2018 Draft Choice Reportedly Signs Up For 2019!

Earlier this afternoon, 3DownNation reported that the RedBlacks signed 2018 draft pick (fourth round) Kene Onyeka.

This is good news on a couple of levels. First, Onyeka had a hell of a good season for Carleton in 2018. He attended RedBlacks training camp but chose to return to the Ravens for his final season with the team. This came as a surprise to no one as the team was already aware of Oyeka's intentions.

Originally from Brampton, Onyeka earned All-Canadian honours in 2018 after leading the Ontario conference in quarterback sacks with seven and contributing 24 tackles.

Second, like most teams, Ottawa has an insane number players set to become free agents in February 2019. Keeping the band together, as it were, might prove tricky. Stocking the shelves now can not be a bad thing.

For an illustration of this, let's review a position-by-position breakdown of who's under contract and who isn't. Guys about to become free agents are listed in red.

QUARTERBACK

Trevor Harris
Dominique Davis
Danny Collins
William Arndt


RUNNING BACK

William Powell
Mossis Madu 
Brendan Gillanders
JC Beaulieu
Greg Morris
Anthony Gosselin
Dakota Brush


RECEIVER

Greg Ellingson
Brad Sinopoli
Diontae Spencer
RJ Harris
Julian Feoli-Gudino
Dominique Rhymes
Noel Thomas II
Marco Dubois
Jacob Scarfone
Seth Coate


OFFENSIVE LINE

SirVincent Rogers
Jon Gott
Alex Mateas
Josue Matias
Evan Johnson
Jason Lauzon-Seguin
Nolan MacMillan
Mark Korte
Andrew Pickett


DEFENSIVE LINE

Avery Ellis
AC Leonard
Danny Mason
Michael Klassen
Jonathan Newsome
JR Tavai
George Uko
Michael Wakefield
Ettore Lattanzio
Andrew Marshall
Nigel Romick 
Daryl Waud
Don Oramasionwu
Blaine Woodson
Kene Onyeka


LINEBACKER

Chris Ackie
Kyries Hebert
Avery Williams
Kevin Brown II
Anthony Cioffi
Mickael Coté


DEFENSIVE BACK

Antoine Pruneau
Rico Murray
Sherrod Baltimore
Corey Tindal
Jonathan Rose
Randall Evans
Justin Howell
JP Bolduc
Andrew Lue
Dan West
Tafon Mainsah
Zed Brown
Devin Butler
Mikael Charland
Kyle White


SPECIAL TEAMS

Richie Leone
Lewis Ward
LP Bourassa


I included everyone right down to the practice squad and disabled list. Some positions aren't as depleted as some other but man...That's a lot of red!

This was all caused by the collective bargaining agreement expiring after the 2018 season. Not knowing by how much the player salary cap might increase, many players who signed contracts prior to 2018 signed only one-year deals hoping to cash in (relatively-speaking) in 2019. Add in the players who signed two-year contracts in 2017 and you are mostly left with rookies, first-year players and mid-season pickups with few options.

But every team in the league is in the same boat. And there is some good news!

Ottawa has a pretty solid record of bringing back its own people. Yes, the CBA renewal complicates this in some cases, but they have already inked Antoine Pruneau and JC Beaulieu to multi-year deals (three and two respectively, if my memory is sound).

And that's because the majority of players enjoy being a part of this organization. It would not surprise me to see Ottawa re-sign several more of its Canadian players prior to the start of free agency, particularly someone like Ettore Lattanzio who has local ties and was injured most of the year.

It will be a busy time for GM Marcel Desjardins but hopefully it makes the offseason go by quickly.

Edit: It was pointed out to me on Twitter by John Ng that the team had signed two players at the end of November that should belong on the list above. I failed to include them because they were not added to the roster on the team's website.  Then in looking for details, found a boatload more.

The transactions below are are copied from cfl.ca.

OTT ADD  INT Charles BROUSSEAU  (LB)    Sherbrooke
OTT ADD  INT Zaycoven HENDERSON (DL)    Texas A&M
OTT ADD  NAT Drew MORRIS (LB)    Acadia *
OTT ADD  NAT Tyrone PIERRE (WR)    Laval *
OTT ADD  INT Daniel TSHIAMALA (LB)    St. Francis Xavier *
OTT ADD FROM ACTIVEXX INT Ironhead GALLON (DB)    Georgia Southern
OTT ADD FROM ACTIVEXX INT Tay GLOVER-WRIGHT (DB)    Utah State
OTT ADD FROM ACTIVEXX INT Denzel JOHNSON (DB)    Texas Christian
OTT ADD FROM ACTIVEXX INT Tyler PALKA (WR)    Gannon
OTT ADD FROM ACTIVEXX INT Ranthony TEXADA (DB)    Texas Christian
OTT ADD FROM ACTIVEXX INT Blaine WOODSON (DL)    Delaware

Some of those guys (including Morris and Tshiamala, whose designation as an INT I question) had been brought in for a look when the practice roster was expanded at the end of the season (I believe from ten to 15) so their return does not come as a surprise.

I'll include Blaine Woodson above because he actually played a bit during the regular season though I admit I have no memory of that. He had two tackles during the game in Edmonton.

1941 Eastern Final: Rough Riders 7, Wildcats 2

Obviously inspired by tomorrow's Eastern Final game between the Redblacks and Hamilton Tiger-Cats, I went back to find the earliest, closest counterpart to that game that I could locate.

While the teams had met in the playoffs prior to it, I settled on the 1941 contest which led to the Rough Riders playing the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for the Grey Cup the following weekend, a game which they would lose 18-16.

Let's carve out a chunk of the Ottawa Citizen from November 24th, 1941.

Over time, Bert Haigh's will become common on this blog. He spent the first two seasons of his playing with Toronto Balmy Beach but played with Ottawa throughout the 1940s. I located an article which made reference to a 105-yard punt by Haigh in 1950 but I see no evidence that he played that year, so perhaps the wrong season is identified. He was routinely an Eastern all-star team selection.

Here is a look at the players in the above game, with hall of fame member Tony Golab the most prominent name among them.

Mr. Koffman provides additional insight. The article is somewhat unclear, I know. The word at the end of the first line is "definite".

One man's (Koffman's) opinion, of course, but much of the recap made it seem like the game was rather lackluster overall. The previous week, the Rough Riders had erased an 8-point deficit to knock off Toronto by a score of 18-17 in a 2-game series. I believe that tie was broken by Ottawa on the last play of the game. As a result, this game seemed far less dramatic but it did, nonetheless, send Ottawa to a championship game.

As pre-game jitters set in, I would gladly accept a drama-free victory against Hamilton tomorrow. Go Redblacks!

1997 CHSAA Championship: St. Peter 34, Gloucester 07

It may be a few days before a good recap of yesterday's NCSSAA Tier 1 Championship game is available so in the meantime, let's review St. Peter's first championship win in 1997. As usual, you may need to click on the image and open it in a separate tab to view it full-size.

It is interesting to read now that this victory was seen as a relief at the time. I believe yesterday's Knights victory (31-21 over Ashbury) marked the 14th championship for St. Peter in 22 seasons. I wonder if the program's architects would have believed they would eventually reach that level of success back when the program was being formed? Congratulations to all involved then and now.

1998 QMJFL Championship: Ottawa Jr. Riders 24, Chateauguay Raiders 09

While I enjoyed sharing results of the Ottawa Jr. Riders' most recent championship win, this site is intended to shine a little spotlight on past events more so than current ones.

With that in mind, I will now share that team's first such success from 1998, their second year of operation under that name.

The full results from the 1998 season will be added to the Jr Riders page shortly.

Dean Dorsey, the former Ottawa Rough Riders kicker, would step down as head coach following the season but the team remained quite successful with Dan Murphy, also a former Rough Rider, at the helm.

Tucker McCabe was named the league's rookie of the year and the following players were selected to be on the all-star team.

• Mike Borotsik - Centre
• Billy Conlin - OL
• Jacob Kyer - OL
• Richard Tremblay - WR
• Paul Fury - LB
• Steve Kasouf - LB
• Scott Gordon - FS

Scott Gordon went on to win a National Championship with the Gee-Gees in 2000. He was drafted in the second round of the 2002 draft by Calgary and played professionally through the 2009 season, mostly with Saskatchewan. He earned a Grey Cup ring with that team in 2007.

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.

Panda 50: Gee-Gees 38, Ravens 27

We're going to Frankenstein this thing.

Similar to what I did on draft day, I'm picking stuff from here there and everywhere to cover the 50th edition of the Panda Game. And if I come across more, I'll edit the post and add it.

I must say though that Darren Desaulniers' recap for the Citizen, the first article below, was nearly untouched. I sometimes find myself removing some parts that seem less relevant but in my opinion here did a nice job here and it's best left alone.

The photo below is by Jasmine Foong and was included in the Charlatan's recap of the game.

Gee-Gees top Ravens to reclaim Pedro, Panda Game bragging rights

After spending the past four years at Carleton, Pedro the Panda will again return to the University of Ottawa to spend the next year, at least, as a Gee-Gee.

The Gee-Gees dominated the Ravens 38-27 in the 50th Panda Game at a sold-out TD Place stadium on Saturday, producing uOttawa’s their first win in the rivalry game since 2013.

The score was a little flattering to the Ravens, who managed a pair of late touchdowns after the Gee-Gees had scored 31 consecutive points to take a 38-14 advantage.

“We had some communication problems and it stalled some of our (early) drives and we had a lot of two and outs,” Gee-Gees head coach Jamie Barresi said.

“Give them credit, too — I’m talking about Carleton — for the way their defence and the way they played. But, at the same time, I don’t think we were doing things properly from an operations point of view. Having said that, they were gnawing at us and clawing at us.”

The game started remarkably well for the Ravens, who had a 7-0 lead 32 seconds into the first quarter thanks to a little trickery.

Quarterback Michael Arruda took the first snap and tossed a lateral to Quinton Soares, who then threw a downfield pass that Dominic Walker turned into a 78-yard catch-and-run TD.

Not much went well for the Ravens after that, though,

Arruda, who had entered the game fifth in the Ontario University Athletics football league in passing yards per game, didn’t complete a pass to a teammate in the first quarter. Actually, his first pass of the day was tipped and intercepted by a Gee-Gees defender.

That led to a three-yard touchdown pass from Sawyer Buettner to Carter Matheson, so the contest was tied 7-7 just over six minutes in.

Arruda ended up throwing four interceptions by game’s end. He had just two in the previous five games.

“I threw four interceptions that could have gone the other way easily, but they game-planned well and did a hell of a job,” Arruda said, giving the Gee-Gees credit for their defence.

“They did a hell of a job and we weren’t expecting it. I caught myself looking down at the D-line a little too much and it was hard to adjust. We made way too many mistakes and hurt ourselves way too many times, but (uOttawa) played great.”

Arruda did throw a six-yard touchdown pass to Soares for a 14-7 Ravens lead six minutes into the second quarter, but everything fell apart from there.

The Gee-Gees put up 10 more points before half-time, with Kalem Beaver hauling in a 40-yard touchdown pass from Buettner and Campbell Fair kicking a 32-yard field goal.

“We needed that,” Beaver said of the offensive explosion.

“The offence needed to step up. The defence has been bringing it every game and it was finally time that we both came together.”

Buettner threw third-quarter TD passes of 37 and 17 yards to Beaver and Dylan St. Pierre. Matheson made his second TD catch of the day, for 25 yards, in the fourth quarter.

For those counting at home, that made five touchdown passes for Buettner, who had just four previously this season. The native of Moose Jaw, Sask., apparently...wasn’t fazed by the larger than usual venue seating 24,000-plus.

“Back home we always played our games at (Regina’s) Mosaic Stadium, so we always played in big stadiums, but never with a crowd that full. I thought it was a good learning experience and I thought our team handled it well. We lean on some veterans that have been there before. I know I did, so it was awesome,” Buettner said.

“I go out and do my thing. We’ve got a great offensive system, great coaches and a great group of teammates, so it’s easy on me. I just have to put the ball up and let them make plays.”

With the game out of reach, Nathan Carter ran for touchdowns of seven and three yards to get the Ravens a bit closer in the fourth quarter, but hope of a miracle comeback ended when Arruda was intercepted by Gee-Gees defensive back Jamie Harry.

“It felt like we weren’t dialed in,” Ravens head coach Steve Sumarah said. “We knew what was coming (from the Gee-Gees defence) and we weren’t prepared mentally to deal with what was coming. If it wasn’t them, it was our own mistakes and penalties.

“Even though on the scoreboard we weren’t behind early, you felt the momentum of the game had turned really early and we were in that scratching mode all game long. We never felt like we were in control of the game.”

The Gee-Gees lead the all-time Panda Game series 33-17.

Gee-Gees bring home Pedro in 50th Panda Game
(portions of an uncredited article on geegees.ca. Photo by Greg Mason)

....Second-year running back Dawson Odei continued to be a force on the Garnet and Grey offence. Odei is second (by merely a half yard) in the OUA in yards per game after racking up 142 yards on 25 carries in the win.

“It’s been a long time coming and it feels great. It feels great,” said (Kalem) Beaver. “Our defence is bringing it every game, and our offence needed to step up. It was finally time for us to come together.”

Defensively, U SPORTS First Team All-Canadian Jamie Harry proved to be one of the most dominant players in the nation. With two interceptions in the game, Harry’s five takeaways this season leads the nation through week six. Fellow defensive backs Luke Griese and Rashad Spooner also had instrumental moments taking the ball away from Carleton QB Mike Arruda.

“It’s a good win for our players – they were resilient because we knew we were going to have a tough battle,” said Gee-Gees head coach Jamie Barresi, after earning Pedro for the second time in his tenure. “There were a lot of things that were improved on our side today, and they conducted themselves with poise.”

Photo by Parker Townes for The Fulcrum

Odds and ends from the stats sheet
-- 2018 Redblacks draft choice Kene Onyeka (4th-round) had two sacks in the game and now leads the OUA with five.
-- Carleton had a staggering 17 penalties for 165 yards.
-- Carleton had a slight edge in time of possession, 30:26 to 29:34. They also ultimately outgained Ottawa 475 yards to 370.
--Eight Gee-Gees receivers caught passes from QB Sawyer Buettner. 

Dominic Walker an OUA Player Of The Week

I was away all week so am only now finding out about Ravens receiver Dominic Walker's selection among the three OUA players of the week.

It may be his first season with Carleton Ravens, but rookie receiver Dominic Walker made his presence felt in a big way in the team’s Week 3 win over Waterloo. 

Walker got on the board early after hauling in the short pass from QB Michael Arruda to extend the Ravens’ first quarter lead to 8-0. From there, Walker showcased his big play ability and reeled in the longest play of his early career. Walker took the deep toss from Arruda and did the rest of the damage with his legs, with the pass and run going for 95 yards to the house. 

Both touchdowns proved critical in the team’s eventual three-point win over the high-octane Warriors, and Walker’s overall line of five catches for 130 yards has helped the first-year Communication Studies major to earn offensive honours for Week 3.

The Ravens followed up that win with a double-overtime victory against Queen's at home on September 15th. Sounds like the kind of game that can open the door for more players to be honoured! Carleton is now 3-1 at mid-season with a heartbreaking blown lead against the defending champion Western Mustang as the only blemish.

Harry Van Hofwegen Added to Carleton Ravens Hall Of Fame

The news of Van Hofwegen's selection to the Ravens Hall Of Fame was actually announced in May but the actual ceremony took place on September 13th.

Despite only playing two seasons at Carleton, Van Hofwegen was a multi-talented force on the Ravens defensive line, as well as a gifted punter and kicker. Van Hofwegen took the conference by storm as a rookie, taking home OQIFC All-Star and CIAU First-Team All-Canadian honours in 1993.

Despite missing most of the 1994 season, Van Hofwegen returned for a memorable 1995 campaign that saw him capture the J.P. Metras Trophy as the country’s Outstanding Down Lineman in addition to being selected as a CIAU First-Team All-Canadian. Van Hofwegen was chosen as Carleton University’s Male Athlete of the Year in 1995-96, and he was selected to represent Canada in the 1996 NCAA East-West Shrine Game in California. That same spring, Van Hofwegen was taken 11th overall by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the 1996 CFL Draft.

Van Hofwegen spent the 1996 preseason with the NFL’s Buffalo Bills, which was a great professional development opportunity prior to beginning his tenure in the CFL.  Over the course of his three-year pro career, Van Hofwegen competed for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1996, 1997), BC Lions (1997) and Edmonton Eskimos (1998).

I'm going to use this news as motivation to work on the Carleton Ravens page above as much of the information I'd collected years ago has yet to be restored.

One Raven Player Of The Week...And One Raven Who Should Be.

Yesterday wasn't a great day for the city's university football clubs. The University of Ottawa couldn't keep up with Laurier, losing to the tune of 39-21 while Carleton squandered a lead at home to lose to the defending champion Western Mustangs in overtime 26-23.

“We had these guys in the bag,” said Ravens quarterback Mike Arruda, who threw touchdown passes to fullback Mitch Raper and slotback (Phil) Iloki in a wild second quarter, when the Ravens outscored the Mustangs 17-3. “We knew we has these guys after the first half. This should never have come down to overtime." 

“First week (of the schedule) and we’re up 17-3 and I think we took our foot off the pedal. This loss is going to teach us a lot. Maybe the good thing is we sent a scare to the rest of the league. We can feel good about that.”

Sounds a lot like what the RedBlacks went through after blowing a 24-point lead against Toronto earlier this year. If you need learn such a lesson, at least learn it early.

Taking the champs to the wire in such fashion naturally involves a number of outstanding performances and on Ravens player was recognized for his performance; Michael Domagala is the Ontario University Athletics Special Teams player Of The Week.

The Ravens kicker connected on three field goals in the game, while adding a pair of extra points to bring his total output to 11 points for the game. 

His first field goal came in the first quarter, connecting on a 20-yarder to open the game’s scoring. From there, Domagala took it to another level. His second make – a 42-yarder - came in the second quarter to give the Ravens the 6-3 lead, but he saved his best for last. After a Mustangs comeback in the second half gave Western the lead, Domagala stepped up for a game-tying 50-yard make with just one second left on the clock to send the game to overtime.

Acknowledging that relying on stats to tell the whole story can be misleading, another player caught my eye while reviewing the box score.

Let's preface this by pointing that the recipient of the defensive player of the week gathered the following numbers: "Five solo tackles, along with one assisted, to total 5.5 for the game, (later) forcing a fumble. (He) also notched one pass breakup."

Busy day. But I submit it to you Ravens linebacker Josh Walsh.

Photography by Valerie Wutty

Walsh was not the leading tackler on the team. That distinction belongs to fellow linebacker Jack Cassar with nine (and three assists).

But Walsh had eight, also with three assists. He is credited with a sack for an 8-yard loss, two of his tackles were for a total of 11 yards lost, he broke up a pass and intercepted another which he returned for 21 yards.

Maybe stats don't tell the whole story but the part of the story that those tell is pretty convincing.  This is Walsh's third year and, against quality competition, he may have just announced that it's his break out year.

Jo-Anne Polak's Media Guide Page

Inspired by Jo-Anne Polak's selection as a CFL Diversity Is Strength campaign "trailblazers", I thought I would share her bio from the 1989 Rough Riders media guide. It will be easier to read if you open it in another tab. Pardon the inevitable curving at the spine.

The league was quite new to me at the time of the hire. I don't recall being particularly surprised that a woman would get the job or whether a woman in the position created a great deal of controversy.

The only thing I can say is that she is one of the few front office employees from that period (mid 80's to the ugly end in 1996) that is still has the respect of fans from back then.

I only became a fan during "Super Season '88" which concluded with a 2-16 regular season record.

Polak, though, attempted and succeeded in making the fan experience fun regardless of the putrid on-field product. The 1991 media guide (her final year with the team) explains: "Jo-Anne and her staff have instituted an awareness campaign based on player identification, community orientation and unorthodox promotion".

If speaking to someone who's never heard of her, you could begin your description by pointing out that she would be a great fit with the current ownership. Player identification, community orientation and unorthodox promotion have all played large parts in the Redblacks success. Polak applied the same strategy to the Rough Riders 30 years ago.