By Ryan Pyette
London Free Press

The London Beefeaters added 18 recruits — some from across Canada and others city high school powerhouses — to an already solid cast of returning players after the Canadian Junior Football League’s signing window opened this week.

The defending Ontario Football Conference champs expect at least 100 hopefuls to battle for roster spots if and when provincial rules requiring physical distancing and banning large gatherings are eased enough to allow training camps this summer.

“We expect to go in with four quarterbacks, four kickers, 12 offensive linemen,” Beefs coach Jesse Maddox said, “and those are good problems to have.”

The London squad even pulled from south of the border, with six-foot-two, 260-pound defensive lineman Jordan Fletcher and quarterback Devon Smith, who both played NCAA Division III ball at Western Connecticut State.

Local talent includes former South Lion Tyler Thompson, a six-foot-one, 210-pound linebacker with University of Guelph ties, and six-foot-one Western receiver Jack Bukich, who played high school ball at St. Thomas Parkside.

The OFC regular season usually starts in August, but emergency orders could delay kickoff until the fall. A traditional eight-game schedule is planned, but could be altered if necessary.

London Beefeaters 1 Saskatoon Hilltops 51

By Paul Vanderhoeven
postmedia.com

The London Beefeaters were hammered with an ice-cold blast of reality in a 51-1 pounding by the powerhouse Saskatoon Hilltops in the Canadian Junior Football League semifinal Saturday night at TD Stadium.

Bailey Taylor picked off Beefeaters quarterback Jake Pow on London’s first possession and Rylan Kleiter kicked a 22-yard field goal to give Saskatoon a 3-0 lead and the five-time defending national champions went on to score on their next five possessions to build up 34-1 lead going into half time.

Saskatoon quarterback Tyler Herman threw three touchdowns in the first half — a 75-yard and  a 52-yard catch and run by Connor Graham and a 20-yard TD pass to Keegan Dicks. Ben Abrook also ran in a four-yard touchdown under wet and frosty conditions at TD Stadium.

The Beefeaters defeated the defending Ontario Football Conference champion Hamilton Hurricanes in the OFC semifinals and the Windsor AKO Fratmen in the final.

Both of those playoff wins came on the road and first-year coach Jesse Maddox said the Beefs punched and bullied the Fratmen in their 28-20 Ontario championship win in Windsor. But the Beefs were the team taking the blows Saturday against the Toppers.

“We got a reality check today,” Maddox said. “Last week (against Windsor) we were the physical team and this week we weren’t. . .  . Ultimately I’m proud of my guys, I’m proud of my coaching staff, but there’s lots more work to do.”

Maddox said his young team has much to be proud of in winning an Ontario championship for the first time in seven years, but the Beefs fell two wins short of their ultimate goal of national title.

The Beefs boasted one of the best defences in the country going into Saturday night’s national semifinal, giving up just 87 points in eight regular season games, but they couldn’t do much to stop the Hilltops, who will be gunning for their sixth straight national championship when they play the Langley Rams on Nov. 16 in British Columbia for the Canada Bowl.

The Hilltops have won eight of the past nine CJFL championships. The 1999 AKO Fratmen are the last Ontario team to claim a national championship. The Beefs lost 51-7 to the Hilltops in their last CJFL semifinal appearance in 2012 in Saskatoon.

Sargeant said he was impressed with the Beefeaters aggression and physicality in the opening minutes of Saturday’s game, but the early interception, put them on their heels and the Hilltops seized the momentum with a barrage of devastating deep passes.

“They did a pretty good job being physical on the line of scrimmage but we loosened them up by making some big plays over top and we had a good mix after that, but our defence was lights out tonight,” Sargeant said.

“Coach Maddox and his staff are doing a good job. They are a good football team, but we’ve been in these games a lot. As long as they stay together and play together, they are a team on the rise. We have 15 fifth-year players so that’s a lot of experience and a lot of savvy that’s been through the wars quite a bit.”

Leo Centeno scored London’s only point on a rouge after going wide on a 30-yard field goal attempt.

London Beefeaters 28 Windsor Fratmen 20

By Ryan Pyette
London Free Press

Much of the Beefeaters’ recent history has been a broken record of third-place finishes and season-ending losses to Hamilton or Windsor.
Not anymore.

London still finished third again, but earned its first Ontario Football Conference title in seven years thanks to big road wins over, first, the defending champion Hurricanes, and then against the Fratmen on their home field in the provincial championship game Sunday night.

“We punched them in the face and bullied them in every aspect of the game,” first-year Beefs coach Jesse Maddox said. “We ran the ball down their throats and took what was there. This was a championship approach of all gas, pound the ball and take some shots (down the field).” Neither of these defining victories can be considered upsets.

On the opening play in Windsor, London turned over the ball on an interception and and the Fratmen quickly scored.

The Beefeaters shrugged it off, recovering for a 28-20 victory that would’ve been even more lopsided if not for a couple of rare dropped punts.

“We could’ve folded (after that bad start),” Maddox said. “If you have never won a big game, you don’t know how to win. But we went right down after that and punched in a touchdown. We had already knocked off Hamilton and the players believe in the process.

“It’s taken some time, but we’re gelling at the right point of the season.”

The Beefs are never out of games because they boast one of the top defences in the country. It was supposed to be a rebuilding part of the roster this year, but the new starters stepped up ahead of schedule.

“Our D has been our backbone,” Maddox said. “We gave up 87 points in eight (regular-season) games and that was No. 1 in Ontario and right up there in the country. Our front seven and the guys on the back end are doing their jobs and holding us in games.” Now, they move on to the greatest test.

The Beefeaters will face the famed Saskatoon Hilltops in the Canadian Junior Football League semifinal round Saturday evening at TD Stadium. The unbeaten Hilltops roll in having won eight of the past nine national titles.

“They lose very seldom and when they do, it’s rarely in a championship game,” Maddox said. “Coach Sarge (Tom Sargeant) is the winningest coach in CJFL history and he’s the Bill Belichick of this league. They play hard-nosed football. They don’t make mistakes, don’t talk and just do their jobs.
“They have a $300,000 budget, their own field and locker room and it’s the closest thing to a (USports) program.”

Only one Ontario team in the past 20 years – Windsor in 1999 – has won a national championship. When the Beefs advanced to the semifinal round in 2012, they lost to Hilltops 51-7 at the Gordie Howe Bowl in Saskatoon.

“It’s an opportunity to see the big boys first-hand and see how you respond to it,” Maddox said. “The odds are not in our favour, but anyone watching what we do and looking at the film will know we have a pretty good squad here and are dynamic in all three phases of the game.

The Beefeaters will face the famed Saskatoon Hilltops in the Canadian Junior Football League semifinal round Saturday evening at TD Stadium. The unbeaten Hilltops roll in having won eight of the past nine national titles.

“They lose very seldom and when they do, it’s rarely in a championship game,” Maddox said. “Coach Sarge (Tom Sargeant) is the winningest coach in CJFL history and he’s the Bill Belichick of this league. They play hard-nosed football. They don’t make mistakes, don’t talk and just do their jobs.

“They have a $300,000 budget, their own field and locker room and it’s the closest thing to a (USports) program.”

Only one Ontario team in the past 20 years – Windsor in 1999 – has won a national championship. When the Beefs advanced to the semifinal round in 2012, they lost to Hilltops 51-7 at the Gordie Howe Bowl in Saskatoon.

“It’s an opportunity to see the big boys first-hand and see how you respond to it,” Maddox said. “The odds are not in our favour, but anyone watching what we do and looking at the film will know we have a pretty good squad here and are dynamic in all three phases of the game.

“We have to make sure we make tackles this week and eliminate mistakes.”

Getting to this point was an achievement in itself. But the way the Beefs have handled themselves suggests they are not satisfied just yet.

“You’re like a salesman,” Maddox said. “At the start of the year, you’re telling kids (what it takes) and most roll their eyes when they meet you. But when you get out there and achieve your goals, it’s just a great feeling. I had kids come over and say this is the first championship they have ever won at any level and they appreciate everything it took. The kindness and gratitude in those words that goes with winning something and becoming a family.

“The players have work and some have kids or maybe some financial (concerns), but this is one thing that keeps them motivated and brings them together.”

And if they plan to get to the mountain top of junior football, they must start with the Hilltops.

rpyette@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/RyanatLFPress