CFC50 Rankings Week 8: The stage is set for another thrilling finish in Alberta

The dominoes continue to fall as we race towards crowning new champions across Canada.

We begin this week’s coverage in Alberta where we had a highly anticipated top ten matchup between Harry Ainlay and Salisbury in Edmonton. These two squads always provide drama when they take to the field in one of the best rivalries in the country, and this edition didn’t disappoint going down to the wire with the Titans holding on for a 26-17 victory over the Sabres to finish the regular season undefeated, and earn the second spot on the CFC50 rankings. We now found ourselves in the same scenario as last season with Harry Ainlay securing the top seed in the playoff bracket, but Salisbury flipped the script taking home the Edmonton Metro title. It ended in heartbreak for the Sabres who eventually fell to St. Francis from Calgary in the provincial semifinals, which led to Harry Ainlay winning the big prize for the second season in a row. If the past is any indication, this won’t be the final matchup between Harry Ainlay and Salisbury this season, and you might as well throw out the record books now that it’s playoff time in Alberta. Can Salisbury change the narrative again and finally taste provincial glory? Get ready for some juicy playoff action in the upcoming weeks.

On the other side of the province we got some clarity in Calgary with Notre Dame outscoring Ernest Manning in a 38-27 shootout, and they now find themselves as the top seed going into the playoffs with an unblemished record. It’s going to be a chaotic three horse race between Notre Dame, Ernest Manning and St. Francis with not much separating these three programs, and while the Calgary title will provide the victor bragging rights in the city for the next year, all three will be looking to dethrone Harry Ainlay when it matters most in November.

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We’re starting to get a clearer picture in BC as well with only two weeks left before the big dance begins. Vancouver College have proven once again they are on a mission to correct the record from last year with another massive 44-8 victory over a tricky Carson Graham squad, and they’ll need to maintain this form with a couple tough games against Mt. Douglas and Notre Dame to end the regular season. Mt. Dogulas in particular will be looking to turn the tide going into the playoffs after a tough 25-22 loss to South Delta, while Notre Dame will be feeling confident after handing Belmont a 41-14 loss. There’s still 10 programs left who are either undefeated or only suffered one loss during the regular season, so we are guaranteed to see some fireworks in BC in the upcoming weeks.

The wild world of Quebec football didn’t disappoint once again with a huge upset by Cure-Antoine-Labelle, who dragged themselves to .500 with a clutch 33-29 victory over Academie Saint-Louis. It’s their first victory against a team with a winning record, and it’s a major statement with Academie Saint-Louis defeating Seminaire-Saint-Francois just two weeks ago. It’s been an unfortunate turn of events for the Arsenal who haven’t tasted victory since that day, so they’ll be looking to get back into the win column in their regular season finale against College Jean-Eudes to gather some momentum before the bracket is set. One program who’s been heating up at the right time is Armand-Corbeil, who managed to take Seminaire-Saint-Francois to overtime this week before falling 26-25. Even though their efforts didn’t result in a key win, they should take a lot of positives knowing they can compete with the best in the division, and will be chomping at the bit to get another shot in the playoffs.

Our top ranked programs in Ontario continue to bowl their way through the regular season, but the road will only getting tougher as we edge towards the regional playdowns to decide the OFSAA Bowl matchups. We did have one marquee game in Halton where Holy Trinity and Corpus Christi put their unbeaten records to the test, and it was the Longhorns who stole the title of favourites after coming away with a 23-10 victory. The Halton region have historically struggled once they’ve reached GHAC where they take on the top teams from Hamilton Catholic, but maybe this is the year where they write a new ending with Corpus Christi playing the role as heroes of Halton. Either way, it’s always fun when a new program rises to the top, and we can’t wait to see who ends up on top in GHAC this year.

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Speaking of new programs rising to the top, we’ve got a new top contender in the Windsor region with Belle River fighting through the gauntlet to take down W.F. Herman and Holy Names in back-to-back weeks. The Windsor region has been dominated by Herman and Holy Names for many years, but after taking two years off due to the pandemic, it looks like we’ve got a new hierarchy in WECSSAA. It’ll be interesting to see if they can keep the fairytale alive, or if one of the former juggernauts will prevail come playoff time. Another program to watch is Holy Trinity out of Courtice, who’ve owned the LOSSA region once again this season with a perfect 4-0 record, but they’re about to face their biggest test of the year with a matchup against top ranked Huron Heights this week. Holy Trinity are always a tough team to overcome when they arrive at OFSAA, so don’t overlook the Titans when the lights are shining the brightest, and there’s nothing more electrifying than taking on the top program in country.

We’ve only got one week left in the regular season in Manitoba, and we couldn’t have asked for a better ending with St. Paul’s putting their unbeaten streak on the line against Dakota. These two programs left it all on the field in their first contest with the Crusaders edging out the Lancers in a 23-20 victory, and it could very well be a three match set if they can manage to navigate their way through the playoffs to meet one last time with everything on the line. The question right now is who will be the top seed?

Lastly we’ve got a major matchup tonight in Nova Scotia where Auburn Drive will look to prove last season was no fluke as they take on perennial powerhouse Citadel. The Phoenix are preparing to put their reputation on the line to regain the title of team to beat in Nova Scotia, and so far they’ve been successful in their mission running over every opponent put in their path this season. Could this be a preview of the provincial finals? Stay tuned.

PAST RANKINGS: PRESEASON WEEK 2WEEK 3WEEK 4WEEK 5WEEK 6WEEK 7

# Last Week School/Team Mascot City Prov. Conf. Rec. Non-Conf. Rec Results
1 1 Huron Heights Warriors Newmarket ON 0-0 6-0 W 52-6 vs. Paul Dwyer
2 3 Harry Ainlay Titans Edmonton AB 6-0 2-0 W 26-17 vs. Salisbury
3 2 Miller Marauders Regina SK 6-0 0-0 BYE
4 5 Vancouver College Fighting Irish Vancouver BC 4-0 3-0 W 44-8 vs. Carson Graham
5 6 St. Paul’s Crusaders Winnipeg MB 7-0 0-0 W 31-7 vs. Grant Park
6 7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Welland ON 4-0 1-1 W 28-13 vs. Saint Paul
7 4 Salisbury Sabres Sherwood Park AB 5-1 1-0 L 26-17 vs. Harry Ainlay
8 8 G.W. Graham Grizzlies Chilliwack BC 3-1 4-0 W 69-7 vs. Mt. Boucherie
9 9 Notre Dame Pride Calgary AB 4-0 1-1 W 38-27 vs. Ernest Manning
10 10 Laurier Rams London ON 5-0 0-0 W 35-0 vs. Saunders
11 11 Sém. St-François Blizzard Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaure QC 7-1 0-0 W 26-25 vs. Armand-Corbeil
12 12 Charles-Lemoyne Dynamique Sainte-Catherine QC 7-1 0-0 W 37-7 vs. College Jean-Eudes
13 13 Raymond Comets Raymond AB 0-0 5-1-1 W 35-0 vs. Holy Trinity Academy
14 14 St Joseph Guardians Saskatoon SK 5-0 0-1 BYE
15 16 Dakota Collegiate Lancers Winnipeg MB 6-1 0-0 W 26-6 vs. Steinbach
16 15 St. Roch Ravens Brampton ON 4-0 1-1 W 7-6 vs. David Suzuki
17 17 Holy Cross Crusaders Saskatoon SK 4-1 0-1 BYE
18 18 St. Francis Browns Calgary AB 2-1-1 0-1 BYE
19 20 Armand-Corbeil Scorpions Terrebonne QC 5-3 0-0 L 26-25 vs. Sem-St-Francois
20 23 Jacob Hespeler Hawks Cambridge ON 5-0 0-0 W 42-14 vs. Laurel Heights
21 26 Corpus Christi Longhorns Burlington ON 5-0 0-0 W 23-10 vs. Holy Trinity
22 25 St. Thomas More Knights Burnaby BC 4-0 1-2 W 29-0 vs. Seaquam
23 19 Ernest Manning Griffins Calgary AB 2-1-1 2-0-1 L 38-27 vs. Notre Dame
24 27 Korah Colts Sault Ste Marie ON 3-1 0-1 BYE
25 29 St. Thomas Aquinas Flames London ON 4-0 0-0 W 17-9 vs. St. Joseph’s
26 31 St. Thomas More Knights Hamilton ON 4-1 0-1 W 45-7 vs. St. Mary’s
27 24 Carson Graham Eagles North Vancouver BC 3-1 1-2 L 44-8 vs. Vancouver College
28 28 Notre Dame Jugglers Burnaby BC 3-1 3-0 W 41-14 vs. Belmont
29 22 Holy Trinity Titans Oakville ON 4-1 0-0 L 23-10 vs. Corpus Christi
30 32 St. Andrew’s College Saints Aurora ON 2-0 1-3 L 28-20 vs. St. Joseph’s (NY)
31 34 Saint-Jean-Eudes Condors Québec QC 5-3 0-0 W 30-0 vs. Triolet
32 35 Terry Fox Ravens Port Coquitlam BC 3-1 2-1 W 40-0 vs. New Westminster
33 21 Academie Saint-Louis Arsenal Quebec QC 4-4 0-0 L 33-29 vs. Cure-Antoine-Labelle
34 36 Auburn Drive Eagles Westphal NS 4-0 0-0 vs. Citadel (Monday)
35 37 Saint John Greyhounds Saint John NB 7-0 0-0 W 50-0 vs. Leo Hayes
36 38 Frontenac Falcons Kingston ON 5-0 0-0 W 37-9 vs. Sydenham
37 39 Westmount Wildcats Hamilton ON 4-0 0-0 W 44-0 vs. Westdale
38 40 A. N. Myer Marauders Niagara Falls ON 5-0 0-0 W 31-3 vs. West Niagara
39 41 St. Joan of Arc Knights Barrie ON 5-0 0-0 W 34-0 vs. Patrick Fogarty
40 42 Riffel Royals Regina SK 5-1 0-0 BYE
41 UR Belle River Nobles Belle River ON 4-0 0-0 W 14-1 vs. Holy Names
42 43 College Notre-Dame Cactus Montreal QC 5-3 0-0 W 30-13 vs. College de Levis
43 44 St. Matthew Tigers Ottawa ON 4-0 0-0 W 43-6 vs. Colonel By
44 46 L.C.I. Rams Lethbridge AB 4-0 2-2 W 43-7 vs. Foothills
45 45 St. John Henry Newman Cardinals Stoney Creek ON 4-1 0-0 W 56-0 vs. St. Jean Brebeuf
46 50 Centennial Collegiate Spartans Guelph ON 5-0 0-0 W 23-2 vs. St. James
47 UR Holy Trinity Titans Courtice ON 4-0 0-0 W 36-6 vs. O’Neill
48 48 London South Lions London ON 3-1 1-0 W 35-0 vs. Sir Frederick Banting
49 47 Bishop Ryan Celtics Hamilton ON 3-2 0-0 Forfeit vs. Cathedral
50 49 St. John’s Eagles Brantford ON 5-0 0-0 BYE

 

 

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