The program grew extremely quickly, recording an 8-2 record in only its second season (2007).  Then they sank just as quickly, for a variety of reasons, going winless last year.

Now with upgraded facilities and a large crop of new players, it appears as though they are ready to do some damage in 2010.  Info07.com’s Michel Moyneur offers some details (full article, in French).

After months of preparation, Alexander Mathieu’s men found their fans in a brand new home on the Boulevard de la Cité des Jeunes, with a playing surface worthy of the biggest stadiums and a modern scoreboard.

The Triades of the Cégep régional de Lanaudière have tasted the medicine of the redesign of the Griffins, who won 32-23 before a crowd of 750 spectators, impressively pumped despite the cold weather.

In control 26-23 with 8 minutes left in the fourth quarter, Mickael Charland intercepted the ball at the visitors’ 30-yard line and returned it to the endzone to record the last touchdown.

“We made many errors of nervousness, but we’re really happy for our guys. They have lots of character. It has things to work but it may start off “, said Matthieu after the game.

In all, 52 players (17 veterans and 35 rookies) celebrated the victory in a Griffons uniform for the first time.

Moreover, even if Simon Bouchard started at quarterback for the opening game, the Griffons head coach says newcomer Nicolas Beaumont will certainly a chance to shine soon.

“We put a lot on him. We want to make sure to put in place at the right time. We do not want to go into losing situations and putting too much pressure on him, “he said, adding that there will be a” competition every week “between the two pillars on offense.

Until now forced to play their matches on the ground at the rear of the Philemon Wright High School, the Griffins are now benefiting from first class facilities at the Bleu Mount complex.

Alexandre Mathieu believes that fans will appreciate the game more in the new stadium. “It definitely makes the show more interesting. Where they played before, people who love football could not enjoy the show at its full value. With a field like this, I think we’ll bring the people we have lost in recent years due to a lack of proper facilities. “

A year later, his right knee and right foot are doing better.  So Simon Le Marquand has earned the label of one of the fastest Gee Gees.

The 21-year-old Gatineau native recorded the third fastest time – 4.48 seconds – in the 40-yard sprints for the university team two weeks ago at the opening of training camp. This result has impressed the coaches who have decided to give him a big promotion.

Le Marquand, a second-year player who is 6 ’1 “and 197 pounds, broke through the Gee-Gees starting lineup…

“He is ready”, stated new head coach Jean-Philippe Asselin, himself a former star receiver in the Garnet and Grey.

“In addition to being fast and big, Simon has good hands. He understands our system and it has improved in all facets of the game in the last year. He has everything it takes to be a starter here.  He will be able to do great things. ‘

Le Marquand, who will don the number 88, was all smiles during the last training session before the team’s inaugural game on Sunday at the sports complex at the University of Ottawa.

This is understandable.

Things were not easy in 2009 as a rookie.

following an operation on his knee in January, he managed to return to form quickly.

“I saw the physical therapist three to four times per week and swam often in the pool. I was ready two weeks before training camp,” reported Le Marquand, a former star player for the Griffons de l’Outaouais…

“Except that during an exhibition game, I hurt my foot. ‘

The injury has kept him sidelined for the first half of the regular season. He notably missed the opening game.

Ultimately, Le Marquand has seen only a few minutes of play with last year’s receiving group, capturing the sole pass directed at him.

“I like my situation right now,” he confessed.

The criminology student finds himself alongside Cyril Adjeitey, Steven Hughes, Matt Bolduc and Alex Fortier-Labonte, another Gatineau player. The four receivers and quarterback Brad Sinopoli formed the third best offence in the country last year.

“I can not ask for better. I find myself in one of the strongest receiving corps in Canada. They are good models to look at on the field. “

Congratulations to coaches Asselin, Hall and the rest.  Some were becoming critical of Denis Piché towards the end of his tenure but he still left an overall tough act to follow.  To start things off with a solid road win must be very satisfying.

The Gee-Gees opened up the 2010 OUA regular season on the road Tuesday evening with an exciting 23-14 victory over the Windsor Lancers at the University of Windsor’s Alumni Stadium.

This becomes head coach Jean-Philippe Asselin’s first win of his CIS coaching career.

“I’m very happy with our win today,” said Asselin. “There are definitely improvements we want to work on, such as capitalizing on big play opportunities on both offense and defense, but we are definitely happy with a win.”

Ranked No. 5 in the CIS top ten coming into the season, the Gee-Gees managed to maintain the lead over the Lancers throughout the entire game.

Fifth year DB Chayce Elliott, Burnaby, B.C., had an excellent 24 yard return off the kick-off to start things off for the garnet and grey.

Fourth year QB Bradley Sinopoli, Peterborough, Ont., continued to display his outstanding athletic ability, finishing as the game’s leading rusher with 126 yards, including a huge 74 yard run to the 20 yard line in the first quarter.

The first score of the game came from fifth year Rec Matthew Bolduc, Ottawa, Ont., off a beautiful TD pass from Sinopoli in the endzone. Third-year K-P Matthew Falvo, Welland, Ont., followed it up with a successful kick for the extra point to secure an early 7-0 lead. Falvo went on to contribute another convert and three field goals –including a long 47 yard boot –for a total of 11 points.

After starting second year FB Brendan Gillanders, Orleans, Ont., went down early in the first quarter, back-up third year Mark Stephenson, Edmonton, Alta., took the majority of the carries for the Gee-Gees, amassing 41 yards on 12 carries.

In the second quarter, Bolduc scored yet another touchdown, this time off a 45 yard TD catch, to increase the lead to 14-1.

Fourth-year veteran Steven Hughes, Ottawa, Ont., was a key receiver in the Gee-Gees first victory, as he connected with Sinopoli on several occasions and finished the game as the Gee-Gees top receiver with 128 yards on 11 receptions.

First-year FB David Levell, Laval, Qué., put on a strong freshman performance, recording 30 yards rushing, as well as first-year LB Nick Lecour, Ottawa, Ont., who amassed three solo tackles.

Fifth-year DL Sébastien Tétreault, Granby, Qué, who recorded five tackles, was a dominant force in the defensive line.

Despite an ongoing struggle with penalties, it was clear that uOttawa did not skip a beat in their powerful third ranked offense from last year, recording 353 yards in 42 plays in the first half alone (207 yards passing and 146 yards rushing and 19 first downs).  The Lancers went 66 yards in 22 plays in the first half, with only five first downs.

I picked up from an Orleans paper (forget which one) that Gillanders has a broken leg, so we may not see him for a while, unfortunately.

It is a little worrisome to see a comment about penalties as that has been a recurring sub-plot for years. Hopefully it’s the result of many of these players getting their first significant action, but on that aspect, I am not optimistic.

Ottawa Sun – After a heartbreaking finish to last season, the Ottawa Jr. Riders started their 2010 campaign off on the right foot Sunday afternoon at the Minto Sportsplex.

The Jr. Riders — who had a 19-point lead before losing 20-19 to Chateauguay in last season’s Quebec Junior Football League championship game — beat the South Shore Monarchs 23-0 in their season opener.

The young Riders earned a total of 279 yards rushing and passing, most of it in the first half.

Rookie quarterback Dallon Kaprowski led the team with a 25-yard rushing play and a 60-yard passing play to Shayne Curly. Peter Mineault also contributed a one-yard touchdown run.

The Jr. Riders have only 14 returning players from last season’s club that made it all the way to the final, but they demonstrated early on Sunday that they will be very sound defensively.

Acadia graduate Matt Kassner, who has returned to play his last season of junior football and is doing double duty as the team’s free safety and defensive backs coach, had a pair of interceptions. Rookie Jordan Henry also had an interception for Ottawa.

Rashid Timbilla was another outstanding contributor on the defensive side of the ball for the Riders, making many solo tackles and finishing with two sacks.

The Jr. Riders host the Laval Devils next Saturday, Sept. 4 at 7 p.m. at the Minto Sportsplex.

Are we absolutely certain?? Last Saturday, the Sun stated that the game was here, which surprised me because I thought it was a roadie.  I looked at the QJFL site that morning and it still listed it as being in Ste Julie Quebec.

Jr Riders, Panthers…please see what you can do about moving to the OFC along with the Sooners.  Perhaps that Conference has internal issues of its own, I don’t know.  But as a fan I can at least know when the hell I’m supposed to be at the park.

I have a boat load of catching up to do.  I did not get the NCAFA midget scores from the Friday night before my Saturday, August 28th, departure so by the time I get back on my routine, I’ll have missed two weekends’ worth of scores.

I know literally nothing about what has gone on in Ottawa since I left.  I tried to cheat by buying a copy of the Toronto Sun on Wednesday in order to at least find out the result of Tuesday’s Ottawa U. / Windsor game, but the football gods ultimately laughed at me.  The clerk had left the Tuesday edition out so I grabbed a paper that was entirely useless to me.

So while pretending to doze off in the hammock, this is what I have been agonizing over during the past week:

-Are the Ottawa Colts for real?  I was suprised at the quality of their performance on the opening weekend of NCAFA play.  They have had little success over the past few seasons and anyone who enjoys cheering for an underdog to turn things around should find following this team interesting.

-How has the Asselin era begun?  For that matter, has it begun?  Gee-Gees head coach Jean-Philippe Asselin’s (young) age and lack of experience have been used as reasons to forecast Gee-Gees struggles in 2010 while he works through an “interim” tag.  The team’s lone exhibition game’s score was a tilted field shut out but has been largely shrugged off.  If a similar performance was on display in Windsor, the “era” may just end up being a throwaway season.

-Is the Cumberland Panthers junior club back?  They had an absolutely miserable season last year after making gradual progress since fielding a club at that level.  They were to open the season against the defending champ Chateauguay Raiders.  That game’s final might be a good indicator of whether 2009 was just an abheration.

-Is the high school schedule available?  There had been grumblings about more teams joining the tier one ranks, including second-year program Franco-Cité.  The more the merrier, and I’d also like to confirm the date of the day-long, eight-game event, assuming it takes place for the third straight year.  Its scheduling is unwieldly for fans of the sport, but it has rapidly become an event that I look forward to as much as any other and I try to book vacation time around it.

I’ll be basically working in chronological order when I return to CRFHQ.  While some of the articles that I locate will be several days old, I likely will still post them for the sake of future reference.  I expect to spend a good part of my Saturday evening doing exactly night while fielding questions about when the car will be unloaded.

Very much looking forward to hitting live action again at skeletal Frank Clair Stadium on Monday.

When Ottawa Gee-Gees football coach JP Asselin went to some of his returning captains, they made it pretty clear that there should be a vote to pick this year’s captains.

There’s nothing like democracy.

And it’s clear that the veteran captains are pretty well-respected by their teammates. The Gee-Gees named seven captains Friday — Cyril Adjeitey, Patrick D’Amico, James McNaughton, Bradley Sinopoli, Sebastien Tetreault, Chayce Elliott and Lee Shaver, with only QB Sinopoli not a fifth-year senior.

“The character of the players that are chosen as captains and how they behave off the field is what we want all our players to aim for,” said Asselin. “We’ve put them in a position to lead on and off the field.

‘And this is a big honour for the captains, the fact that they’ve been voted in by the veterans.”

Adjeitey was a (2009) second-team all-Canadian, the Gee-Gees’ top receiver with 37 catches for 672 yards.

D’Amico played a vital role on last year’s offensive line.

McNaughton, a linebacker, had 19 tackles last season.

Sinopoli was one of the top quarterbacks in the CIS last season and will look to lead last year’s third-ranked offence.

Defensive lineman Tetreault is a two-time all-Canadian.

Cornerback Elliott was a 2009 OUA second-team all-star and led the Gee-Gees in punt and kick returns .

Defensive back Shaver had 19 tackles last season.

On the heels of a 41-0 loss to the Vert et Or in Sherbrooke Wednesday, the Gee-Gees are confident they will achieve success this season, “I thought it went well, even though the scoreboard didn’t show it,” said Asselin. “We only played our starters for three drives and they played theirs for the first half.

“It was just a big practice for us. We are right where we want to be. We’re just trying to get better every day. We all feel this is a better team than last year.”

The Gee-Gees open their season in Windsor on Tuesday.

Turns out that’s not quite true:  The Sun had a write-up about the Association’s 2010 opening weekend including the first of the midget games (the second must have been past their bedtime).  Here is that level’s blurb in particular:

The Nepean Redskins fought back to beat BelAir 27-20 in OT. After Redskins QB Connor Edwards was injured, slotback Kyle McLean took over, earning “star of the game” status, along with Sonjay Bromfield, who had an interception, and fullback Ryan Weeks, who had two TDs.

The Junior Riders have a brand spanking new coaching staff, with Max Palladino replacing the departed Luigi Constanzo (now the special teams co-ordinator for the Gee-Gees).

But even with so many changes on the sidelines, the Junior Riders expect big things this QJFL season.

“We’ve drawn up our schedule, practices and games … and the schedule goes right up to Oct. 30, the date of the Manson Cup,” said Palladino. “That’s the last day on our schedule and that’s where we’ll be.”

High expectations, for sure. But there’s no question it’s a realistic goal with the talented roster opening its season Saturday, at 1 p.m., at Minto Field against the South Shore Monarx. It’ll be a special day not only for the Riders, but for Joe Pistilli, whose involvement in football recently saw him inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. Pistilli will be honoured during a pre-game presentation.

The other local team, the Cumberland Panthers, open their season on Saturday, with a 7 p.m. home game at Millennium Field against the Chateauguay Raiders.

On defence, the Junior Riders have a fearsome front seven, including linebackers Tyson Morris, Jordan Bradley and AJ Palladino and linemen Ian Jennings, Rashid Timbilla and Ali Mansour. Safety Matt Kassner is also a huge force.

On offence, linemen Bassam Taha and Jason Hoddinott lead the way. QB Leith Fisken is backed up by rising star Dallon Kuprowski. Behind them is a potent running attack with Peter Mineault and Stevie Anderson lugging the ball.

Then there are receivers Randy Roseway and Mitchell Spence.

“We’re very excited,” said Max Palladino. “We’ve registered 46 kids. We’ve got a few more kids heading back to school here and they’ll be back in September.

“Our strength seems to be the offence, it’s going to be very explosive. If (the running backs) catch a hole, they’ll be gone. It’s a big difference moving back to three-down football (after coaching four-down football in the OVFL). You’ve got to pick up seven or eight yards on the first carry.

“Our defence will be very strong, too.

“We cut down to two practices a week and we’ve had up to 98% attendance the last two weeks.”

A couple of things that caught my eye…

I’m sure the Cumberland Panthers love being referred to as the other club.  I’m sure no disrespect is intended but if I were a member of that organization, I’d make sure to remember that all season.

I love that the Jr Riders are said to have a fearsome front seven, but only six of them are named.  Someone must be feeling left out.

Most importantly, if one is to believe the QJFL website (always a shaky proposition) the game is actually in lovely Ste. Julie, Quebec.  If you plan on attending, you might want to call and check first.

Won’t be a problem for me as I leave town early tomorrow and will not return until late next Saturday.  No ‘net for me, so I’ll be scrambling to catch up upon my return.  It’ll be like scrambling down the stairs as a kid to open all my Christmas presents.  Enjoy!

I have not come across any coverage of the NCAFA Midget games.  I attended both the Nepean Redskins overtime win over Bel Air and the Ottawa Colts victory over the South Ottawa Mustangs Stampeders.

Scheduling issues aside (the start of the second game was delayed by the overtime in the previous contest, causing it to run to about 11:30PM), opening a season with a game as good as the ‘skins/Norsemen game was (27-20 Redskins) is how you wish it could happen.  Admission is free at this level and I felt like I was stealing.  You got the sense that some of these guys missed hitting one another because there were some wicked shots delivered.

Because of where I live in town, I consider the Stampeders to be my “home” team.  Nonetheless, I was very happy for, and impressed with, the Colts victory.  The Colts had won one game over the past two seasons combined and while in all likelihood this was a largely different roster from last year’s, I hope a few players from the winless 2009 edition were present to enjoy upsetting the defending champs.

Well done to whomever orchestrated the turnaround.  When the Mustangs fielded a Midget team in 2008 after a “year off”, their first victory was against the Colts and they went on to win a championship.  It’ll be interesting to see if history repeats itself somewhat.

As to the Stampeders, winning the last two crowns has apparently been good to them.  They have a sharp new look of red and black jerseys with silver helmets.  I only managed to snap a few crap shots before my batteries died, unfortunately.

The following night…The Panthers vs Essex in the OVFL championship game.  Oh dear.

There is coverage of this one but because it’s so (necessarily) lengthy and because I don’t plan to dwell on it much, I did not copy it into the blog.  You could pretty stop reading after the part of the opening line about about mistake, miscues and missed oportunities though.

The Panthers blew it. Yes, having a TD called back on an invisible offsides call hurt, obviously, but two interceptions and two fumbles hurt more.  The defence managed to keep them into it until the offense got going.  Then when it did…

…The Panthers had forced the Ravens into a fourth and 10 situation deep in Cumberland territory when they were called for roughing the passer.

The call seemed to breathe new life into the Ravens sails and they promptly and efficiently moved the ball 42 yards on eight plays, culminating in a 15-yard fade pass from Kennedy to Whitfield.

Regardless, a great game with a very lively crowd for both teams, despite the mid-November weather.  And none of this should take away from the display put forward by RB Ashton Dickson.  Officially (OVFL website), his two scoring runs in regulation are credited as being of 60 and 30 yards.

I’ll be leaving town on Saturday for about a week but if you’re feeling like watching some local ball, NCAFA owns the west end and the QJFL gets underway in the east as the defending champion Chateauguay Raiders drop by to play the Cumberland Panthers at Millenium at 7PM.