The CJFL TOTAL THURSDAY Newsletter

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Kevin Grant
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support of the following Sponsors" "The Canadian

young men aged 17 to 22 to participate in highly

involvement and yield a positive environment by

1 For all your CJFL Information & News The CJFL TOTAL THURSDAY Newsletter Brought to you by Volume 3 Issue 15 "The CJFL gratefully acknowledges the support of the following Sponsors" "The Canadian Junior Football League provides the opportunity for young men aged 17 to 22 to participate in highly competitive post-high school football that is unique in Canada. The goal of the league is to foster community involvement and yield a positive environment by teaching discipline, perseverance and cooperation. The benefits of the league are strong camaraderie, national competition and life-long friends."

Regan Schuler Runningback Saskatoon Hilltops The Saskatoon Hilltops showed why they are the defending national champions during the Jostens Cup.

The veteran would carry a game high 35 times for 152 yards and scored three touchdowns. He would also catch one pass for 11 yards to help the Toppers to a 38-28 victory.

They would hold the high powered Raiders passing game to just 125 yards on 11 completions. The D was led by defensive lineman Donovan Dale who grabs the Defensive Player of the Week honours.

3 Regan Schuler Runningback Saskatoon Hilltops The Saskatoon Hilltops showed why they are the defending national champions during the Jostens Cup. The Hilltops would be relentless with their ground attack led by the Offensive Player of the Week, running back Regan Schuler. The veteran would carry a game high 35 times for 152 yards and scored three touchdowns. He would also catch one pass for 11 yards to help the Toppers to a victory. Donovan Dale Defensive Lineman Saskatoon Hilltops The Hilltops defence was simply awesome during the national semi-final. They would hold the high powered Raiders passing game to just 125 yards on 11 completions. The D was led by defensive lineman Donovan Dale who grabs the Defensive Player of the Week honours. He would sack a very elusive Jordan Yantz twice while making two tackles and assisting on three others. The Hilltops won the Jostens Cup Stephen Jordan Returner Hamilton Hurricanes Stephen Jordan, 3rd Year CB out of Saltfleet District HS in Stoney Creek had a great day returning punts. The former Storm standout had 3 punt returns for 132 yards, including a 108 yard TD in the 1st quarter that extended the Hurricanes lead to He also returned a missed field goal for 16 yards. The Canes captured their second consecutive Teddy Morris Memorial Trophy as OFC Champions with the 42-6 victory over the Windsor AKO Fratmen.

Jostens Cup CJFL Semi Final Saturday October 29 Caledonia Park 38-28 By Tom Hallick, PFC Media Coordinator The Vancouver Island Raiders & Saskatoon Hilltops met for the third time in CJFL playoff

The Hilltops rolled into Nanaimo following their second straight conference title win over Calgary by a 32-3 margin.

4 Jostens Cup CJFL Semi Final Saturday October 29 Caledonia Park By Tom Hallick, PFC Media Coordinator The Vancouver Island Raiders & Saskatoon Hilltops met for the third time in CJFL playoff action on Saturday afternoon at Caledonia Park. The Raiders wanted to atone for their Canadian Bowl loss to the Hilltops last November. The Hilltops rolled into Nanaimo following their second straight conference title win over Calgary by a 32-3 margin. The PFC champions opened the scoring as Regan Schuler, who had 152 yards on 35 carries, scored the first of his 3 rushing touchdowns on a 2 yard dash. The BC titleholders would quickly even the contest as tailback Jordan Botel scored on a 10-yard touchdown run of his own to knot the game at 7. Botel would run for 121 yards on 13 carries. The Raiders took the lead as Mark Mueller made good on a 20-yard field goal, which was set up by a late first quarter pick by Raider defensive back Cole Bishop. Bishop would have a 25-yard return. Mueller would connect on his second field goal of the day to make it But just before halftime, Schuler would put the Hilltops back in front as he scored on a 4yard run to make it a game at halftime. Early in the third frame, the Raiders again made Saskatoon pay for a turnover as Glenn Boyce would intercept a Bradshaw pass and return it 15 yards, which led to a 34-yard touchdown strike from Yantz to Andrew Smith to vault the Raiders back out in front by a margin. Not to be outdone, the Hilltops charged back as Bradshaw connected with slotback John Trumpy for a 35-yard touchdown to give the Hilltops the lead again at Bradshaw would sneak in from a yard out to up the Hilltop lead to 8 heading into the fourth quarter. Zach Schmidt upped the Saskatoon edge to as he hit his lone field goal attempt of the day. However, Yantz & company drove down field and would cap it off with Botel s second touchdown run of the day, an 8-yard gallop. Yantz would add the 2-point convert to pull the Raiders to within 3. The Raiders would be forced to punt from their end zone late in the contest and the Hilltops would put the wraps on the win thanks to Schuler s third touchdown run of the day and snap the 44-game Raiders home winning streak that spanned 6 years. The Hilltops advance to the Canadian Bowl on November 12 at Ivor Wynne Stadium in Hamilton against the Hurricanes who won the Ontario Football Conference crown in impressive fashion, 42-6 over the Windsor AKO Fratmen at Windsor s Alumni Field. Chase Bradshaw would complete 11 of 24 for 209 yards with a touchdown toss & an interception, while Raider pivot Jordan Yantz was held to only 125 yards as he completed 11 of 25. Saskatoon s Kyle McGinnis led all pass-catchers with 98 yards on 5 grabs, while John Trumpy had 2 catches for 68 yards. Andrew Smith led the Raider receivers with 6 catches for 58 yards, while Dustin Pedersen had 3 catches for 57 yards.

5 Jostens representative Annette Van de Kamp presents Jostens Cup to the Hilltops team captains All Vancouver Island photos courtesy

Jostens Cup Players of the Game Regan Schuler Runningback Saskatoon Hilltops The Saskatoon Hilltops showed why they are the defending national champions during the

The Hilltops would be relentless with their ground attack led by the Offensive Player of the Week, running back Regan Schuler.

Donovan Dale Defensive Lineman Saskatoon Hilltops The Hilltops defence was simply awesome during the national semi-final.

The D was led by defensive lineman Donovan Dale who grabs the Defensive Player of the Week honours.

6 Jostens Cup Players of the Game Regan Schuler Runningback Saskatoon Hilltops The Saskatoon Hilltops showed why they are the defending national champions during the Jostens Cup. They would travel to Nanaimo to face a Raiders team that hadn t lost at home since 2005 and a team that dominated the BCFC during the regular season. The Hilltops would be relentless with their ground attack led by the Offensive Player of the Week, running back Regan Schuler. The veteran would carry a game high 35 times for 152 yards and scored three touchdowns. He would also catch one pass for 11 yards to help the Toppers to a victory. Donovan Dale Defensive Lineman Saskatoon Hilltops The Hilltops defence was simply awesome during the national semi-final. They would hold the high powered Raiders passing game to just 125 yards on 11 completions. The D was led by defensive lineman Donovan Dale who grabs the Defensive Player of the Week honours. He would sack a very elusive Jordan Yantz twice while making two tackles and assisting on three others. Zach Schmidt Kicker Saskatoon Hilltops The Special Teams Player of the Week is Hilltops kicker Zach Schmidt. He would be perfect on all five converts as well as hitting his only field goal attempt from 30 yards out. Schmidt would also punt four times for 125 net yards and kick off seven times for 197 net yards.

7 @ OFC Final Saturday October 29 Alumni Field at the University of Windsor 42-6 "Bring Back Teddy"-Hurricanes By Nick Pelletier, Hamilton Hurricanes Media Coordinator It was the rematch that the Hamilton Hurricanes were looking forward to. The mentality; to exact revenge on the team that upset the Canes bid for a perfect season record. Nothing would stand in the way of the Hamilton squad and their goal of repeating as Ontario Football Conference Champions. A great week of practice for the Hurricanes and an overnight stay in Windsor the night before the game can be considered contributing factors to how well the Hurricanes prepared, both mentally and physically, for the Championship match-up. The well-rested Hamilton team boarded the team bus and headed to the University of Windsor stadium with one thing on their minds Bring home Teddy. The atmosphere in the stadium was electric as both clubs took to the field. The Hurricanes opened the scoring four minutes into the game when Ryan Kotar had a 1 yard touchdown plunge and Chris Bartolomeo converted the extra point to give the Canes an early 7-0 lead. The scoring came quick and it came early, but nobody in attendance expected the highlight play to come from the special teams. Hamilton's punt return specialist, Stephen Jordan, shocked the crowd, and both sidelines, as he received the first quarter AKO punt at the Hurricanes own two yard line and turned up field making would-be tacklers miss and getting great blocks down field to spring him for a 108 yard return for a touchdown. Jordan's touchdown put the Hurricanes ahead 14-0 with 8:50 left to play in the first quarter. Stephen Jordan did the same thing to Windsor two weeks ago when he returned a punt 61 yards for a touchdown. The Canes kept the pressure on the Fratmen all game long as Ryan Kotar was able to grind out 2 more rushing touchdowns and Matt Francis connected with Matt Coates for a 7 yard touchdown and Dan Iafrate for a 29 yard touchdown strike. The Windsor AKO Fratmen could not get anything going in any aspect of the game. AKO did not connect for any explosive plays that were present in the game two weeks ago when the two clubs faced each other. The Hurricanes Defense was able to limit the Windsor Offense to 233 total yards for the game and had an answer for both Beau Lumley and Joel Archer as Windsor looked to them for the spark the team needed to get things going. That spark never ignited as the Hurricanes were able to snuff out Windsor's hopes of taking home the OFC crown. As the final seconds ticked off the clock at Alumni Field, the excitement on the Hurricanes bench kept building. The final score read: Hamilton 42 Windsor 6 The Hamilton Hurricanes were awarded the Teddy Morris Memorial Trophy for the second consecutive year. The BackTo-Back OFC Champions will host the Canadian Bowl National Championship for the first time since 1981 on Saturday, November 12th at 1pm at Ivor Wynne Stadium. The opponent will be the Saskatoon Hilltops, who have won the Prairie Football Conference Championship with a 32-3 win over Calgary and took home the Jostens Cup with a victory over a tough Vancouver Island Raiders squad.

OFCFinal Players of the Game Jordan Cozzi Offensive lineman Hamilton Hurricanes Jordan Cozzi brings a lot to the Hurricanes this year.

He is employed with the Town of Oakville in the department of Parks and Open Spaces. Jordan volunteers as an Offensive Line coach and Offensive Coordinator for the Niagara Storm football club.

Jordan's future ambitions include playing professional football and when asked why he wants to be a Hurricane he said, "It s an opportunity to play football for a year while I complete my transfer to

understanding of what it takes to be a member of a successful and competitive team. Matt was awarded the Lineman Award for the Hurricanes in 2010 and was a member of the 2010 O.F.C. Championship team.

8 OFCFinal Players of the Game Jordan Cozzi Offensive lineman Hamilton Hurricanes Jordan Cozzi brings a lot to the Hurricanes this year. As one of the biggest athletes on the team, Jordan is not to be taken lightly. Jordan is enrolled at McMaster University in the Social Sciences program. He is employed with the Town of Oakville in the department of Parks and Open Spaces. Jordan volunteers as an Offensive Line coach and Offensive Coordinator for the Niagara Storm football club. He has won awards for Lineman of the Year for St. Thomas Moore high school and was a part of the back-to-back championship teams of 2006 and Jordan's future ambitions include playing professional football and when asked why he wants to be a Hurricane he said, "It s an opportunity to play football for a year while I complete my transfer to Mac". Matt Brady Linebacker Hamilton Hurricanes 2 Solo Tackles, 2 Assisted Tackles, 2 QB Sacks (12 points) Matt is entering his Junior year of eligibility in 2011 and brings with him a true understanding of what it takes to be a member of a successful and competitive team. Matt was awarded the Lineman Award for the Hurricanes in 2010 and was a member of the 2010 O.F.C. Championship team. Matt's future ambition is to play football for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Currently, he is employed at ARW Carpentry and enjoys pick-up baseball. Matt wants to be a Hurricane because "I want to win Nationals and bring it back to the Hammer". Stephen Jordan Returner Hamilton Hurricanes 3 Punt Returns for 132 yards, longest 108 yards, 1 TD, 1 Missed FG returned for 16 yards Stephen Jordan, 3rd Year CB out of Saltfleet District HS in Stoney Creek had a great day returning punts. The former Storm standout had 3 punt returns for 132 yards, including a 108 yard TD in the 1st quarter that extended the Hurricanes lead to He also returned a missed field goal for 16 yards. Stephen and the Hurricanes play host to the Saskatoon Hilltops on Saturday, November 12 at 1pm at Ivor Wynne in the CJFL Canadian Bowl National Championship. Photos courtesy Hamilton Hurricanes

2011 CANADIAN BOWL PREVIEW By Tom Hallick, PFC Media Coordinator ONLINE BROADCAST: www.cjwwradio.com 1:30PM LOCAL (SASKATOON) www.ofcfootball.

9 2011 CANADIAN BOWL PREVIEW By Tom Hallick, PFC Media Coordinator ONLINE BROADCAST: 1:30PM LOCAL (SASKATOON) 1:00PM LOCAL (HAMILTON) TELEVISION: Cable 14 Hamilton 1:00 pm Simulcast to Saskatoon For the first time in 3 seasons, it will be an East-West battle as the Prairie Football Conference Champions Saskatoon Hilltops and Ontario Football Conference titleholders Hamilton Hurricanes meet for the national title November 12 at Ivor Wynne Stadium. Both teams come into the national title tilt after getting huge road wins. The Hilltops walked into Nanaimo and snapped the Vancouver Island Raiders 44-game home field win streak in the Jostens Cup Game, while the Hurricanes strolled into Windsor and steamrolled the Fratmen in the OFC Championship Game. Here s a look at the teams in this year s edition of the grand finale. SASKATOON HILLTOPS: Head Coach: Tom Sargeant Regular Season Record: 7-1 1st, 212 PF, 139 PA The Road To Canadian Bowl 11: Defeated Winnipeg Rifles in the semi-final; Won 32-3 over Calgary in PFC Championship Game; Won Jostens Cup over Vancouver Island Raiders. Who to Keep an Eye On: QB Chase Bradshaw The 5th-year passer hasn t had overly impressive numbers in the last two weeks (He threw for 209 in last week s win), but he has turned into a pretty decent run threat as he s scored 3 touchdowns. RB Regan Schuler The 5th-year back has racked up nearly 400 yards along the ground in the playoffs, including a 152-yard, 3 touchdown effort in the win in Nanaimo. Schuler won his second conference rushing title in 2011 with 836 yards.

10 LB Donovan Dale He picked up Defensive Player of the Game honors in the Jostens Cup win. He got in on 5 total tackles and sacked Raiders pivot Jordan Yantz once. REC Kyle McGinnis McGinnis led all pass-catchers with 5 receptions for 98 yards in the win over the Raiders. McGinnis does double-duty as one of the best punt returners in the PFC, as he placed 2nd only to Winnipeg s Kyle Willis with 324 return yards. The Wildcard: SB John Trumpy Trumpy had another big game in the Jostens Cup win, only a pair of catches and a 29-yard touchdown reception for a major score. That s been the story of his season, as he averaged nearly 30 yards per catch. The Skinny: Bradshaw & company line up against a fierce defense for the third successive week. Don t be surprised at all to see Schuler run the rock most of the day. If Schuler comes up huge in his final junior game as he s had all through the playoffs, then make it back-to-back national titles for the Toppers. HAMILTON HURRICANES Head Coach: Jason Hayes Regular Season Record: 7-1, 1st 254 PF, 68 PA The Road To Canadian Bowl 11: Downed Ste. Leonard Cougars 43-3 in semi-final; Defeated Windsor AKO Fratmen 426 in OFC Championship Game Who to Keep an Eye on: RB Troy Croonen The veteran back will be playing his final junior game in the championship clash. Croonen ran for 802 yards & 5 touchdowns and is a two-time OFC Offensive Player of the Year. REC Matt Coates Coates led the OFC in receiving with 30 catches for 629 and found the end zone 6 times. REC Dan Iafrate The 5th-year pass catcher tied his teammate Coates in catches and had 547 yards. LB John Hornby The 5- year veteran is the OFC Defensive Player of the Year and was in on 30 combined tackles during the OFC campaign and had 66 points. The Wildcard: QB Matt Francis Francis was 2nd in passing yards in the OFC with 1655 yards & 16 touchdown passes. In the championship win in Windsor, he threw a pair of touchdown tosses. The Skinny: The Canadian Bowl shapes up as a battle featuring two of the premier defenses in the country as the Hurricanes surrendered only 68 points in the OFC season & the Hilltops gave up only 139. The task for Matt Francis & mates will be

11 to have the Hurricanes offense in gear from the get-go as was the case in Windsor. If that s the case on the 12th, then the Hurricanes should be celebrating a Canadian Bowl victory. Canadian Bowl

Canadian Bowl CJFL National Championship

Canadian Junior Football League Canadian Bowl CJFL National Championship Date: Saturday, November 3, 2 Game Weather: Overcast Played Outdoor on Artificial Turf Temp: -3 C Offense OL 58 Chris Hengen-Braun