Gavin Cond Named CIS Player of the Week

Gavin Cond, a former player with the Sault Ste. Marie Sabercats, recieved top honors last week after Laurier beat a high-scoring Acadia squad 31-10. Gavin accumulated a game high total of 11 tackles, and added 1 interception and 1 force fumble.

In the 2005 season, Gavin recorded a total of 14 single tackles, with 9 assisted. He also had 1 forced fumble.

Quite remarkably, however, Gavin has amassed a total of 21 unassisted tackles in the 2005 playoffs alone. Add to that 3 the interceptions he's made and you have one hell of a playoff run!

OVFL Alumni Representation High @ Vanier Cup

With the Vanier Cup being played this Saturday, December 3rd, I thought it would be wise to take a look at the roster of the Laurier Golden Hawks. To my surprise I found 34 former OVFL players playing for the undefeated Hawks. I've compiled the list, and it goes as follows:

Jeff Smeaton - Brantford Bisons
Adrian Houwer - Brantford Bisons
Josh Golding - Brantford Bisons
Jeff Smeaton - Brantford Bisons
Adam Scheerer - Cambridge Lions
Luke Bendus - Cambridge Lions
Scott Evans - Cambridge Lions
Mitch Zappitelli - Cumberland Panthers
Jeremy Chemij - Etobicoke Eagles
Jordan Schaus - Guelph Bears
Dave Montoya - Halton Invictas
Cory Matthias - Huronia Stallions
Adam Bestard - Lambton Lions
Chris Levan - Lambton Lions
Vincent Flamia - Lambton Lions
Don Gooding - Lambton Lions
Bobby Kootstra - Lambton Lions
Scott Allin - Limestone Grenadiers
Will Harris - London Falcons
Chris Mamo - London Falcons
Andrew McLean - London Falcons
Gary Cressy - Mississauga Warriors
Kirstyn Carruthers - Niagara Spears - Dropped Out
Ben Wilsack - Niagara Spears
Greg Lavelle - Niagara Spears
Gavin Cond - Sault Ste. Marie
Aaron Amadio - Sault Ste. Marie.
Matt Premo - Sault Ste. Marie.
Noah Rushon - Sault Ste. Marie.
Dan Swystun - Sault Ste. Marie.
Erkki Salo - Toronto Thunder
Wayne Brock - Toronto Thunder
Matt Nytschyk - Wentworth Panthers
James Cranston - Wentworth Panthers
Brodie Legein - Wentworth Panthers

Many are first year players, but there are many who are hardened veterans. With a squad like this, it's no wonder why Laurier dominated this season. Proves just how valuable the OVFL really is in terms of developing Canadian Football.

I wish the Golden Hawks the best of luck! Do Ontario proud, boys!

Toronto Combine on December 6th

Ron Dias of All Canada Gridiron fame is bringing his series of football combines to Toronto this Tuesday.

Players can expect to perform 10 & 40yd sprints, as well as Pro Shuttle, Pro Agility and Broad Jump tests.

Positional 1 on 1's will also be performed.

All players should bring their helmet's with them, and Quarterback's should bring their footballs.

University coaches will be on hand at the combine so players wishing to garner even more attention should bring their hi-lite tapes with them.

School's that have confirmed their attendance:

Penn St.
Michigan St.
UCLA
Duke
Ohio Univ.
Ashland
Missouri Rolla
Bucknell
Buffalo

Also expected to attend are Rutgers, Connecticut & Illinois

The combine begins at 7pm, but players should arrive as early as 5pm in order to register. The cost is $20.00 at the door.

The combine is taking place at the University of Toronto Athletic Centre, located at 55 Harbord St in downtown Toronto, on the corner of Spadina. Click here for a Google Map.

By TTC, take the subway to Spadina, and walk or take the Spadina streetcar south to Harbord; OR take the 94 Wellesley Bus from Ossington or Wellesley subway stations to Spadina & Harbord.

Elliott Richardson an AUFC All-Star & Rookie of the Year

Acadia free safety Elliott Richardson is the 2005 Atlantic conference Rookie of the Year. A first year student from Toronto, ON, Elliott has made an immdiate impact with the Axemen patroling the defensive secondary. Richardson finished fifth in total tackles with 33.5, tops among rookies in the conference. He also added two interceptions which he returned for 28 yards. Elliott is the second Acadia player is as many years to be named rookie of the year. Offensive lineman Adam Rogers was the 2004 recipient.

Added to his Rookie of the Year title, Elliott Richardson was named to the AUFC Defensive All-Star team. Quite a feat for any rookie to accomplish.

Elliott spent the summer playing for the Mississauga Warriors, where he amassed a total of 45 defensive points including 30 assisted tackles, and 24 singles, more than any other player on the Warriors roster.

Toronto's Best at St. FX

The following four are playing at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia. They entered their rookie year this past season, but to my knowledge, have yet to play a game. Look for them to make a jump at starting positions next year.


Justin Sousa
Justin has been playing football for seven years for Michael Power, St. Joseph, and the Etobicoke Eagles. His goal is to dress at some point in his first season while progressing towards his academic goals. He won his high school’s defensive MVP award as well as the Team Spirit award. Justin was named as the most improved player of the Etobicoke Eagles in 2004.


Christian Oberegger
Oberegger is one of the top offensive line recruits to come out of Ontario this year. He played both centre and fullback positions for the Mississauga Warriors of the OVFL. He led the team to the 2004 championship and was named captain for their 2005 season. His goals include playing as a freshman for the X-Men, winning the Vanier Cup and graduating with a Degree in Human Kinetics.


Colin Gray
Colin recently finished his last year in high school. He was named as MVP and defensive captain for Upper Canada College’s number 3 ranked team while starting at Running Back and Middle Linebacker. As a senior, he scored 9 touchdowns while averaging 11.2 yards a carry. Having a reputation as a punishing hitter, he set school records for tackles in a game and tackles in a season. After last season, Colin was named as an All-Toronto Linebacker and listed as one of the top safety prospects in Ontario by Weir’s Football magazine. Colin also played five seasons for the Etobicoke Eagles, winning defensive MVP on the 2004 provincial Bantam Championship team.


Carlo Onorati
Carlo attended SMC in Toronto where he was captain of the defense. He helped lead the Kerry Blues to a 32 - 1 high school football record over the past three years. He won a junior and senior Toronto Metro Bowl Provincial Championship and was named SMC’s Outstanding Graduating Student-Athlete this year. Playing for the Toronto Wildcats, of the OVFL, he set the sack record in 2003 and won the Hammer Award, given to the team’s the best defensive player.

St. Francis lost the AUFC final recently to the Acadia Axemen by a score of 69-6

OVFL Stadiums

The following is the most comprehensive list of OVFL stadiums in existance. If there are any discrepencies feel free to email me at ovgrapevine@gmail.com. I'm always looking for any and all information that I may add in order to give you a deeper look into the OVFL.

Anyone with more precise pictures of the stadiums in question, please feel free to email them to me at the above address.

Brampton Bulldogs - Chinguacousy Park
Brantford Bisons - Wayne Gretzky Sports Centre
Cambridge Lions - Rogers Field
Essex Ravens - Essex High School
Etobicoke Eagles - Etobicoke Collegiate Institute
Guelph Bears - Varsity Stadium
Halton Invictas - Nelson Stadium
Huronia Stallions -Barrie Community Sports Complex
Lambton Lions - Norman Perry Park
Limestone Grenadiers - Loyalist Collegiate and Vocational Institute
London Falcons - TD Waterhouse Stadium
Metro Toronto Wildcats - Esther Shiner Stadium
Mississauga Warriors - Mississauga Valleys
Niagara Spears - West Park High School
Oshawa Hawkeyes - Oshawa Civic Stadium
Ottawa-Cumberland Panthers - Millenium Sports Park
Ottawa-Myers Riders - Nepean Sportsplex (Minto Field)
Sault Ste. Marie Sabercats - Rocky Dipietro Field
Steel City Ironmen - Ivor Wynne Stadium
Sudbury Northerners - Queens Athletic Field
Toronto Thunder - L'amoreaux Park
Wentworth Panthers - Beverly Community Centre

Clifton Dawson Honored As Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week

Although Dawson never played in the OVFL, he was born and raised in Toronto, playing for the Birchmount Park Panthers.

Edit: Thanks to a poster on the All Canada Gridiron, I've been made aware that Clifton Dawson did, in fact, play in the OVFL. Dawson played with the Toronto Thunder for two seasons. In 2000 he lead them to the playoffs, and in 2001 he helped them win the OVFL championship.

Hailed as the best RB in Harvard history by The Boston Globe, Dawson did not start out there. Originally comitted to Northwestern, Dawson re-evaluated his goals, and decided to go to Harvard, citing his inablilty to pass up the education Harvard would provide.

Harvard looked to Dawson for the win against Yale on November 19th, and he did not dissapoint, gaining 213 all-purpose yards, running for 128, and catching 10 passes for 85.

Dawson scored two touchdowns, including the game winning 2 yarder during the third overtime period.

After this win, Harvard looks to the playoffs which begin next week. They finish the season in second place with a record of 5-2.

Dawson concludes the season with 1139 yards rushing, 336 recieving yards(3rd highest on the Harvard team) and 13 touchdowns.

Dawson is a strong candidate for the Walter Payton Award, which is awarded annually to the best offensive player in Division I-AA football. Notable previous winners include: Brian Westbrook, Brian Finneran, Dave Dickenson, and Steve McNair. I wish him all the best.

OVFL Alumni Update: Justin Dunk

Justin Dunk

The rookie sensation from the Guelph Gryphons amassed a total of 1864 yards in 9 games during the 2005 OVFL season while playing for the Guelph Bears.

In his rookie season, Justin Dunk has been thrust into the starting Quarterback position and has not let his team down. In 5 games he completed 76 passes for a total of 1367 yards and 7 touchdowns.


He's been a vital part of the team, and look for him to have a steller season next year.

He's got nowhere to go but up.

OVFL Alumni Update: Oshiomogho Atogwe

Oshiomogho Atogwe

Atogwe suited up with the Essex Ravens in the summer of '99, and after being drafted in the 3rd round by the St. Louis Rams, he's seen limited action in the NFL.

He currently sits behind Mike Furrey at Free Safety in the St. Louis Rams depth chart.

He's played in 4 games this season, accumulating 1 single tackle and 1 assist.

Fantasy leagues reported him as 'having a chance to contend for a starting position' but it seems that those hopes didn't pan out.

Hopefully he'll have a more productive year next year, and will be promoted to the starting position.

New OVFL Teams?

The word is that there will be a new Junior & Senior team in the Newmarket/Aurora area.

There's already a COMFL team in Newmarket, so I wonder how these two teams will conflict.

North Bay is also rumoured to be putting in a Senior team for the 2006 season.

Anyone with more information is enouraged to contact me at OvGrapevine@gmail.com

Etobicoke's Punishment?

After the brawl that ensued after the quarter final game between The Mississauga Warriors and The Etobicoke Eagles, the consequences for both teams are unclear.

Some argue that only Etobicoke will be punished, but that doesn't make any sense. Even though the initial perpetrator, Gajan Sybillis, was from Etobicoke, it takes more than one person to initiate a brawl. The Warriors are not blameless.

So it's whispered that Etobicoke will forfeit the first two games of the 2006 season, but that's ludicrous. The governing body wouldn't allow something like that since Gajan is not even a part of the Eagles organization any longer.

The more likely scenario is that each coach will have to miss 2-4 games on the season.

Of course, the coaches would do this at different times so that the Eagles have a coach at every game.

If anyone has any factual information regarding this topic, please email me at, ovgrapevine@gmail.com

Congratulations to the 2005 OVFL Champions

I'd like to take this first post in order to congratulate the Niagara Spears on their 2005 OVFL Championship Victory.

It's a few months late, but hey, a congratulations is a congratulations any time.