Though there are two distinct groupings within the SDSSAA senior football ranks this year (in my humble opinion!), there are still some great races taking place, with far less top to bottom discrepancy than we have seen in most seasons.

One of these races to follow will almost certainly take place for the fourth and final playoff spot - and for as much as I can absolutely envision a world in which Lively, St Charles and Lasalle all finish at 1-4, I see that as a complete copout in the world of pre-season predictions.

With that in mind, we begin this two-segment week devoted to high-school football in Sudbury with a look at the teams who I believe will slide in between fourth and sixth – with full disclosure that my rankings below could very easily be turned on their head come the end of regular season play on October 10th.

Lasalle Lancers (2-3): Given the struggles that Lasalle has endured, more often than not, since claiming their one and only city title in the past 28 years in 2010, I suppose one could wonder if we are giving the Lancers a little too much love this fall. That said, this is a team that finished 2-3 in 2024, lost to St Ben’s by just 11 points and secured fourth place in the process.

Ryder Kirby returns at quarterback having displayed signs of being a legitimate playmaker and the likes of Colton Cooke and Jake Crawford at running back, wideouts Jude St Michael-Leblanc, Carter Oystrick and Dash Kamal and slotback Rashaun Asare-Corbiere will make it tough for opposing defenses to take away one threat without leaving another one open.

Coming off a summer spent with the U16 Jr Spartans, Jake Grisdale joins an offensive line that welcomes back returnees Pat Larocque and Landen Cousineau, as well as Victor Joyce who slips over from defense. OSFL all-star Maddox Preston is clearly “the man” on the D Line, though former offensive lineman Jake Henri will add some helpful support.

The linebacking corps should be solid with veteran Dalton Wilcox (U18 Jr Spartans) and made-for-defense convert Deran Cooper sure to rank among the team leaders in tackles. The secondary unit features Micah Taylor and Adam Clement while the folding of the junior program allows Mayson Burns-Bygrave (SB), Jacob Brunet-Arseneault (LB) and Ola Lawal (DL) to provide some much appreciated depth in the ranks.

Lively Hawks (1-4): Much like the Lancers, the Lively Hawks have some nice pieces to work with in a few key areas. If other less-heralded prospects make a significant jump forward, the playoffs are a more than realistic goal, with an upset of one of the big three not pure lunacy in the least.

With Ian MacDonald graduated, Ryder Villeneuve is back under centre (as he was for the juniors in 2023) and in Bennett Timmers, he inherits a fullback who bears at least some similarity to former Lively star Owen MacDonald. Running backs Logan Downey and Riley Kirwan will join a group of receivers (Cam MacIntosh, Alex Campbell, Lawson Rautiainen, Brendan Speck) who hope to take some of the pressure off the shoulders of their incoming pivot.

Historically speaking, the Hawks have done a nice job of developing a rotation system with their linemen, teens that are usually groomed with training on both sides of the line. Keelan Bennison and Kennedy Coté are both back for a third year with the Lively seniors, with both expected to be stalwarts on the O-Line with Denver Zinger and Avery MacDonald while Torance Gorman, Nolan Saltzer and Brendan Speck clog up the interior on the defensive side of things.

Some major turnover at linebacker means that both Mateo Frattini and Colby Spry have to quickly step in and make an impact – though both boast the football resume to do just that. Outside of their brigade of ball catchers, the Hawks might have the most depth in the secondary as Ryder Dodge-Barbeau, Sladen Galdemski, Connor Westaway, Cohen Lachance and safety Brock Gouge all look right at home in that role.

The wildcard at the home of the 2018/2017/2013 city champs is the fact that long-time head coach Reg Bonin has moved back to tackle a more developmental role with the junior Hawks, handing the reins over to Jr Spartans U16 head coach Dan Yoisten and perennial all-star lineman Owen Willis.

St Charles College Cardinals (0-5): After going winless in 2024, the Cardinals are anxious to turn this ship around and there are more than a small handful of signs in camp that this could easily happen in the next few months. Numbers on the field a week ahead of the start of the school year were extremely encouraging and while some of the big lads still need to learn the intricacies of football, there is more size in the trenches at SCC than with most of the remaining five teams.

Junior MVP Nolan Larche simply has the look of a quarterback and with Moyo Olusola (WR) returning and Noah Arsenault coming off an outstanding summer of OSFL ball, the young man who would like to enter that conversation with the top gun-slingers in the city could easily post some numbers that would make football folks take note.

Multi-sport talent Karson Gouchie jumps in a running back while former lineman Nicholas Shakes is sure to be a handful to bring down as the fullback of choice in the land of the most decorated senior program in the city – but one which has not claimed a SDSSAA banner since 2016.

Elliott Frappier and Daniel Olili take the lessons of U16 AA OSFL line play with them for their first year in the older HS ranks while Jacob Leblond and JMYFL stalwart Matt Demore hold down the fort with the defensive front four.

The tackles that were made by linebackers Chinedum Kingsley and Cameron Manitowabi in 2024 will now fall into the hands of Evan Bryant, Carson Bisschops and Rylan Tremblay, though the set of defensive backs at St Charles have the makings of a unit that could be as punishing a group of hitters in that role as any in the city.

A deep secondary unit will see all of Brody Mabbott, Kevin Lopez, Gavin Stewart, Aidan Galipeau, Connor Paris and hockey talent Daniel Crosswaite all take to the field.