High-flying Hurricanes primed for long playoff run
Talk about storming into the playoffs.
For the first time in franchise history, the Hamilton Hurricanes are a perfect 8-0 going into their conference semifinal against the GTA Grizzlies on Saturday.
They’re not just winning, though. They’re dominating.
In the regular-season, the country’s No. 2 ranked Hurricanes outscored their opposition 340-59, which is, by a long shot, the largest point differential in the CJFL’s Ontario Conference. They also recorded three shutouts, including a 26-0 decision in their only previous meeting with the Grizzlies this year.
A huge part of Hamilton’s success has been quarterback Jake Marquette, who has completed 67 per cent of his passes for 1,760 yards and 28 touchdowns — the most in the CJFL. It’s also the most by a Hurricanes player since 1993, when Jason Hayes — who now coaches the team — had 32 majors.
It helps that Marquette has some of the best hands in the conference to work with. His favourite target, Keyshaun Jordan, is tops in the province with 33 catches for 753 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Jaiden Hyland has rushed for 663 yards and three touchdowns on 85 carries.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Hurricanes have sacrificed only seven points per game on average.
That’s thanks to the work of guys such as linebacker Zachary Hoffner, who finished the regular-season with 28 tackles, 4.5 sacks and an interception, and lineman Tom Zarafonaitis, who leads the team with six sacks.
Along with defensive back Jay Animadu, Hoffner and Zarafonaitis were named conference all-stars on Wednesday. All three were unanimous selections.
The Hurricanes will face a team on the upswing. After dropping their first six games, the Grizzlies finished the regularseason with back-to-back wins, including a convincing 39-0 decision against Ottawa last weekend when Hamilton had a bye.
Running back Minkah Abdullah set a conference record when he ran 36 times for a remarkable 362 yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, defensive back Jacob Mandel had 10 solo tackles, a knock-down, a forced fumble and an interception.
Saturday’s game gets started at 7 p.m. at Tim Hortons Field. The winner moves on to face either Windsor or London for the conference championship and a berth in the national semifinal game in British Columbia.
The Canadian Bowl, the national championship for junior football, will be hosted by the winner of the CJFL’s Prairie Conference on Nov. 17. The Hurricanes have won the title once in franchise history — in 1972.