Maritime Football League
2008 Game Summaries

Preseason

MFL season kicks off today

Four games on tap for senior men's tackle football regular season

Terry McIntyre of Fredericton never expected to see this kind of growth when he helped found the Maritime Football League.

We've gone from three teams in our first season in 2001 to 10 teams in 2008," he said. "The funny thing is that in 2002 when our three New Brunswick teams started to play with two in Nova Scotia we decided to have a Maritime championship.

"I bought a trophy, donated it and put my name on it (McIntyre Cup). I just did it so the teams would have something to play for. I figured it would probably last one year and be gone."

McIntyre is now deputy commissioner of the MFL which opens the regular season this weekend. This is senior men's tackle football, it's four downs and the minimum age is 18.

"The fact that we've struck a fairly good balance between competition and recreational participation," he said when asked what's allowed the MFL to experience such growth.

"We've tried to be all inclusive rather than having a four-team hot shot kind of league. We've pushed the teams to keep their costs down and not go crazy on too many extras. I think we made a major step forward last season when we went to the two-tier playoff format so that everybody has something to play for."

The MFL expanded to 10 teams this season with the addition of the Super City Mean Green of Halifax.

Others are the defending champion Riverview Molson Mustangs, Moncton Great Canadian Marshals, Saint John Wanderers, Saint John Longhorns, UNB Saint John Wolves, Capital Area Gladiators of Fredericton, Prince Edward Island Privateers, Dartmouth Knights and Halifax Shockers.

Moncton opens the eight-game regular season by hosting Super City today at 4 p.m. at Rocky Stone Memorial Field. Riverview will play its first game on the road against Capital Area next Saturday.

The top four finishers will compete in the upper playoff bracket for the Maritime Bowl. The next four clubs will drop into a consolation group and battle for the Mariner Bowl.

Riverview, Halifax, Capital Area and the Saint John Wanderers were in the upper playoff bracket last season. Riverview trounced Halifax 23-0 to capture the Maritime Bowl.

The Saint John Wanderers have captured the Maritime Bowl three times since it was first presented in 2002. Riverview, Moncton and Halifax have hoisted the top prize once each.

The top four clubs this season appear to be Riverview, the Saint John Wanderers, Capital Area and Dartmouth. The Saint John Longhorns and Halifax could be threats to crack the upper playoff bracket.

"I would be willing to put money on the top three clubs being Dartmouth, Riverview and the Saint John Wanderers," said McIntyre. "The top three clubs look solid and after that it's up for grabs. I think fourth place will be a dogfight."

Riverview chief executive officer Mark Crandall was among the MFL's co-founders. It was a loose format back then with three teams getting together each weekend to meet in a series of shortened games.

"Initially, I didn't think the league had the potential to be where it is today," he said. "Four years ago, Bob Giffard and I realized the potential and that's why we formed a team in Riverview. We realized it could be run as a business and that we could have a strong and financially viable league.

"With a lot of hard work and a good vision, it seems to be spiraling into something bigger every year. It's not a me, me, me type of scenario now. Teams are exchanging ideas and helping each other behind the scenes to make for a stronger league."

The inaugural MFL Pro Bowl will be played on Aug. 16 in Halifax. The all-star game will pit the best players from the six New Brunswick clubs against the best from the four teams in Nova Scotia and P.E.I.

"We'll move the location of the game from year to year," said Crandall. "If we do this properly, it could be an annual event that draws fans from around the Maritimes and be a good revenue stream for the league. We're looking for ways to improve the league and create fan base."

MFL Schedule

The MFL opens the regular season with four games today, all 4 p.m. kickoffs.

* Super City at Moncton, Rocky Stone Memorial Field

* S.J. Longhorns at S.J. Wanderers, Millidgeville

* Capital Area at P.E.I., UPEI

* UNB Saint John at Halifax, Wanderers Grounds

SAINT JOHN - With three Maritime Bowl championships in the last five years, the Saint John Wanderers can lay claim to being New Brunswick's senior AAA football dynasty.

But the Port City pigskin squad bowed out in last year's Maritime Football League semifinals to the Halifax Shockers, missing a chance at a third straight title. Wanderers head coach Dave Grandy, who'll be on the sidelines after two major knee surgeries in the last seven months, is anxious for redemption.

That quest begins when the Wanderers welcome the Saint John Longhorns to Millidgeville Field today at 4 p.m. Today's docket includes three other 4 p.m. games: the Capital Area Gladiators visit the Prince Edward Island Privateers, Moncton Marshals entertain Super City Mean Green and the Halifax Shockers welcome the University of New Brunswick Saint John Wolves. The Riverview Mustangs and Dartmouth both have byes.

"It left a sour taste in our mouths last year,'' Grandy said about the semifinal setback. "It's just made us work that much harder. We're playing together more as a team.''

The Wanderers are excited about the return of quarterback Jon Hachey, who missed most of last season after suffering a hip injury early in the campaign. Many of the pivot's passes will be to receivers Mike Thomas, Doug MacPhee, Chika Ikejani, Kenny Lawrence and Joel Seale.

"Thomas would be our go-to guy,'' Grandy said. "It's not a hidden secret. Everybody in the league knows.''

Grandy expects big things from several other returnees, including linebackers Jon Haines and Josh Brown, along with safety Roger Muise. The coach will rely on a strong group of offensive linemen - Jay Stephen, Chris Zeuchner, Al Shephard, Chris Wall and Josh Jacqurt. Running back Piers Doiron could be one to watch among several newcomers to the perennial powerhouse. Grandy also expects a lot of carries from running back Nick Coombs.

"We've got an experienced offensive line this year,'' Grandy said. "We have five solid offensive linemen and we're going to run with Piers in the backfield. We have a lot of good younger guys who are coming up. We have some guys who haven't received a lot of credit and now they're getting their chance. The young talent is definitely going to play a role in this run.''

Grandy feels this year's club has more depth than the 2007 version, which went 7-1, part of a 38-4-1 mark over four years.

"Our record speaks for itself over the last four years,'' the coach said. "We have more bodies. We'll play the same style as always. We like playing physical and we welcome all teams to come join that style of football.''

That's fine by Longhorns head coach Eric Sabean, who's looking forward to what should be a feisty affair.

"We're going to come out and be very aggressive,'' he said. "We have to set the tone early by making big tackles and punishing blocks. We have to send a message.

"There was a lot of pre-season chatter about how they were a weakened crew, but they're definitely not. They lost a few guys on defence, but it's the Wanderers and a lot of guys want to play for them.''

Last year's Longhorns went 4-4 in the regular season before splitting their playoff games, including a win over UNBSJ and a loss to Dartmouth. Sabean knows today's tilt is against a motivated team, one that's looking to redeem last year's shortcomings.

"They feel they have something to prove now,'' he said.

The Longhorns are led by veteran quarterback Reece Roche. He'll distribute the ball to the likes of running backs Peter Shea and Jordan Blizzard, who bulked up in the off-season after playing the pivot position last year. Fullbacks Dan Tibbetts and Curtis Nicholson provide size and strength. Both came over from the Wolves, as did receiver Justin Cavan and linebacker Andrew Hamilton.

"We have a bit of a different offence this year,'' Sabean said. "We had more of a finesse game last year. This year, we're going to be able to run the inside much more than we could have last year. From what I've seen, this is the best Longhorns team we've had. We're deep at every position.''

The Wolves, looking to improve on last year's 2-6 showing, take on the Longhorns next Friday at 6:30 p.m. in Millidgeville.

"One of the things I really enjoy about playing the Longhorns and Wanderers is that we all know each other,'' Wolves head coach Bob Cote said. "It's very hard-hitting and we can use those games as a measuring stick.''

UNBSJ's key returning players include defensive back Lee Maloney and linebacker Justin Mousek. Cote is also expecting big things from offensive lineman Mike Hickey and receiver Jamie Barefoot, a former standout at Kennebecasis Valley High School.

This year's quarterback is Sean Gormley, who's been waiting in the wings for the No. 1 job.

"On the offensive side of the ball, it's pretty much a rebuilding year,'' Cote said. "We have some talent coming out of the local area, so we're pretty pleased.

"We're looking to be competitive again, and I think we'll be solid defensively. I think as the season progresses, we'll surprise some people with the quality of our offence.''

Cote is especially excited about the additions of defensive coordinator Steve Shannon and former Canadian Football League player Eugene Belliveau, who'll coach the linemen.

"Our goal is to move up in the standings,'' Cote said.

"It's more challenging because we tend to turn over a few more players than the established teams. It takes us a while to rebuild, but each year the core gets a bit larger, and with that, a bit more experienced.''

Mustangs set bar high
Defending champion Riverview is clearly the team to beat

The Riverview Molson Mustangs are coming off the most dominant season in Maritime Football League history.

They compiled a perfect 10-0 record en route to capturing their first Maritime Bowl in 2007, outscoring opponents by an eye-popping total of 408-37. They posted six shutouts, they were No. 1 in the league both offensively and defensively, and their closest game was a 16-point margin of victory.

The Mustangs galloped over everyone, scoring an average of 40.8 points per game and allowing an average of 3.7 points per game. They will begin defence of their title when they open the eight-game regular season against the Capital Area Gladiators on June 7 in Fredericton.

"We have a strong returning cast with 32 players back from last season," said Mustangs head coach Rob Weir. "There's a lot of familiarity in what we do in practice. On top of that, we have a lot of good leaders.

"We have just as much hunger to defend the championship as we had to win it for the first time last season.

In fact, even moreso. The guys are fired up in practice and itching to play against another team instead of themselves."

Weir believes it could be tougher to defend the championship than to win it for the first time.

"We will probably have our trials and tribulations, but I expect us to stay on top the whole season," he said. "I expect we'll be as strong as we were last season. I hope to have the same kind of offensive production and watching our defence in practice I think we'll be even tougher there this season.

"We're going to have an entertaining team to watch. We've got a lot of big hitters on defence and a lot of big playmakers on offence. This isn't a beer league.

When fans come out to watch a game they're very surprised by the quality of the league."

Riverview, which is aiming to average 1,200 fans per game, is only missing two key players from last season. Gone are quarterback Paul Guimond and offensive lineman Mark Teed.

Some key returnees on offence are quarterbacks A.J. Gallant and Kelly Nichols, running backs Steve Cormier and Francis Best, wide receivers Donovan Boucher and Josh Dickinson, and offensive linemen Bob Giffard and Nick Sleeper.

Some noteworthy names back on defence are linebacker John Jamieson, defensive linemen Dwayne Els and Jason Terris, cornerback Mike Miller, halfback Paul Best, and halfback Josh Scott.

Newcomers to watch out for on Riverview's roster are wide receiver Dylan Hollohan, fullback Dan MacArthur and offensive lineman Kevin Jones. Hollohan was a star at MacNaughton High. MacArthur and Jones are former Riverview High players.

Defensive back Jonathan Forbes, who played for Riverview two seasons ago, has rejoined the club. He played professionally in Finland last summer.

"For sure, we're the target team," said Forbes. "Everybody wants to knock us off and we like it that way.

I'm sure we'll have to play just as well as last season, maybe even better, to repeat as champion. We're looking forward to the challenge."

Riverview has a lifetime record of 22-4 in regular season and playoffs combined. The breakdown is 6-2 in 2005, 6-2 in 2006 and 10-0 in 2007.

The Mustangs are currently on a 10-game winning streak and haven't suffered a loss since falling 36-33 to the Saint John Wanderers in the league semifinal on Aug. 5, 2006. In fact, all four of their lifetime losses have come against the Wanderers.

"Everybody's going to be gunning for us this season," said Mustangs running back Steve Cormier. "Maybe we did set the bar high for ourselves, but we have to approach this season the same way as always. No cockiness. Just play hard-nosed football.

"Our hunger to win is as high as it's ever been. We've been practicing hard and we're excited to start the season."

Can Marshals regain respect?
Moncton MFL team looks to rebound after back-to-back awful seasons

They finished at the bottom of the Maritime Football League and missed the playoffs with a 1-7 record last season. Two seasons ago, they were second worst in the league at 1-5.

"We expect to be at least 4-4 this season and if we don't we're going to be disappointed," said Marshals offensive co-ordinator Luke Killam. "I think above 4-4 is possible if we work hard. I think the sky is the limit for this team depending on how hard we want to work.

"What happened the last couple of years is history and it doesn't have an impact on this season. We have a lot of new leadership on the team and I think that's going to help us turn the corner this season."

Moncton will open its eight-game regular season by facing the first-year Super City Mean Green of Halifax tomorrow at 4 p.m. at Rocky Stone Memorial Field.

The Marshals picked up three players from the Mount Allison Mounties -- slotback Olivier Eddie, fullback Ben Collins and wide receiver Dilen LeBlanc. Eddie helped the Riverview Molson Mustangs capture the Maritime Bowl last season.

The Marshals also added running back Pierre Mouawad, who plays for the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees. The new weapons are a welcomed sight for quarterback Matt Theriault, who has MFL experience.

"The new Mount Allison guys are helping set a new tone," said Killam. "It's not just their talent. It's also their attitude and the way they're motivating the younger guys. Pierre Mouawad has also stepped in and assumed a leadership role so he's been a real nice addition.

"I think we're going to be very, very competitive offensively with anyone in the league. I don't think we're going to peak offensively until mid season because it's a new system and a bunch of new guys. We have a lot of talent and speed on offence. I would be disappointed if we didn't score 28 points per game."

Moncton was among the worst offences in the MFL, scoring an average of 12 points per game in each of the past two seasons. The club is confident it will be more productive this season, but there are giant question marks on the other side of the ball.

The Marshals have just one returnee on defence in free safety T.J. Carmichael. They were worst in the league defensively last season, allowing an average of 34 points per game, and at this stage there's no reason to believe they've done anything to get better in that department.

"We're doing a lot of basic football coaching because of the youth and inexperience we have," said Marshals defensive co-ordinator Ted Wilson.

"We have a couple of players who haven't played football before. We've got some athletic players on defence, but they're not experienced. We've got a lot of work ahead of us."

The Marshals have purposely stacked the offence with most of their best players. The idea is that if they can maintain ball control it will keep their defence on the sidelines.

"I would rather lose 45-16 than 70-0," said Wilson. "One of the problems the past couple of years is that we tried to balance out the team. The offence wasn't able to control the ball and our defence was on the field too much. Our defence ended up getting scored on because they were tired."

Moncton captured the Maritime Bowl in 2004, but it has fallen on hard times with a 6-16 record since then in regular season and playoffs combined. Marshals defensive halfback Mike Dunfield believes the club can reverse its fortunes this season.

"We added some key players with experience so our talent level is higher this season," he said. "I think a realistic goal for this team is to advance to the second round of the playoffs. A .500 record is my goal.

"We only have seven or eight players back from last season. We have a lot of new people with a new attitude.

We're all aware of the problems this team has had the past couple of years and we're anxious to turn the corner."

Dartmouth Knights edge out Riverview squad for top spot at Jamboree

But winning isn't what the pre-season tournament is about, said Mustang coach Rob Weir.

Instead the tournament, held at Rocky Stone Memorial Field, was a chance for teams to get out and test their strengths and weaknesses against other MFL teams.

"We scored 13 touchdowns in the 45 plays and that's what we were looking for," Weir said. "We got to try the plays we wanted. We didn't do anything fancy, we just worked on our regular plays and they were successful for us today and we are quite happy with that."

The tournament pitted nine teams of 10 players against each other. Each team played three offensive games and three defensive games consisting of 15 plays each that had to be completed in 20 minutes.

Offences began their drives on the opposition's 35-yard line. The tournament winner was the team with the largest differential between points for and against. Likewise, rules differed for the jamboree as quarterbacks could not be hit unless they ran the ball, there were no special teams and no advancing the ball on turnovers.

Different teams worked on different aspects of their game. For the Mustangs, who posted a solid 10-0 record last season while capturing its first Maritime Bowl, it was an opportunity to test an already strong team both defensively and offensively.

And, scoring 13 touchdowns positioned the club as the top team offensively in the tournament ahead of tournament champs Dartmouth Knights who scored nine.

"It was an awesome day," said Mustang linebacker Ryan Eadie. "We played three offensive scrimmages and we looked pretty good."

Offensively the Mustangs are stacked with returning veteran players Steve Cormier, Bob Giffard, Francis Best and Andrew Gallant who have been with the club since inception four years ago. Gallant, however, was unable to make the tournament because of a pulled groin, but teammates were confident he would be back in time for the regular season beginning May 31.

"I think we're all working our systems right now," Eadie said of the tournament. "We're not playing our starters and neither is anyone else. It's a good competition early in the season to see what the rest of the season will present."

Defensively, however, the Mustangs came up short, allowing six touchdowns overall.

But that didn't seem to phase Weir, as he praised the team's defense as having "no weaknesses."

"We have a lot of experience defensively," Weir said. "Most of our guys are back and we have a few young guys out that were the cream of the crop in the high school league. We have 14 or 15 all-stars on the team and we only get a few of them out on the field at a time."

Defensively the team played rivals the third place Saint John Warriors who finished 5 with 10 touchdowns for and five against as well as the heavy hitting Dartmouth Knights who posted nine touchdowns for and one against.

The Saint John Longhorns tied the Halifax Shockers at 1 for fourth place with six touchdowns for and five against. The Fredericton Gladiators also finished fourth with five touchdowns for and four against.

At fifth was the Super City Mean Green recording a -4 with zero touchdowns and four against, just ahead of the Moncton Marshalls who finished with a -6, managing three touchdowns for and nine against.

Behind them were the UNB Saint John Wolves who finished -6 with one touchdown for and seven against, ahead of the last place P.E.I. Privateers who finished -7, scoring one touchdown for with eight against.

The Capital Area Gladiators are ready to show Maritime Football League opponents a better balanced offensive attack.

The Gladiators, who relied heavily on a ground game last season, will have former Fredericton High School star Andrew Hickey as starting quarterback this season.

Hickey, who's now with the Mount Allison Mounties, will be backed up by Brendan Cornford of the Leo Hayes Lions.

The new QBs will allow offensive coordinator and sure-handed Jeff Taylor to move back into a receiving role.

"Andrew's looked very good,'' said Jamie Edwards, a defensive lineman who runs the defence for head coach Mike Casey. "Brendan has some size to him and he looks pretty good as well.

"The best thing is moving Jeff back to receiver to work in tandem with Andrew Hubbard, who's been electrifying our DBs.''

Derek Madsen remains the number one running back.

"He ran for about 180 yards last year in a losing cause to the (Riverview) Mustangs in the semifinal,'' Edwards said. "We're certainly glad to have him back.''

The defence "has been blessed'' with the additions of end Ben Thompson, who was rookie of the year for the McGill University Redmen, and lineman Trevor O'Leary from the St. Francis X-Men. Former Oromocto High School Blues standout Matt Murphy is a new defensive back.

"We seem to have the key areas covered,'' said Edwards, who'll get a better idea as soon as this Saturday.

All 10 teams will gather at Moncton's Rocky Stone Park for the annual pre-season jamboree, which consists of a series of controlled scrimmages.

The Gladiators open the regular season on the road Saturday, May 31 against the P.E.I. Privateers before playing three straight home games at Oromocto in June.

They meet the reigning champion Mustangs June 7 at 1 p.m., the Saint John Wanderers June 14 at 4 p.m. and the Dartmouth Knights June 21, also at 4 p.m.

"Those games are against (tradionally) the top three teams in the league,'' Edwards said, "so that's a great homestand for us.''

The Gladiators head to Halifax July 5 to face the new entry Super City Mean Green before hosting the Halifax Shockers July 12. Capital Area wraps up the regular season on the road - July 20 at the Saint John Longhorns and July 25 at the Moncton Marshals. The UNBSJ Wolves are the only team the Gladiators don't face.

Playoffs begin Aug. 2-3. The top four play semifinals for the AAA Maritime Bowl while the bottom four play semis for the AA Mariner Bowl.

The two championship games go Aug. 9.

Last season, the Gladiators won their final two games to climb into a four-way tie for third with a 4-4 record.

After tiebreakers were applied, they finished fourth and were knocked out 43-15 by the Mustangs in the semis.

"We're hoping to host a playoff game this year,'' Edwards said, "which would put us in the top two. Riverview is still the team to beat and the Wanderers are consistently top two.''

The Gladiators have a roster of 30, with 25 attending practice on a regular basis. Edwards is confident Leo Hayes senior Jake Thomas will be out too. Thomas heads to Acadia University in the fall.

"He's been busy with school work and rugby, which he's still involved with, but he'll be a key addition to the defence as well. I'm good friends with his brother (Josh) and I'm trying to convince him to come out too.

"He thinks he's too old but he's a heckuva player,'' Edwards said with a chuckle.

One veteran who "came out of the woodwork'' is Derrick Hoyt, who was a running back in the late 1980s.

"He doesn't look too bad,'' Edwards said.

The Gladiators are still looking for coaching help to assist Casey. If interested, you can reach Edwards at 471-8349 or Taylor at 454-9694.

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Football league gearing up for its eighth season