Warriors and Raiders playoffs kick off
Kahnawa’kehró:non Jack Jacobs (#55) has emerged as a leader on the offensive line this season for the LaSalle Warriors. Courtesy Carol Boyer Jacobs
The LaSalle Warriors of the Quebec Midget Football League (QMFL) will be hoping to keep their season rolling tonight, Friday, against the St. Leonard Cougars in the QMFL quarterfinals at 10 p.m.
Head coach Damani Best said that they’ll be counting on their second-year players, including Kahnawake’s Jack Jacobs on the offensive line, to succeed in the playoffs.
“It’s been nice to mix the newer players that we’ve gotten this year with some of the older, more experienced ones. That’s been a real treat,” said Best.
The Warriors went 4-4 during the regular season, a solid record for a team that went 0-8 in 2023 and 2-6 in 2024.
“We have a good mix of pass and run in our offense, we have a pretty strong defense, we actually had good defensive numbers this year,” said Best.
Part of the success on offense has been the work of the offensive line, where Jacobs has emerged as a leader.
Best explained how having experienced linemen helps the team achieve their game plan.
“The great part is they understand what you’re trying to accomplish in your system. They tend to be relatively consistent. And what you do see is a lot of the leadership start to come out,” said Best, of what tends to happen with experienced offensive linemen like Jacobs.
“Jack is trying to find his voice a little bit more, Jack is having more consistency in terms of his blocks, in terms of protection, in terms of making sure that we are accomplishing what we’re trying to accomplish.”
A big aspect of that has been acting as a role model of sorts for younger players on the line. Veterans help get the message across to younger players, Best explained.
“They are almost like a translator to what the coaches do and what we’re trying to accomplish. And Jack is very much that. He’s a little less vocal because he leads by example,” said Best.
LaSalle and St. Leonard faced off in week two of the regular season, with the Cougars winning 18-14.
“I feel like we match up well with what St. Leonard does, but that said, we have to actually get out and execute,” said Best.
“I think we have a good plan. I think we have the players in place to execute on that plan. The last time we played, we played to a very close ending, and I imagine it’s going to be very similar. So, I’m interested to see how it goes.”
The Peewee Chateauguay Raiders in regular season action against the St. Leonard Cougars, who they will face at home in the Montreal Regional Football League Cup semifinals on Sunday. Courtesy Youth Football YouTube Channel
Raiders competing hard in playoffs
Three Chateauguay Raiders teams were in action last weekend in qualifying games for the President’s Cup, with the matchup winners advancing to the semifinals while losing teams qualified for the Montreal Regional Football League (MRFL) Cup semifinals.
The Atom Raiders (4-3 during the regular season) were defeated by the St. Laurent Spartans (4-3) by a score of 22-14. As such, the Raiders will face the Chomedey Blues (0-7) in Chateauguay on October 26 at 10 a.m.
Sign up for email updates from The Eastern Door
The Mosquito Raiders (4-2-1) defeated the LaSalle Warriors White (4-3) 40-16. They will play the best regular season team in the age group, the LaSalle Warriors Red (7-0) in the President’s Cup semifinals in LaSalle on October 25 at 9 a.m.
The Peewee Raiders (3-4) will also be playing in the MRFL Cup semifinals, following their 40-6 loss to the St. Laurent Spartans (5-2-1). They will face the Lakeshore Cougars (3-4) at home on October 26 at noon.
