(Posted 2:30 p.m., Oct. 6)
Orléans Raftsmen solidify division lead in QMFL
By Fred Sherwin
The Orleans Star

Midget-aged football is alive and doing well in Ottawa’s east end courtesy of the Orléans Raftsmen.

Under the organizational umbrella of the Orléans Bengals Football Club, the team of 15- to 17-year-olds was christened this past spring due to an amalgamation between the Quebec Midget Football League (QMFL) and the National Capital Amateur Football Association (NCAFA).

The Orléans Raftsmen improved their division leading record to 8-1 on Oct. 6 with a 28-17 win over the Gaulois de Gatineau. Fred Sherwin/Photo

On May 4, the QMFL and NCAFA announced the official launch of the Midget Football Big 10 Canada league which is made up of teams from the 16 clubs in those associations.

“Merging with the QMFL has been a tremendous experience for our coaches and team,” said Raftsmen head coach, Ron Raymond.

“Playing against Quebec-based teams has given my players the opportunity to showcase their skills in front of both university and CEGEP coaches which will enable many of them to pursue their education and continue to play football at a very high level.”

The Raftsmen have competed in the Scott Division all season and are the proud owners of a circuit leading 8-1 record including 28-17 win over the Gaulois de Gatineau during Thanksgiving weekend.

Besides the Raftsmen and the Gaulois, the division consists of the St. Lazare Stallions (6-3), the St. Laurent Spartans (6-3), the Chateauguay Raiders (5-4), and the Sherbrooke Bulldogs (2-7).

The Heppell Division is made up of five teams featuring the undefeated Sun Youth Hornets (9-0), the North Shore Mustangs (6-3), the St. Leonard Cougars (5-4), the LaSalle Warriors (3-6) and the Greenfield Packers (0-9).

The Raftsmen will close out the regular season on Sunday, October 14, when the club travels to Sherbrooke, Quebec to take on the Bulldogs.

Raymond likes how his team has pro-gressed since training camp in August and is looking forward to the post season.

" We (Orléans) really didn’t know what to expect playing in the new league but it’s turned out quite well. The experience, so far, has been positive and very productive.”

Although, Raymond had to deal with one setback in September when his two starting running backs decided to leave the team and play high school ball with St. Matthew.

“It was certainly a setback but we dealt with it and had other players step up in their place,” Raymond admitted.

The team hasn’t missed a stride since losing their season opener 43-37 against St. Laurent back on Aug. 12. They will close out their schedule riding an eight-game winning streak.

There were a couple of close calls including a pair of one-point wins in their two games against St. Lazare on Aug. 18 and Sept. 29 and a third one-point victory over Chateauguay on Sept. 23.

The team’s website can be found at www.orleansraftsmen.com. For more information about the QMFL go to qmfl.ca.

(This story was made possible thanks to the generous support of our local business partners.)