Photo Credit: Kenzie Henry.
The Summer Stampeders clinched playoff births in the top tier in all four divisions this past weekend, and are now gearing up for their upcoming playoff games.
The Varsity squad topped off their regular season with an impressive 5-1 record, winning the GTA AAA Division. Their only loss in the regular season was against the Essex Ravens 36-11 in the opening week. The boys then went on to win five straight, defeating the Oakville Titans 29-12, the Etobicoke Eagles 26-0, the Scarborough Thunder 34-9, the Brampton Bulldogs 44-0, and the Durham Dolphins 36-7. Next weekend, they’ll face the Kingston Junior Gaels who finished with their own impressive 5-1 record with 153 points for and 93 against.
In Junior Varsity, the Stampeders finished their season 4-2 after an extremely close loss to the Durham Dolphins with seconds left in the game. The Stampeders had driven the field and scored a touchdown in the final seconds of the game, but came up short on a two-point convert attempt that would have given them the win and first-overall in the GTA AAA Division. The JV team’s other loss came in the first week against the Essex Ravens in a 14-6 loss before the JV Stamps went on their four-game winning streak. They bested the Oshawa Hawkeyes 30-0, the Etobicoke Eagles 29-6, the Scarborough Thunder 24-6, and the Brampton Bulldogs 53-6. Next they’ll face the Essex Ravens again in the quarterfinals this Saturday, July 16th at the University of Windsor.
The Bantam Stampeders went undefeated and won a provincial championship in the fall, and their winning streak has continued right on into this year’s summer season. The boys capped off their 6-0 regular season with a hard-fought win over the London Junior Mustangs 26-8 after defeating the Brampton Bulldogs 6-0 in week one, the Niagara Spears 67-0 in week two, the Cambridge Lions 32-0 in week three, the Brantford Bisons 48-0 in week four, and the Essex Ravens 23-0 in week five. Who they’ll face next hasn’t yet been announced, but they’ll likely enjoy home-field advantage through the playoffs.
In the Peewee Division, the Stamps will compete to earn a spot in the KJ Kenemy Memorial Cup Championship. They sit comfortably in third place in their bracket following a highly competitive 4-3 season in which they scored 181 points for with just 145 against. The Peewees opened their season with a huge 51-6 win over the Chatham Kent Cougars but lost to the Sarnia Sturgeons 33-12 and the Niagara Generals 16-0. They rallied then, and went on a three-game winning streak, defeating the Guelph Junior Gryphons 28-0, the Waterloo Predators 42-22, and the Cambridge Lions 32-16. The London Junior Mustangs proved too much the following week, besting the Stamps 52-16. The Peewees are slated to play this Saturday against the (#6) Waterloo Predators.