OFC: Predators top perfect season by winning it all

In each of the last three seasons, the OFC (Ontario Football League) team that had claimed first place – as the Preds did this year – had not won a championship.  However, coach Kevin Horn and his staff knew what they were up against and prepared their players to write their names into the history books.

“It feels fantastic to be repeat OFC champions, something that’s never been done before,” said Horn.

In Saturday’s title game, the Predators only needed two touchdowns to defeat the Huronia Stallions 25-2.  By doing so, the Preds capped off a season which saw them go undefeated – the team finished 8-0.

The touchdowns came courtesy of quarterback Adam Christopher and running back Nate Walker.  The Preds also kicked three field goals and they conceded a safety very early into the game.

As for key contributors, the champions were lead by quarterback Addie Cober, who passed for 221 yards, receivers Marcus Joseph with 57 yards, Kyle Bechtold with 50 and Spencer Fleming had 55.

The team dug their cleats into the gridiron and showcased their running game as well.  The Preds rushed for over 150 yards and running back Kevin Kropf led the way with 68 yards.

Strong defense has been a mainstay for the Preds all season long and on Saturday they proved why they’re one of the top defensive units in the league.  Defensive lineman Zach Degen had 8 tackles and two sacks, linebacker Brandon Lieu had 8 tackles and Tyler Fulcher recovered an important fumble.

“Defence has always been our bread and butter. Simply put, defence is what we do, everything on our team stems from defence,” said Horn.

“We have some exceptionally talented players on that side of the ball, and our defensive coaches are outstanding.”

However, as good as their record may have been, the coaching staff did have some concerns about their players taking the competition lightly.

“Keeping our guys focused was not hard. I thought it might be, especially going into the playoffs where we had all rematches of teams we had beaten,” said Horn.  “One of our team goals from the beginning of the season was to make history.”

“Nobody in the OFC has ever repeated, it’s a really tough thing to do, and we did it. It helped that our coaches continued to push our players, but they pushed themselves to get better and prepare for our games.”

The Stallions came into the game with one of the best offences in the OFC and the Preds did not seem intimidated.  The defensive line stuck to their game plan, as they have all season, and allowed just two points from a special team’s safety.

“What I don’t think is a stretch to say, the best defence in the OFC,” said coach Horn due in part to his team’s most recent defensive gems – Saturday’s championship game and last week’s victory over the Burlington Stampeders.

After an undefeated season, capped off by etching their names into the history books, the varsity players aged 17 through 19, can finally sit back and enjoy the moment.