Weekly ‘Did you know? (2): QB leaves CIS team, ’15 Vanier Cup bids, tributes & lawsuits, primetime in Winnipeg, expansion & retraction

Each week, CanadaFootballChat.com will bring you some of the fascinating stories from Canadian amateur football

We introduce to you the next weekly installment of CFC’s “Did you know”:

1)      SKINNER’S DEPARTURE FROM ROUGE ET OR:

If you haven’t heard the news yet, Alex Skinner announced on his twitter account on Wednesday that he was leaving the Rouge et Or.

 

The ex-Rouge et Or pivot was on the heels of completing a three game suspension the team imposed on him as a result of his involvement in an assault outside a Quebec bar establishment this past July. This case is set to be heard on October 29th in the Quebec courts.

If Skinner had suited up for the team in their game against Bishop’s Gaiters this weekend, it would rule out any chance of the 22 year old pivot of having the opportunity to play elsewhere next year.  Had he joined the team on Saturday, he would have served as a back-up to Hugo Richard.

At this point, Skinner has not determined if he will continue his CIS career next year or where he will go but we wish him all the best in his future endeavours.

Jeff-Hunt

1)      POSSIBLE DESTINATIONS FOR 2015 VANIER CUP?

News came out this week that Laval and Ottawa could be the potential destinations for the 2015 Vanier Cup. Jeff Hunt, the owner of the Ottawa Redblacks is heading up the Nation’s Capital bid and is seeking a two year contact for the National Championship. The CIS could be swayed to give the nod to the Ottawa bid because they’ve never hosted a Vanier Cup before. However, there is a third group that has shown interest but their identity is not known. It is expected that the CIS will awarded the next Vanier Cup to one of these three bid groups before this year’s National Championship, which will take place in Montreal.

NS hosts Orleans players

2)      ONTARIO MOSQUITO TEAM GETS SCOTIAN TREATMENT:

This past July, the mosquito Cumberland Panthers travelled to Nova Scotia to participate in preseason competition against teams from the East Coast.  The Panthers (whose mosquito team has 10 to 12 year old players) also extended invitations to Orleans Bengals and Gloucester Raiders players. In order to be able to make this trip possible, the team did several fundraising initiatives. Overall, the Panthers enjoyed the Nova Scotian hospitality (they stayed in Halifax).

John DeNapoli

3)      TRIBUTES CONTINUE FOR DENAPOLI:

Last week, teams that compete in Windsor and Essex County Secondary School Athletic Association (WECSSAA) paid tribute to John DeNapoli at Windsor Stadium.  Back in June, he unexpectedly  passed away at the age of 38. DeNapoli was a former player with the Holy Names Fighting Knights and promoted the league after his playing career. Not only was there a moment of silence before the commencement of games, but the admission from the three games staged that day was put towards an education trust fund which has been set up for his three daughters.

Port Colbourne Blue Bears

4)      END OF THE LINE FOR BLUE BEARS AND EAGLES:

Two more teams have bit the dust in high school football in Ontario.  The latest casualty teams are the Eastdale Eagles and the Port Colbourne Blue Bears in the Niagara Region High School Athletic Association (NRHSAA).  This is the second consecutive year that both these schools have halted football.

The Eagles only had 31 players come out for their first tryout and that number decreased to 15 by the time the second tryout day came. Of the players that did come to the tryouts, the coaches were concerned about their size as many of the players were small. As for the Blue Bears, not having a pool of qualified coaches is what spelled the demise of the team.  While the school would have been able to field a team as they had player numbers, there were not enough coaches available to instruct the sports discipline. One interesting thing to note is school populations – Port Colbourne has enrollment of 466 students while Eastdale has 433 students.

Duncan Little article

5)      MAKING THE MOVE FROM BIG CITY TEAM TO SMALL TOWN:

For Duncan Little, it was time for him to move back home.  After two years of suiting up for the St. Francis Browns of the Calgary Senior High School Athletic Association (CSHSAA), Little has opted to move back home to Airdrie.  Even though he attends Airdrie Koinonia Christian School, they do not have a football team.  Therefore, Little is currently suiting up for George MacDougall Mustangs. He has cut down his travelling time to and from school by a half hour. Even though he is new to the team, he is familiar with several players as they all played together for the Airdrie Raiders of the Calgary Area Midget Football Association (CAMFA).  This past summer, the Raiders made it all the way to the Championship Final. Unfortunately, the Mustangs lost their first game of the regular season to the Cochrane Cobras by a slim 14-13 margin.

Rick Henkewich

6)      PRIMETIME IN WINNIPEG?

Winnipeg High School Football League (WHSFL) Commissioner Rick Henkewich is advocating for a new 5,000 seat stadium to be built, which would address a key need in the city.  Currently, there are no stadiums that have lights with could host night games.  The estimated cost of this stadium is between 4-5 million and the site area where this stadium would be built is near Tec Voc school. While WHSFL teams have played at the University of Manitoba, making transportation arrangements has been a nightmare.  Henkewich is hoping that the stadium will come to fruition within the next two to three years.

100px highlanders logo

7)      HIGHLANDERS GET US EXPERIENCE:

Last weekend, the Sir John A MacDonald Highlanders of the Waterloo Secondary School Athletic Association (WCSSAA) travelled south of the border to Ohio to play an exhibition game against  Hilliard Davidson Mustangs.  33 players and 10 coaches travelled to Ohio to represent the Highlanders. The Mustangs will field a roster of 70 players.  Of note, Hillard Davidson’s enrollment is 1,700 and the number of people who were expected to attend the exhibition game was 7,000. American four down rules were applied to this exhibition.  Since it was a positive experience for the Highlanders, the team is looking to make this an annual event.

kevin-kwasny-2

8)      FORMER PLAYER SUES CIS SCHOOL:

Former Bishop’s Gaiters defensive end Kevin Kwasny is suing the school three years removed from sustaining physical and mental injuries.  The amount he is seeking is 9.3 million dollars in damages.  In the suit filed it says the university acted in a “reckless and negligent conduct”.  Kwasny is handicapped, partly paralyzed and has speech, sight and walking difficulties.  As a result of his injuries, his chances to work are very slim.

Jakob Loucks

9)      CANADIAN HEADS UP US HIGH SCHOOL’S OFFENSE:

This fall, a Canadian is guiding Buffalo, New York high school team, Canisius Crusaders offensive unit. Cornwall, Ontario native Jakob Loucks is the Crusaders pivot.  Previous to the Crusaders, he suited up for Ontario Varsity Football League’s (OVFL) Wildcats.

lions

10)   COCHRANE BANTAM TEAM FIELDS FEMALE:

Laura Pace has made such a positive impression on the bantam Cochrane Lions team, that she earned a spot on the roster. The 13 year old possesses  tremendous confidence, skill set and determination. She has fit in seemingly with her new team.

St._Theresa's_High_School_Thunder_(new)___Content

11)   THREE NEW TEAMS IN SIMCOE:

While we told the story of Nantyr Shores not fielding a team this season, three schools are fielding new football teams in the Simcoe Area.  One of those teams was in last week’s Did you know segment – Patrick Fogarty.  Additionally, St.Theresa (Midland) and St. Joseph’s (Barrie) will be new to the Simcoe gridiron circuit.

 Photo credits:

Port Colborne Blue Bears: The Welland Tribute
Rick Henkewich: Brian Donogh, Winnipeg Sun/QMI Agency
Jakob Loucks:  Jacob Birch

 

 

 

 

Advocating for football prospects one story at a time.