Monthly Archives: July 2016

Sooners TV interview with league president Don Stark

• July 31, 2016
• by:  Richard Morgan 
• note:  no comments 

July 30, 2016

The recent game between the Chateauguay Raiders and the Ottawa Sooners in the first annual Tunis Shrine Challenge Cup match was also covered by the Sooners’ own team of reporters. Prior to the game, reporter Karlen Herauf talked to QJFL president Don Stark about the efforts that were required to make it a reality.

In addition, on the Sooners web site there is also a nine minute slide show full of photos showing the activities before the game as well as the action on the field.
The slide show can be found here

Raiders 14 – Sooners 21 in Tunis Shriners Challenge Cup

• July 29, 2016
• by:  Richard Morgan 
• note:  no comments 

The reigning QJFL champions the Chateauguay Raiders faced their old rivals the Ottawa Sooners on Saturday July 23, 2016 at the Keith Harris Stadium in Ottawa in the first annual Shrine Bowl.

The Raiders were trailing 21-14 with 2:13 left to play in the game but they managed to get a first down just 5 yards from the end zone. However, a subsequent penalty for delay of game pushed them back 10 yards. Mario Porreca then gained nine of them back on a QB scramble but a second delay of game infraction negated that effort. Faced with a 3rd and goal at the Sooners 16-yd line, the last gasp pass attempt from Porreca to Shakeel D’Aguiar in the end zone went incomplete and all the Sooners then had to do was run out the clock to seal their victory.

The Sooners took a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter with a 55-yd catch-and-run play by S#80 (S#29 convert kick). They increased it to 9-0 with a pair of rouge points In the 2nd quarter before the Raiders were able to reduce the gap to 9-7 with less than three minutes left to play in the 1st half on a 39-yd TD catch by Ryan Forest (Remi Hort convert kick).
The Sooners dominated the 3rd quarter and they increased their lead to 19-7 with a TD by S#35 and a field goal by S#29. However, on the last play of the 3rd quarter Porreca found Forest again, this time on a 90-yd catch-and-run play, to make the score 19-14.

Raiders gave up a safety with barely three minutes left to play in the game to make the score 21-14 but their defense then forced the Sooners to go two-and-out and punt the ball away, which then set up the last minute heroics that came oh so close.

The comments by everyone, from players, to the coaches, to the organizers and the almost 400 fans who came to see the game was that it was a great event and that they are looking to next year’s match up.

The Shriners, Ottawa Sooners and the QJFL start a new tradition

• July 13, 2016
• by:  Richard Morgan 
• note:  no comments 

On Saturday, July 23, 2016 the reigning QJFL champions the Chateauguay Jr. Raiders will face the Ottawa Sooners at the Keith Harris stadium starting at 1 pm. At the end of the game, the Sooners Shrine Bowl will be presented to the winning team and a new annual tradition will be started to benefit the work of the Shriners in their support of hospitals for children and in particular burn victims and those affected by spina bifida. In the years that follow, the tradition will continue with the reigning QJFL championship team playing against the Sooners before the start of each new football season.

This game will be part of a larger event that will include:

Tickets can already be purchased online at the www.eventbrite.ca web site for $15 (plus tax).

The QJFL welcomes the Montréal Royals

• July 12, 2016
• by:  Richard Morgan 
• note:  no comments 

The Quebec Junior Football League is proud to announce that a new team will join its ranks for the start of its 34th season in 2016.

At its annual general meeting, which took place on May 14, the board of directors formally accepted the Montreal Royals to be part of the league starting with the 2016 season. This new team will be based on the island of Montreal and it will play its home games at Stade Hébert in the St-Leonard borough. Right from the start, it will face a tough challenge as it is scheduled to play the reigning league champions, the Chateauguay Jr. Raiders, on Saturday, August 20 at Stade Hébert at 3:30 pm.

The new team has already started their pre-season training on May 21, they have a Facebook page and their website should be up and running shortly. The team identity is expressed in the logo shown below:

This new addition allows the QJFL to maintain a roster of four teams playing a nine game regular season schedule following the announcement by the École de Technologie Superieur earlier in the year that it had withdrawn its Le Génie junior football team program.

The Montreal Royals team released the following press release:

The Royals are a breath of fresh air in the Québec Junior Football League. The Royals de Montréal are the new sensation. Located in the downtown part of Montreal, going towards the east side, the Royals are meant to excel and to show their talent. With an organization of qualified coaches, the players who will be a part of this team will come out of it more mature and for some, it will be a passport for higher levels (CEGEP or university).

What distinguishes this team is its composition; young men coming from all different neighbourhoods, who would not necessarily mingle in the streets, but who will, for one season, work towards the same goal. For some, being part of this team is a second chance, the opportunity to live their passion. It is also close to home, an opportunity to represent their hometown.

The Royals also means an outstanding staff, a team of qualified coaches who come from different spheres of Québec football and who have ended their playing career on the university field. Therefore, these coaches excel in transmitting their knowledge.

In brief, the Royals are former football players, football enthusiasts that want to pursue the tradition and share their love of this sport.

Date: July 4, 2016