The Cumberland Panthers Football Club went a perfect 2-0 at the Ontario Summer Football League (OSFL) championships in London on July 24, winning both the U14 and U16 AAA crowns.

The U14 team made history by becoming the fourth Cumberland Panther squad at that age level to win an OSFL championship in a row, and they did it in convincing fashion, downing the Durham Dolphins 31-12.

The U16 Panthers also made history by becoming the first U16 team in the club’s history to win a provincial title by beating the London Jr. Mustangs 12-8.

Ryan Gauncher was at the helm for the first three U14 championships before moving up to coach the U16 team to a perfect 10-0 record this season. In fact, Gaucher’s teams have not lost a single game in four years.

That record looked to be in jeopardy, after the U16 team was trailing 8-0 through much of the first half. It was only a Hail Mary pass from quarterback Chartles Dicaire to Jack Costanzo with three seconds left that narrowed the halftime deficit to 8-7 and gave the Panthers a boost of confidence coming out for the third quarter.

Cumberland’s defence, which had been stellar all season long, shut the Jr. Mustangs down through the third quarter and into fourth, even forcing a safety in the third quarter which gave the Panthers a 9-8 lead.

A 37-yard Ranieri field goal in the fourth extended their advantage to 12-8, meaning the Jr. Mustangs would need a touchdown to rob the Panthers of the win, which very nearly came to pass – literally

In the final two minutes of the game the Jr. Mustangs moved the ball down to the Panthers’ 30-yard line.

Then, on the final play of the game, they tried to pull off the same type of Hail Mary pass the Panthers did to end the first half and repeat history in the process.

It was just a year ago that the Jr. Mustangs U16 team defeated the Cumberland Panthers on a similar play in the dying seconds to snatch the 2025 championship from the jaws of defeat.

The Cumberland Panther defensive back that got burned on that play was Adrian Saumure. He was so devastated by the play that he wanted to quite football. It was Gaucher who talked him into returning for one more season.

Flash ahead to this year’s championship game and Saumure went from goat to hero by knocking the ball out of the Jr. Mustangs.receiver’s hands and thwarting what would have been a game winning touchdown.

To add extra insurance, Saumure’s defen-sive secondary partner, Bentley Capelle, whose birthday was on the same day, batted the loose ball to the ground to end the threat and the game.

For Saumure, it was sweet redemption.

For Gaucher, it was his 40th win and fourth OSFL championship in four years.

For the players who had moved up from the U14 team this year, it was their second or third championship in a row depending on when they joined the younger cohort.

For the players who returned from last year’s U16 team, it was a chance to experience the sweet taste of victory and erase the memory of last year’s loss.

After the win, Gaucher was quick to praise his assistant coaches and especially his defensive and offensive coordinators, Paul Deek and Luigi Costanzo.

The Cumberland Panthers U16 team made history last month by becoming the first team in that age cohort to win an OSFL provincial championship. PHOTO SUPPLIED

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The Panthers’ U14 team didn’t need any last second heroics in their game against East Division rivals Durham.

After opening the game with a rouge in the first quarter, the Panthers scored their first touchdown of the game on a seven-yard run by Asher Bradley. A Grayson Williamson convert would make the score 8-0.

After the Dolphins responded with a touch-down of their own to narrow the score to 8-6, Panthers’ quarterback Christiano Saghbini hooked up with receiver Jaylen Clergé for 22-yard touchdown catch and run early in the second quarter to make the score 15-6.

The Dolphins then scored to make the score 15-12.

A couple of series later, the Panthers’ defence was able to pin the Dolphins back deep in their own end, forcing them to give up a safety rather than risk giving Cumberland excellent field position and the chance to score another touchdown. Not that it would matter.

When play resumed in the third quarter, the Panthers marched down the field, setting up another touchdown run by Bradley to widen their margin to 24-12.

An 11-yard touchdown run by Ronin Van Gessel in the fourth quarter would make the final score 31-12, giving the Panthers their fourth U14 USFL championship in the past four years. A period during which they’ve gone a perfect 40-0.

For 17 players on this year’s team, it was their 20th win and second championship in a row.

For first year head coach Stephen Paiano, it was the end of a remarkable season and one which he will never forget.

“It’s been a heck of a run,” says Paiano. “I’ve been very fortunate to have a great group of assistant coaches and young players who really wanted to win a second championship.”

A lot of the players will now enjoy a short break before heading off to their various community teams for the start of the National Capital Amateur Football Association (NCAFA) season in just a couple of weeks.

The Cumberland Panthers U14 squad won the club’s fourth OSFL championship in as many years on July 25, downing the Durham Dolphins 31-12 for the title. PHOTO SUPPLIED