Hurricanes, Fratmen for Ontario crown
The last time they played, which basically decided the site of this game, it was on a field neither team calls home.
The Hamilton Hurricanes travel to Windsor to play the AKO Fratmen in Sunday afternoon’s (2 p.m.) Ontario Football Conference final. The winner will host the 110th Canadian Bowl for the Canadian junior championship on Nov. 11.
The powerful Fratmen beat Hamilton 33-21 in mid-September in Brantford, the only time this season the two top teams in the OFC faced each other.
Hamilton finished 5-3, their lone two losses were to Prairie Conference teams the Edmonton Wildcats and Regina Thunder. To accommodate games against the west, they played only one regular season game against most-distant rivals Windsor and Ottawa.
The Fratmen’s only loss in a 7-1 season came against the Edmonton Huskies, in their season opener. They’ve won eight straight since.
“We expected them to be good,” says Hurricanes president Mike Samuel. “Windsor and Hamilton have been the two constants in the OFC. It’s been either or both in the league final for the last seven years.”
Hamilton coach Jason Hayes likes his team’s play since they lost to Windsor. The Hurricanes were edged 40-37 the next week in Edmonton. But took a horrific number of penalties to aid the Wildcats’ cause.
In their final two regular season games they beat the GTA Grizzlies and Niagara Raiders by a combined score of 99-6, then clobbered London Beefeaters 44-7 last weekend to qualify for the conference final. Windsor wiped out the Ottawa Sooners 42-14 in their semifinal.
The final will feature two superb quarterbacks in Hamilton’s OFC allstar Jake Marquette, who had missed three games through injury before returning for the Windsor game; and AKO’s Brandon Reaume, who’s played four seasons but has been the starter only this year.
He completed 68 per cent of his passes, and had a 151.2 passing efficiency rating, both franchise records, and put up 20 touchdown passes, the most in the country this season.
“They’ve been throwing more than they typically do, so they trust him,” Hayes says of Reaume. “And he was in the top five in the league in rushing, so he’s explosive. Windsor has athletes all over the field.”
Reaume tossed three TDs in Windsor’s semifinal win and rushed for a couple of others. Marquette had a great game in his semifinal, too, completing 16 of 20 passes for four majors (two each by Trea Ivey and Angus Button) and rushing for a TD himself.
Hayes says his squad is different than the one that gave up two late touchdowns in the loss to Windsor. Marquette is back in the groove, and all-star running back David Adeniran (also a top returner) has recovered from an earlier injury.
“We’re healthy now and gelling at the right time,” Hayes said.
Hamilton will have to be prepared for a tough Windsor defensive line, anchored by OFC Defensive Player of the Year Adam Slikboer, and running backs D’Angelo Knox and Jakoby Jones, who combined for 227 rushing yards last weekend.