Hamilton two-way player hopes to hoist Vanier Cup for home team this upcoming fall

After a lot of thought and consideration, Hayden Toole wants to help his hometown CIS team win another Vanier Cup.

The 6’2, 185 pound two-way player from Hamilton, Ontario recently committed to the McMaster Marauders for the 2013 season. In the process, this commitment to McMaster is a dream realized.

“It has been a dream of mine since I was a very young, being a team ball boy in the Greg Marshall era, to play for the Marauders watching so many incredible Mac athletes of the past like Ben Chapdelaine, Kojo Aidoo and Jesse Lumsden have so much success,” explained Hayden.   “I looked up to these guys.”

“I also relish the opportunity to play with my cousin Joey Cupido.”

Ultimately what sold the Ontario standout to the school were the strengths of both the academic and football programs.

“I was very fortunate to have been recruited to many schools across the country and after making several visits too many of these schools, I had some tough decisions to make,” said Hayden.  “In the end, the strong reputation of McMaster both as a school and football program combined proved to be the right choice to make.”

“I was very impressed in my meetings with Head Coach Stefan Ptaszek and Defensive Coordinator Greg Knox in what they have built at McMaster not only from a football standpoint but also their strong commitment to their players succeeding academically. In my mind they are one of the best teams in the entire country as proven by their Vanier Cup win in 2011 and appearance in 2012. I feel very honored to be recruited by such an esteemed program.”

Recently, Hayden capped off a successful career with St. Thomas More Knights of the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic Athletic Association (HWCAA).  He showed his versatility on the field as he played at the defensive back and slot back positions as well as contributing to special teams as a punt/kick return specialist.  In 2012, the Knights, who were ranked fourth in CanadaFootballChat.com’s Top 25 high school rankings, went undefeated in regular season play.  However, the team were upset in the championship game as the opposing team scored a late winning field goal.

Additionally, the Ontario talent is a two-time Golden Horseshoe All-Star selection and is gearing up to play this year’s game at Guelph University next month.  This upcoming summer, Hayden will prepare himself for the upcoming season by suiting up for the Hamilton Ironmen of the Ontario Varsity Football League (OVFL).

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