Oct 20th, 1973: "'Bombs' Save Sooners from Grid Defeat"

The game below was the first playoff contest for the 1973 Sooners. While the team was said to be undefeated, accurately, they did have a tie in their regular season record that had come against this same Verdun team. 

Just Added: The 2001 Manson Cup, Ottawa Sooners 18, Ottawa Jr. Riders 17

There was a post added last weekend in which the Ottawa Jr. Riders were celebrated for solidifying the position in the local amateur football scene in 1998, partially at the expense of the Ottawa Sooners.

If that was the case, 2001 was the year the Sooners reclaimed their spot. They defeated the Jr. Riders twice in the regular season that year then again in the league's championship game.

The first contest was the most decisive, a solid 13-point victory. The second was a one-point victory in overtime at Frank Clair Stadium, then the Jr. Riders' home turf (the Sooners played at Minto field primarily, if not exclusively, I believe). The championship game was also won by a single point. Details  about that one are provided below.

The Riders would leave the Quebec league the following year for the Ontario Football Conference in an attempt to compete for a national championship in the Canadian Junior Football League, in which the QJFL did not participate. They fared poorly over the course of four seasons until their return to the Quebec circuit in 2006.

Just Added: 2007 Manson Cup, Ottawa Jr. Riders 29, Ottawa Sooners 27

With the addition of the 2007 Manson Cup recap to the Jr. Riders own page, all of their championship games as members of the Quebec junior football league are now included there or as standard blog posts.

The one below was a hell of a game. I recall some shock in the crowd when the Sooners chose to gamble on third down from about their own six-yard line.

The layout of the article made it tricky to copy but Sooners coach Mike McCarthy explained that had they punted from there, it is likely that they still would have been in Jr. Riders kicker Luigi DeLellis' range with a good chance of not having possession of the ball again. With that in mind, attempting to gain an inch or two to retain possession seemed like the way to go. 

 

I missed including it when cropping, but it should be pointed out that the article was written by Darren Desaulniers for the Ottawa Citizen. 

Also just added: results of the Ottawa Sooners 1976 season and a few scores for the Ottawa Deacon Demons semi-pro team that played for a few years in the mid 2000s. The latter info is on the "Defunct Teams" page.

2019 Jr. Rider All Stars

As announced over the weekend and added to the league's website yesterday.

The tackle numbers for defenders are solo/assisted.

1st Team

OL Eric Bento

RB Erick Baptiste
42 carries for 183 yards and two TDs
14 receptions for 274 yards and three TDs

WR Edward Ekior
21 receptions for 471, five TDs

DL Akash Bakshi
14/13 tackles, three sacks,

LB Nikolas Delisle
39/10 tackles, one interception

DB Jordon Gorgichuck
10/13 tackles, one interception

DB Justin Butler
17/9 tackles, one sack

2nd Team

QB Alexandre Lafleur
28 carries for 193 yards and four TDs
68 of 154 passing, 1185 yards, five TDs

OL Paul Lukusa

RB Augustin Mande
58 carries for 266 yards for two TDs
Two receptions for 26 yards

WR Evan Yourth
Nine receptions for 117 yards, two TDs

DL Ibrahim Hajjeh
8/4 tackles, two sacks

LB Donovan McLean
11/11 tackles, two interceptions

DB Osa Ekiyor
18/4 tackles, one interception

The picture above was taken from Paul Lukusa's Instagram account. It seemed appropriate. :-)

2002: "Sooners Reclaim That Title Feeling"

The Ottawa Citizen article about the 2002 Manson Cup was just added to the "Ottawa Sooners (Junior)" page above.

2010: Junior Riders Win Title to Complete Perfect Season

The following article was added to the Jr. Riders page earlier today.

I think I was at that one. I recall leaving the house, looking at the snow fall and thinking "Meh, it can't go on much longer."

Then I was waiting for a bus at Bayview thinking "Meh, it can't go on much longer."

Then I arrived at the stadium and thought "Meh, it can't go on much longer."

It went on much longer.

Pictures above copied from the QJFL Facebook group.

All-Star Jr. Riders

The Quebec Junior Football League announced its all-star team a couple of weeks ago and I want to record that here.

1st Team

OL- Joey Pisani
RB- Jahdel Ferron
WR- Jaeger Prot

DL- Darryl Jean-Baptist
LB- Bamki Adewalle
DB- Jordon Gorgichuck

2nd Team

OL- Eric Bento
OL- Paul Lukusa
WR- Vincenzo Trunzo
WR- Tavon Hibbert

DL- C.J. Wallace
LB- Austin MacKay
LB- Donovan McLean
DB- Philip Jean-Baptist
DB- Justin Butler

Notes:

• Ferron is credited with a league-leading 500 yards rushing.
• MacKay and Gorgichuck (sp?) also returned kicks for the team.
• The league doesn't appear to recognize special teams among its all-star selections but for what it's worth, Jonah Zlatinskzy led the league with 12 field goals and added 9 converts. And if they don't, Zlatinsksy gets the last laugh as he's been invited to the CFL's regional combine.

In terms of individual awards, it appears (based on the Jr Riders Facebook group) that Ferron hauled in the outstanding offensive player award and MacKay the outstanding special teams player one. Pisani was named the outstanding offensive lineman. Bento got the offensive rookie of the year award, which is in interesting distinction for an offensive lineman to nail down.

The picture at above right was lifted from Austin MacKay's Instagram account and cropped to be a better fit. I have no idea who took it but it wasn't me.

Joe Pistilli Cup: Jr Riders 30, North Shore Sabercats 13

It is only a four-team league at the present moment, but the Ottawa Jr. Riders are back on top of the QJFL following a 30-13 victory over the North shore Sabercats at Gee-Gees field on Sunday.

The Jr. Riders sported a 6-2 record during the regular season. Both losses had come against the South Shore team, the Bruizers, but that team was upset by the Sabercats 35-33 in the semis. The Jr. Riders, meanwhile, shut out the Chateauguay Raiders 16-00 to set the Pistilli Cup match-up.

To that point, the Sabercats had been winless and had scored 77 points on the season while allowing 238. The final score might not reflect their level of competitiveness in this game either as they led at halftime 13-10.

This marks the Riders' 8th championship win but the first since 2010. They were inactive between 2014 and 2016. They returned in 2017 but lost in the semi finals to Chateauguay.

The Jr Riders were led by RB Jahdel Ferron who is credited with 500 yards on 82 carries and five scores. Bamki Adewalle (LB) and Jordon Gorgichuck (DB) were the team's leading tacklers with 16 solos and 14 assists each.