta, who managed to defeat Seaquam 24-6 in Wild Card action for the second week in a row to send the Seahawks home for good. The Sun Devils are now prepping for an intense battle against Carson Graham in the quarterfinals, who are on a mission to meet Vancouver College one more time this year after suffering their only loss of the season at the hands of the Fighting Irish. Does South Delta have what it takes to pull off the upset?
- There were no other surprises in the Wild Card round with Lord Tweedsmuir, Kelowna, Rutland and St. Thomas More advancing to the quarterfinals. Now it’s time to see if the glass slipper fits for one of these programs with Lord Tweedsmuir taking on G.W. Graham, St. Thomas More matching up against Vancouver College, and Rutland getting their chance at redemption against Kelowna.
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New Brwunswick
- Our eyes must’ve not been working last week because we made a major error when assessing the New Brunswick football scene. We should’ve been painting Riverview in glory after knocking off Kennebecasis in the semifinals, but we are here to correct our mistakes and make sure the country knows who the best team in New Brunswick was this year. For the second straight season the Royals were crowned provincial champions after defeating Fredericton 16-9 in the league finals. It’s an amazing achievment for this group of players and coaches, who have ushered in a new era of glory for the program after Riverview had suffered eight provincial title losses dating back to 1970 before finally reaching the top of the mountain last year. Now the question is, how long can they remain on top?
PAST RANKINGS: WEEK 1 – WEEK 2 – WEEK 3 – WEEK 4 – WEEK 5 – WEEK 6 – WEEK 7 – WEEK 8 – WEEK 9 – WEEK 10
# | Last | School | City | Prov. | Conf. Rec | Non-Conf. Rec | Results |
1 | 1 | Harry Ainlay Titans | Edmonton | AB | 9-0 | 1-0-1 | BYE |
2 | 2 | Vancouver College Fighting Irish | Vancouver | BC | 6-0 | 4-0 | BYE |
3 | 4 | Saint-Jean-Eudes Condors | QuΓ©bec | QC | 10-0 | 0-0 | W 34-0 vs. College Notre-Dame |
4 | 3 | Miller Marauders | Regina | SK | 9-0 | 0-0-1 | W 12-10 vs. Holy Cross |
5 | 5 | Huron Heights Warriors | Newmarket | ON | 0-0 | 6-0 | W 37-16 vs. National Christian Academy (MD) |
6 | 6 | Raymond Comets | Raymond | AB | 0-0 | 5-0 | BYE |
7 | 7 | Ernest Manning Griffins | Calgary | AB | 9-0 | 1-0 | W 36-8 vs. Bev Facey |
8 | 12 | Dakota Collegiate Lancers | Winnipeg | MB | 9-1 | 0-0 | W 28-7 vs. Grant Park |
9 | 8 | Bishop Tonnos Titans | Ancaster | ON | 8-0 | 0-0 | W 33-17 vs. S.J.H. Newman |
10 | 10 | Collège Bourget Voltigeurs | Rigaud | QC | 9-2 | 0-0 | OTW 26-20 vs. Armand-Corbeil |
11 | 9 | Carson Graham Eagles | North Vancouver | BC | 5-1 | 2-0 | BYE |
12 | 11 | Corpus Christi Longhorns | Burlington | ON | 9-0 | 0-0 | W 47-7 vs. Holy Trinity |
13 | 13 | London South Lions | London | ON | 6-1 | 0-0 | BYE |
14 | 15 | G.W. Graham Grizzlies | Chilliwack | BC | 5-1 | 2-0 | BYE |
15 | 16 | Nelson Lords | Burlington | ON | 7-0 | 2-0 | W 41-6 vs. Georgetown |
16 | 20 | Holy Cross Crusaders | Saskatoon | SK | 6-3 | 0-0 | L 12-10 vs. Miller |
17 | 14 | St. John Henry Newman Cardinals | Stoney Creek | ON | 6-2 | 0-0 | L 33-17 vs. Bishop Tonnos |
18 | 18 | Armand-Corbeil Scorpions | Terrebonne | QC | 7-4 | 0-0 | OTL 26-20 vs. College Bourget |
19 | 21 | Leboldus Golden Suns | Regina | SK | 5-3 | 0-0 | COMPLETE |
20 | 22 | Laurier Rams | London | ON | 4-3 | 0-0 | COMPLETE |
21 | 17 | Grant Park Pirates | Winnipeg | MB | 8-2 | 0-0 | L 28-7 vs. Dakota |
22 | 19 | College Notre-Dame Cactus | Montreal | QC | 5-6 | 0-0 | L 34-0 vs. Saint-Jean-Eudes |
23 | 23 | Sém. St-François Blizzard | Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaure | QC | 7-3 | 0-0 | COMPLETE |
24 | 27 | Westmount Wildcats | Hamilton | ON | 7-0 | 0-0 | W 35-6 vs. Saltfleet |
25 | 24 | St. Paul’s Crusaders | Winnipeg | MB | 8-1 | 0-1 | COMPLETE |
26 | 25 | Oak Park Raiders | Winnipeg | MB | 7-2 | 0-0 | COMPLETE |
27 | 26 | Frontenac Falcons | Kingston | ON | 7-0 | 0-0 | W 35-28 vs. Sydenham |
28 | 28 | St. Matthew Tigers | Ottawa | ON | 5-0 | 0-1 | BYE |
29 | 32 | St. Francis Browns | Calgary | AB | 7-3 | 1-0 | W 18-5 vs. Notre Dame |
30 | 29 | Holy Names Knights | Windsor | ON | 7-0 | 0-0 | W 14-9 vs. Essex |
31 | 30 | A. N. Myer Marauders | Niagara Falls | ON | 7-0 | 0-0 | BYE |
32 | 34 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | Welland | ON | 8-0 | 1-0 | W 45-7 vs. Saint Michael |
33 | 31 | St. Mary’s Knights | Sault Ste Marie | ON | 9-1 | 0-0 | W 23-6 vs. Lo-Ellen |
34 | 33 | St Joseph Guardians | Saskatoon | SK | 5-2 | 1-1 | COMPLETE |
35 | 35 | St. Andrew’s College Saints | Aurora | ON | 5-0 | 1-0 | W 9-6 vs. Upper Canada College |
36 | 38 | A.B. Lucas Vikings | London | ON | 6-1 | 0-0 | BYE |
37 | UR | Riverview Royals | Riverview | NB | 8-1–1 | 0-0 | W 16-9 vs. Fredericton |
38 | 39 | Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers | Surrey | BC | 5-2 | 2-1 | W 14-0 vs. Notre Dame |
39 | 40 | Kelowna Owls | Kelowna | BC | 5-2 | 1-2 | W 33-0 vs. Mt. Douglas |
40 | 41 | Rutland Voodoo | Kelowna | BC | 5-2 | 2-1 | W 49-7 vs. Centennial |
41 | 42 | Paul Kane Blues | St. Albert | AB | 7-3 | 0-1 | W 49-0 vs. Grand Prairie |
42 | 37 | Notre Dame Pride | Calgary | AB | 5-3 | 0-2 | L 18-5 vs. St. Francis |
43 | 45 | South Delta Sun Devils | Delta | BC | 5-2 | 2-1 | W 24-6 vs. Seaquam |
44 | 43 | Bay View Sharks | Upper Tantallon | NS | 5-1 | 0-0 | Waiting vs. Horton |
45 | 44 | Hammarskjold Vikings | Thunder Bay | ON | 7-0-1 | 0-0 | BYE |
46 | UR | Laurel Heights Hurricanes | Waterloo | ON | 8-0 | 0-0 | W 21-7 vs. Bluevale |
47 | 48 | Bear Creek Kodiaks | Barrie | ON | 7-0 | 0-0 | W 16-14 vs. Barrie North |
48 | 49 | Bishop Macdonell Celtics | Guelph | ON | 7-1 | 0-0 | W 16-13 vs. Centennial Collegiate VI |
49 | 47 | St. Thomas More Knights | Burnaby | BC | 5-2 | 2-1 | W 37-20 vs. New Westminster |
50 | UR | Richview Saints | Toronto | ON | 5-2 | 0-0 | W 20-11 vs. Western Tech |
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