Preds take aim at OVFL playoffs
KITCHENER — The Waterloo Region Predators are trending in the right direction.
The Ontario Varsity Football League squad, which opened the season with three losses, will attempt to win its third straight game Sunday at 2:30 p.m. in a varsity (19and-under) clash with the Cornwall Wildcats (1-3) at Warrior Field.
“Learning our roles and accepting those roles was a challenge at first, but the guys are starting to understand the concept of family and the concept of team and it’s starting to work well for us,” said Predators’ first-year head coach Brandon Eaket.
“We have some great leaders on the team and these guys are teaching the younger guys what it takes to be successful.”
Younger guys would also be a good way to describe the 25-year-old Eaket and his coaching staff, which includes several players who recently played at the university level before trading in their pads for whistles. Connor Lanteigne, CJ Smith, Braden Southern and Eaket all played at UW, James Fracas competed for Wilfrid Laurier, and Cameron Wilhelm played at Guelph. Brandon Seip, Justin Maloney and Matt Armstrong are also on the coaching staff.
“We know what it takes to get to the next level and play university football and the kids really respond to that because they know we’ve been there and we know what we’re talking about,” said Eaket.
The Predators’ current crop of on-field leaders includes a handful of players that are wrapping up their fifth year of high school, with some expected to play at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport level later this summer.
That list includes four players that have committed to the University of Waterloo — slotback Garrett Huras (Bluevale), defensive lineman Michael Perak (Resurrection), offensive lineman Riley Van De Hogen (St. David), and defensive back Gordon Lam (Royal Imperial Collegiate of Canada, via St. Mary’s). Linebacker Andrew Sherriff (St. James, Guelph) will play at York.
Several younger players have also stepped forward to make an impact, starting with first-year quarterback Matthew Dahmer (Cameron Heights), who has led the team to both its victories after taking over for Alex Douglas (St. Benedict), who injured his shoulder during the Week 3 loss. Running back A.J. Klimm-Ruge (Grand River) has also made an impact in his first year.
The team also boasts an impressive defensive
line that Eaket describes as “ginormous.” That group includes Perak, Shane Herman (John Diefenbaker, Hanover), Benjamin Ibrahim (KCI), and Ruben Rodriguez
(Our Lady of Lourdes, Guelph).
The Predators, who competed in the Ontario Football Conference last year, are currently in sixth place in the 10-team OVFL with three regular-season games remaining. After Cornwall, their final home game, the Predators travel to Oshawa on July 2 to take on the Hawkeyes and close out their schedule July 15 against the Toronto Thunder.
The local squad opened with losses to the Etobicoke Eagles (5-0), York Lions (4-0) and Metro Toronto Wildcats (3-1), before rebounding with wins over the Hamilton Ironmen (0-4) and Ottawa Myers Riders (1-4). Of note, the Predators have managed to score just 53 points while giving up 122.
Waterloo Region Predators also have teams competing in the OVFL junior varsity (16-and-under) and bantam (14-and-under) divisions. The JV squad is currently last with a 0-5 record and the bantam squad leads its league with a 5-0 mark.