Kickoff is only days away!
With the Ontario Varsity Football League (OVFL) and the Ontario Football Conference (OFC) set to begin soon, CanadaFootballChat.com (CFC) is previewing some of the teams that will be competing this season.
In this installment, CFC reporter Ian McBride previews the varsity Hamilton Ironmen.
The varsity Hamilton Ironmen had a difficult season last year, which saw them finish with a 1-7 record.
āWe lost a lot of very close games that came back to hurt us as a one-point loss in Week 7 cost us playoffs,ā says Head Coach Scott Martin.
But on the bright side, they are expected to be competitive this season.
āOur expectations are to be competitive from the first play of the season to the last, and to see improvement every single practice,ā says Martin.
The Ironmen have improved many facets of their team during the off-season.
āOur young guys got much more experienced and spent a year lifting weights and training,ā says Martin. āWe have added a lot of guys along the offensive and defensive line, as well as an influx of talent from high school rosters and our JV team from last year.ā
Some changes have been made to the coaching staff too, with the addition of three more former CIS players, as well as having two current CFL players.
āThey are additions to a staff full of former CIS players, local veteran coaches and former players who bring a lot of passion and āexperience to the table,ā says Martin.
Their biggest strengths will be their defensive front seven and passing game.
However, they have one aspect of their squad that needs improvement.
āOur young guys from last year need to be ready to step up into a larger, more leadership role,ā says Martin.
The Ironmen donāt have any specific key matchups or rivals, but they aim to build and get better every week and hopefully have a long playoff run.
Their coaching staff is excited about a lot of players on both sides of the ball.
Their first game of the season is on Saturday, āMay 21 at 6:00pm against the Cambridge Lions.
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