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 2 – WEEK 3 – WEEK 4– WEEK 5 – WEEK 6 – WEEK 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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