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(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).
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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
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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.)
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