One year ago, I gave the benefit of the doubt to the Lo-Ellen Park Knights.

That worked out really well – for me and the Knights.

After playing to a 21-21 draw with the Confederation Chargers in Week 3, the Knights made it four straight city titles with a 28-22 triumph over the same opponent in the city final on November 1st.

The Chargers will be happy to know that, at least in my opinion, their time has come.

Confederation Chargers (5-0): Where I saw teams four to six as somewhat interchangeable, I see a bit more of a gap here, especially between Confed and the chasing two – though an upset would be classified, in my books, more as a surprise than a shock.

About the only question on the floor in Val Caron is really how much of a passing game the Chargers likely to unveil. Bottom-line is that with the bulldozer duo of Evan Doyle and Mason McLaughlin (back in town after spending a year with Team North in Mississauga) running behind a top-end offensive line, QB Tyson Vitali will be well insulated.

Some favourable early season matchups should allow head coach Shane Hutchison and company the freedom to allow their grade 12 signal caller the luxury of developing his passing game, in-season. And with a stable of receivers that includes rapidly improving Cameron Quesnel, playmaker King David Igiehon, multi-sport athlete Owen Blay and tight end Riley Clarke, racking up some “yards after the catch” should not be an issue for the favourites.

The Chargers may have graduated half of their eight SDSSAA all-stars from 2024 but on the “O” line, they return both Zach White and Owen Parro at guard, with Crawford Wiebe and Cam Dubois also in that mix. Some of these lads will see time as well on the D Line, with the opposite holding true for the likes of Boston Bobbie and Austin Parro.

Don’t be too surprised if the team which has only one SDSSAA senior football banner to their credit (2003) throw Cam Quesnel in at defensive end from time to time. That makes it downright scary when one considers that linebackers Colton Savage (Team Ontario – 2025) and A.J. Harris can split the seams with the best of them, with senior Dylan Durocher equally anxious to step up.

Grade 13 defensive backs Nathan Nadeau and Tucker Lalonde are unlikely to simply sit back in the role of ballhawks, their physicality adding another key layer to this impressive defensive unit. Meeka Duguay and likely Blay, Igiehon and Ryder Lalonde (U16 Spartans) round out the secondary.

Lo-Ellen Park Knights (4-1): Lo-Ellen’s ability to stretch the field and strike quickly will mean that the Knights will never be out of any game – well, that and boatloads of football talent on hand. Quarterback Noah Parsons has plenty of experience under his belt, both in the HS loop and in summer ball play, and the tandem of Quin Mazzuchin (OSFL all-star; most Outstanding SDSSAA Player in 2024) and Noah Skrobot can easily make the case as the top 1-2 tandem in the league at wideout.

Jack Centis adds another sure-handed receiver to the mix, with Jove Ferreira-McGibbon and Kowen Cousineau expected to carry the load in the backfield and Mishal Olanrewaju and Dax Yurich rounding out the skill positions on offense.

Linemen Joseph Vaanholt and Kai Koskela are great pieces to build an offensive line around with other questions in the trenches expected to be answered soon. Defensively, the Knights are an interesting mix up front with veterans Cavan Clarke and Jacob Lamoureux, defensive tackle Michael Smith hoping to stay clear of the injury bug and up and coming track throwing star Anderson Parent earning a starting nod at D-End, all while still learning the position this fall.

There’s no lack of thumpers in the linebacking quartet as Jacob Hulisz, Nolan Jokinen, Connor Monahan and Preston Dey provide a far better than aversage second line of defense. Football junkie Niki Sola anchors the secondary, no doubt constantly teaching on the field with hockey talents and athletes Jeremy Thall and Drake Taylor at his side.

Luca Cucullo will handle the punting and kicking.

St Benedict Bears (3-2): Just how quickly OSFL U16 all-star QB Evan DeMarchi can emerge as a star at the senior level will go a long way in determining how quickly the Bears can close the gap with the top two. More than any other team early on, St Benedict and their glut of coaches had the boys looking like a well-oiled machine ahead of league play, which isn’t always the case in these parts.

With at least eight members of the U16 Jr Spartans spinkled across this roster, the real question in the Land of Da Bears is whether they might need to wait just one more year before making their leap to the top.

The backfield looks solid with the trio of Sam Julius, Lukas Coufal and Nathan MacIsaac all sure to get their hands on the ball while receivers Dylan Nelson, Oliver Poupore, Holden Beange and Dylan Burton (coming off a summer with the Sudbury Spartans of the OP5L) need only find a foot or two of room in order to be on the receiving end of a dart from DeMarchi.

Both sides of the line are also a mix of the old and the new at St Benedict as returness Rowan Bardwich, Sullivan Smith, Mateo Bedoya and Noah Garber welcome U16 Spartan Graeme Dumais and the raw athleticism of new Sudburians Semilor Ogunleye and Chami Nyabeze.

A linebacking unit of Keegan Adair, Prince Komolafe, Adam Haslam and Desmond Whitmore is sure to hold firm while the secondary features depth galore, with no less than six teens who have all showed signs of being able to play comfortably at this level: Hayden Liinamaa (Spartans - OP5L), Quinn Thiessen, James Alibi, Moshood Adeleye, Michael Folino and Connor Brunnel – and plenty more waiting in the wings.

The kicking game is in great shape with the combination of Domingo Quintana (kicker) and Dylan Nelson (punter) as thew Bears take to the field on Friday having already contested a pre-season game in North Bay (the only SDSSAA team to do so this year).