By Stephanie Harrington
The Ottawa Junior Riders made history this season and next year they’re setting their hopes even higher.
They defeated the North Shore Broncos 29-22 on Nov. 4, to claim their third consecutive Manson Cup victory in the Quebec Major Junior Football League.
The final didn’t lack drama. In the closing minutes of the championship, the Riders overcame a 22-21 deficit with a touchdown from Leonard Semajuste.
Next year, the Riders hope to reclaim the title and compete for the first time for the national championship. But first, they need permission to compete.
Riders president Sandy Ruckstuhl says it isn’t just a matter of paying the Canadian Junior Football League the $2,500 fee to participate. The Quebec league has to reapply since it withdrew in 1992 when the fee skyrocketed briefly to $4,500.
Ruckstuhl says Montreal’s St. Leonard Cougars are boycotting Quebec’s admittance. Right now, the Cougars are the only Quebec-based team competing for the national championships, because they switched to the Ontario league. Ruckstuhl says the Cougars fear losing the recruiting advantage they have from competing nationally.
“(The Canadian Junior Football League) is denying 250 kids from competing for the national title. How can they claim to be a national organization if they’re ignoring all of these teams?” asks Ruckstuhl.
Ruckstuhl says the Riders could play in the Ontario league, but the travel and hotel costs would add an extra $15,000 to $20,000 a year to their already strained budget.
The team already paid $11,000 this year to practise at Frank Clair Stadium, but Riders coach Dan Murphy says the professional atmosphere, world-class turf and lighting, and a press box from which he can watch and call the game, gives the Riders an edge over their competitors.
The Riders have reached the playoffs each year and have competed in four league finals since the organization started five years ago.
Last year the Riders went undefeated, and won a record 11 all-star awards at the league’s year-end banquet.
This year, an undefeated season wasn’t in the cards, as the Riders lost back-to-back games to the Chateauguay Raiders and crosstown rivals, the Ottawa Sooners.
Riders coach, Dan Murphy, says the losses were a wake-up call.
“Players sometimes come in expecting to win. We fell into that this year and sometimes were not willing to put the effort in,” says Murphy.
This year, the Riders finished the season with eight wins and two losses in the five-team league. They won six all-star awards at the league’s year-end banquet on Nov. 18.
Murphy now faces the challenge of filling the void left by the expected departure of up to 12 star players. All-star quarterback Tucker McCabe, won’t be returning after his third season. Tucker is the Riders all-time passing leader, completing 114 of his 235 passes, for a total of 1,850 yards.
He was offered a scholarship from Norwich University in Vermont and Connecticut State University has shown interest, but McCabe hasn’t made a decision. That leaves Murphy with big shoes to fill. He’ll also have to find new receivers, running backs and offensive linemen.
Devin Murphy is also ineligible to play next year because of his age. The two-time league all-star hopes to play for the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees instead.
Murphy says it’s disappointing not to have the chance to compete nationally, but he’s enjoyed his time with the Riders.
“Through all three years with the Junior Riders, I’ve progressed more than any other time. And that’s mostly because of Dan,” he says.
Ruckstuhl believes it will take two or three years to conquer the British Columbia and prairie teams if the Riders begin competing nationally next year.
But Dan Murphy says the Riders won’t be out of their element, as they proved when they defeated Hamilton’s Steel City Ironmen 25-7 during an exhibition game this season.
“We beat them senseless,” says Murphy. “And that was with our backup (players).”