Herman rated top football program in Canada

The Herman Green Griffins have been rated the top high school football team in Canada over the past decade.

Canada Football Chat, an online service that tracks prospects and high school teams, released its Top 10 rankings for the decade Tuesday.

Based on final, year-end CFC rankings, Herman earned 191 points and first place. Hamilton’s St. Thomas More was second at 160 points.

They were the only two Ontario schools to crack the Top 10. The rest hailed from Alberta (three), Quebec (two) and one each from Saskatchewan, Manitoba and B.C.

“This is such a big thing, so good for Windsor, not just Herman,” Griffins head coach Harry Lumley said. “We’re always saying how good high school football is here.”

He noted other successful programs at Belle River, Sandwich, Amherst and Holy Names.

The COVID-19 pandemic prevented Herman from adding to its trophy collection this past fall but over the previous 10 years, the Griffins won five straight Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) titles between 2012-16.

They reached the 2019 final of OFSAA’S Golden Horseshoe Bowl, losing to St. Thomas More.

Lumley noted how Herman, with a student population of just under 700, consistently ranks among CFC’S Top 10 and can hold its own against much larger schools like St. Thomas More at 2,400 students.

“We compete against schools that have 1,000 or 2,000 kids,” he said. “We’ve had some good athletes through the years. Some of our teams from the ’90s and early 2000s would have been No. 1, too.”

Since news of the ranking broke, Lumley’s phone has been ringing constantly and his inbox filling with messages of congratulations.

“I’ve gotten calls from all across Canada and something like 250 emails,” he said. “I’ve heard from ex-players from 30 years ago.

Lumley has coached Herman football for more than 40 years, much of it with Godfrey Janisse by his side. Together they’ve won over 30 local championships and six OFSAA titles.

“Our guys are pretty proud of this,” he said, rattling off a long list of former players including former NFLER O.J. Atogwe and CFL veteran Chris Rwabukamba.

“It’s great for our school and it’s great for Windsor to be the No. 1 team for the whole decade.”