"New Coach and High Hopes-For Ottawa Sooners Men's Semi-Pro Football Team"

The following article by Tim Baines appeared on Friday, May 24th, the day before the Sooners' first home game of the 2019 season. Unfortunately, they lost it 21-0.

What a difference a year makes. 

In 2018, Brandon Weekes was the Northern Football Conference’s fourth-leading receiver – with 18 catches for 322 yards. Now he’s the Ottawa Sooners head coach, expecting big things from his team during the 2019 season... 

From player to head coach of a football team in Ontario’s semi-pro football league, it has certainly been an adjustment for the 32-year-old. 

“Hanging up the cleats, it’s one of the hardest things I’ve done,” said Weekes, who took over as coach when Ken Evraire stepped away in the off-season. “The biggest thing is letting go of the sense of urgency to want to play.” 

The team, which had been called the Invaders, became part of the Sooners family and was renamed last year. The Sooners’ season ended in the NFC semi-finals with a 29-0 loss to the GTA All-Stars, the eventual league champs. Weekes is confident this season’s team, with an infusion of younger players – some from the Jr. Riders – can accomplish big things. 

“I’m building with a core base of 24-26-year-olds,” he said. “They’re in their prime football shape. We can wear people down. I think we’ll go further than we did last year, we’re a championship-calibre team. A championship is always the goal, but I want to get them to the level where it’s always high competition. You don’t want to go in and roll over just because it’s GTA. We have to go in and win week by week.” 

Among the key players on the defensive side of the ball will be safety Jordon Gorgichuk and middle linebacker Cameron Veck (who will miss Week 1 with an ankle injury and will be replaced by veteran Nick Lortie). 

Offensively, the team – which will lean on a pass-first philosophy – has quarterback Alex Gauthier and running back Dylan Hines, “the leader on our offence.” 

There’s also wideout Bobby Massie and slot receiver Mike Mortley who Weekes said of: “The dude’s a specimen. He’s a basketball player, now he’s a full-blown football player. He’s like 6-foot-6, 240 lbs. and he looks like a freak of nature.” 

There’s also a solid mix of vets including offensive lineman Amir Farhat, a longtime member of the squad. 

“We still have guys who are in their 40s,” said Weeks. “We need the older guys, especially in the locker room. We need that calm poise from our vets who understand that while we’re opening against a very strong team – they’re beatable.”

The Patriots were an 7-1 team in 2018 so it was a tough gig to start on. Still according to Tim Baines, the game might have been more competitive if not for a few mistakes.

The Sooners had two huge plays taken away on penalties. A punt return touchdown by Daniel McGrowder was called back for clipping and a missed field goal was returned 107 yards to the four-yard line by Austin Mackay, but the Sooners were penalized for tripping.

The Sooners next host the Tri-City Outlaws at Carleton on Saturday, June 1st.  The Outlaws wer3 4-4 last season and began their season with a 28-7 loss to the defending champion GTA All-Stars.

NOTE: The image above was posted on Keenan Photography's Facebook account. The full gallery can be found here.

2019 Draft Results

Oh, right, we're drafting Canadians too...

I'll do the same thing as last year, which I say knowing full well very few people saw it. I'll update this post constantly as picks come in and I find information about the player selected.

Ottawa does not have a second round pick as a result of trading it for LB Chris Ackie late last year. The quotes from GM Marcel Desjardins are from this Ottawa Sun article. 


Round 1 (7):  Alex Fontana, OL, Kansas, 6;02", 300

At the University of Houston, played in 11 games in 2016 (starting five). He missed 2017 due to injury then played in 12 games in 2018 with nine starts at Kansas.

From Marshall Ferguson's mock draft: Toronto native Alex Fontana had an outstanding pro day with the Kansas Jayhawks recently after deciding to skip the CFL Combine in order to maximize his pro day performance.

Fontana measures in at 6-foot-1, 298 pounds. He benched 225 pounds 29 times, broad jumped eight feet and 10 inches, vertical jumped 27.5 inches, ran a 5.20 in the 40, a 4.84 in the shuttle and a 7.78 in the three-cone.


Round 3 (27): Gabriel Polan, RB, Sherbrooke

Recorded 666 yards on 122 carries (three touchdowns) at Sherbrooke in 2018 on his way to being named a first-team conference all-star.

Desjardins: “Sherbrooke used him as a running back, we see him as the same as we do with our other Sherbrooke fullbacks (Jean-Christophe Beaulieu and Anthony Gosselin). He’s an athletic H-back, fullback type who can get into space and catch the ball if need be and have the physicality to block in the box. With all those guys, it’s special teams value. He’s got size, he runs pretty well and he’s got kind of a knack on special teams for being in the right place.”


Round 4 (36): Thomas Grant, DL, Acadia, 6' 05", 285

2018 AUS lineman of the year.

Desjardins: “He’s a massive man, almost 6-foot-6 and 290 lbs. He’s an interior D lineman who’s very athletic for his size. He’s very strong and stout. He’s still a bit raw, he still needs to learn the position, he needs to learn to keep his pad level down. He’s a guy who can potentially go back to school after camp. Potentially, he could become an O lineman as well if the D line thing doesn’t work out.”


Round 5 (45): Wesley Lewis, WR, Houston Baptist, 6'06", 210

Desjardins: “He’s another big boy at 6-foot-5, 218 lbs. He runs real well. He knows to use his body to his advantage. He doesn’t need to dominate and be physical with DBs because he can just kind of impose himself on them by just getting in the way. He catches the ball pretty well. There’s a lot to like about him. It’s funny, he was actually at one of our tryout camps in Houston last year – as an American. We didn’t know he qualified as a Canadian. Our guys liked him so he was on our ready list should we have needed a guy like that to come in. In the interim, he gained national status. A guy that size, you can’t pass up that size, speed and athleticism.”


Round 6 (54): Chris Larsen, DL, Manitoba, 6'04", 255


Round 7 (63): Samson Abbott,  DL, Manitoba, 6;04", 240

Played with the Alberta Golden Bears from 2014-16. Led Alberta in sacks as a rookie in 2015. Played junior football with the Winnipeg Rifles in 2017 due to transfer rules and led the team in sacks with five.

Desjardins (including Larsen above): “They’re very similar. Larsen’s a bit bigger. They’re both athletic. Larsen plays a bit more on defence. Abbott doesn’t play a ton on defence, but he is a very, very good special teams player at that level. He’s probably the most ready guy from a special teams perspective to come in and play. He’s about 6-foot-4, 240 – Nigel Romick, that’s the type of guy he is. As we all know, those guys are crucial to have on your team for special teams ability. The biggest thing with those two guys is they have two years of eligibility left. That’s the same with Thomas Grant and Polan.”


Round 8 (72): Clement Lebreux, DL, Laval, 6'04", 296

Desjardins: “He’s a big boy – 6-foot-3 1/2, 300 lbs. He’s strong and stout. This is a future pick, similar to Kevin Malcolm a couple of years ago. Kevin had torn his ACL, Clement tore his ACL at the regional combine in Montreal. He’s a guy we’ll wait on. He’ll rehab and get better. I don’t think he’ll be ready this season, he hasn’t had his surgery yet. But next year, he’ll be a full go coming into camp.”

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.

Mexican Draft Results

If you'd have told me, when I started to restore my old website in mid 2017, that I would one day post the results of a Mexican draft, I would have tried to have you entered into concussion protocol but...Here we are.

I have to admit that I find it a little hard to get into this. I'm not opposed to a partnership between leagues in other countries, even if said league does not play the game by our rules. But we've gone from an announcement of talks, to an letter of intent, to a combine, to a draft all within eight weeks.

It all feels a little rushed, doesn't it? How much preparation actually went into deciding on these guys? I suppose in small, new leagues the standout players, well...stand out, but still.

Anyway...There were a number of questions about this event, including why it got so much attention with a collective bargaining agreement about to expire, how it would affect roster rules, etc.  So I'm going to add some of the information I've found for future reference, starting with a tweet from Dan Barnes who did an excellent job of covering the proceedings.

Fair enough, although I would suggest that the expense to attend one in Orlando or San Antonio is probably far more likely to bear fruit.

As for the CBA, I believe the following is from the Regina Leader-Post from late last week.

There must be a good reason to get started so late. Just because I don't know and/or understand that reason doesn't mean there isn't one.

Bottom line though, the Mexican draft did not interfere with negotiations. All this Mexico-based activity taking place in a short amount of time gives the impression that the league is ignoring a must (CBA) for a want but that doesn't appear to actually be the case.

I could see the bottom tweet coming true. It might only take one guy or two. If a Mexican player becomes a solid contributor on a team he's an instant draw and ambassador.

Remember when the RedBlacks were in their formative stages and it seemed so important to have a French presence to draw eyes from Gatineau? That, on a larger scale.

My question then becomes...What if they all bomb? How many years of fruitless drafts take place before that aspect starts to appear unrealistic and football fans in Mexico cease to pay attention? A Mexican presence in the CFL could take a while, 'cause...

"Not look out of place in a CFL camp" is faint praise indeed.  But judge for yourself. Here is our second round pick in action.

Boy, if you're not crazy about "coarse language", maybe turn the volume down.

I couldn't find anything recent about Max Soto but taking a chance in the third round on a guy who was the first overall pick in his own league seems sound.

We'll see where this whole thing goes. Perhaps the teams that treat this initiative with respect and truly work at it can develop an edge over those that dismiss it and go through the motions.

The RedBlacks appear to have taken it seriously and as a fan, all I can ask for is that every effort is made to win, so I appreciate that, at least.

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.