Peterborough Influencer Gets Lifetime Moment With An NFL Football Off Buffalo Bills Touchdown

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Running and coaching influencer Brendan Carpenter got a taste of NFL history as he got to hold the ball thrown into the stands fresh off a touchdown at the Buffalo Bills playoff game at Highmark Stadium on Monday night.

Carpenter has over 21,600 followers on his Instagram account. He posts running/coaching content on his account. Photo courtesy of Brendan Carpenter.

Bills quarterback Josh Allen rushed for a 52-yard touchdown against the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers then eventually threw the ball into the stands to a raucous Buffalo crowd as part of his celebration.

The Peterborough influencer did not initially catch the ball Allen threw. The lucky fan who did snag it allowed Carpenter to borrow it for a picture to create a lifelong memory.

“The ball got hit out of our hands by the guy beside us and landed in the lap of the guy in front of us,” he explained. “It was right in our grasp and the other guy made a lunge. It's still a cool story to have the ball for a second and glad the guy that got it was a lifelong Bills fan and let us snap a picture with it after the fact.”

The influencer got tickets to see the game after his collaboration with NFL Canada.

“We were blessed enough with tickets from my partnership with the NFL Canada that we established last year so we were already winning either way if we got the ball or not and was just happy to see the Bills up 21-0 at that point.”

The game was initially scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m. but was moved to Monday at 4:30 p.m. New York Governor Kathy Hochul decided to postpone the game for safety reasons with a weather emergency, including heavy snowfall.

The team asked 200 snow shovellers to help clean the stadium at midnight Sunday since it was overflowing with snow. Even with the help, there was still lots of snow piled in the stadium but that added to the atmosphere said Carpenter.

“Being at the game was insane. No one does it like Bills Mafia,” he explained.” It didn't matter if the seats were cleared because no one ever sits down at a Bills game so standing in piles of snow after everyone tried to shovel the stadium just added to the folklore of Bills Fans.”

‘Bills Mafia’ is a term coined for Buffalo fans known for their crazy antics (among other things) during and before the game. A recent tradition is fans jumping through tables, emulating WWE wrestlers.

During the game, every time the Bills scored a touchdown, Bills Mafia was throwing snow into the air, celebrating their team’s score.

“It was crazy, though, with the snowball celebrations and everyone throwing them; I had never been so happy to be pelted with snow,” laughed Carpenter. “We are a different breed of fans and I wouldn't have it any other way. This year, I was in the stands for a 30+ degree and sun game, a 0 degree and rain game, and now a -20 and snow game and the fanbase never changes; we just show up, go through tables and enjoy the hell out of Bills football.”

The Bills defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers, 31-17 and advanced to the Divisional Round. They will host the defending Super Bowl Champion, the Kansas City Chiefs, this Sunday at 6:30 p.m. at Highmark Stadium.

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David Tuan Bui


Kinsmen Minor Football League Week Six Roundup

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Week Six of the Kinsmen Minor Football League (KMFL) finished its regular season, featuring its second set of Friday Night Lights games at Thomas A Stewart Secondary School (TASSS).

Friday Night Lights action between the Jr Ticats and Roughriders. Photo courtesy of KMFL.

The first game of the evening went to the Junior TiCats, defeating the Roughriders 28-24. Benton Gallant led the scoring for the TiCats with three touchdowns. Harrison Anchor added a single touchdown and Connor Dodds kicked two extra points.  Kaden Curtis scored three touchdowns and converted three kicks for the Roughriders.

Friday night Senior action saw the Tiger Cats defeat the Roughriders 40-28. Liam McCartie led the scoring for the TiCats with three touchdowns and two converted kicks. Gage Raby added two touchdowns and Mike Bevan added a rouge. Ian Watt led the scoring for the Roughriders, while Michael Porter and Cooper Collison each added a rouge. Collison also kicked two converts.

Saturday morning saw the Junior RedBlacks defeat the Argonauts 34-20. The RedBlacks saw multiple players score a touchdown with Harley Rock, AJ Galloway, Dillon King, Mateo Salgado-Scott and Josh Lackey. Christian Page converted two kicks. Eli Black scored three touchdowns for the Argos, while Samm Kelly converted a kick.

Saturday's Senior action saw the Argonauts shut out the RedBlacks 45-0. Landen Levesque dominated with four touchdowns, four converted kicks and a rouge. Theo Edwards and John Chapin each added single touchdowns.

The Junior and Senior division have the same matchups, with the Argonauts facing the RedBlacks and the Tiger Cats taking on the Roughriders for the playoffs. Junior games take place at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. while Senior action will take place at 9 a.m. and 12:15 pm.

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Kinsmen Minor Football League Week Four Roundup

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Week Four of the Kinsmen Minor Football League (KMFL) saw a return of Friday Night Lights at Thomas A Stewart Secondary School (TASSS).

Friday Night Lights action between the Sr RedBlacks and Sr Argos. Photo courtesy of KMFL.

The first game had the Junior Redblacks defeating the Argonauts 42-6.  The RedBlacks saw AJ Galloway, Harley Rock, Beau Janssen and Mateo Salgado-Scott rush for a touchdown each. Easton Schenk, Dillon King and Blake Blackborrow also added a receiving touchdown. Leo Kinapen scored the lone touchdown for the Argos.

The second Friday Night game saw the Sr. RedBlacks defeating the Argos 44-20.  Ashton McKinlay and Brock Hendren led the scoring for the RedBlacks with two touchdowns each. Brody Munnings, Isac Kennedy, Keaton Allen and Levi Paige each found the end zone.  Paige also ran in a two-point conversion. Landen Levesque, Ethan Bebbington scored touchdowns for the Argos. Theo Edwards also tacked on a touchdown and kicked for a convert.

Saturday morning opened up with the Jr. Tiger Cats defeating the Roughriders 34-20. Harrison Anchor scored all five touchdowns for the Ti-Cats while Connor Dodds kicked for two converts. Kaden Curtis scored two touchdowns and kicked for a convert while Jacob Cahorn also added a single score for the Roughriders.

Saturday's Senior action saw the Tiger Cats defeat the Roughriders 46-24. Gage Raby led the scoring for the Ti-Cats with three touchdowns and two converted kicks. Hunter Berardi and Liam McCartie each had a pair of touchdowns. Ian Watt led the scoring for the Roughriders with two touchdowns while Fox Theobold and Michael Maier each added a single touchdown.

After four weeks of play, the RedBlacks lead the Jr. Division and the Tiger Cats lead the Sr. Division.

The KMFL and Peterborough Wolverines will hold a bottle drive during the KMFL Game Day at Thomas A Stewart SS this Saturday from 9 a.m.to 1 p.m.  Donations can be dropped off at the parking lot and will be received by KMFL and Wolverines families. Proceeds will be used to purchase new equipment and a portion will also be donated to the Peterborough Yes Shelter for Youth and Families.

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Kinsmen Minor Football League Week Three Roundup

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Week Three of the Kinsmen Minor Football League (KMFL) has finished as the league played their games at Thomas A Stewart Secondary School (TASSS) on Saturday.

Sr Ticats vs Redblacks

KMFL recognized the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation prior to the first game’s kickoff. Chief Laurie Carr of Hiawatha First Nation opened the day and was joined by captains and coaches from the Senior RedBlacks and Roughriders teams. She addressed the fans —many of them were dressed in orange — about the history and importance of the day.

A ceremonial smudging and drumming song was then performed by members of Hiawatha First Nation before kickoff.

The first game saw the Senior RedBlacks defeat the Roughriders 31-12. Levi Paige had the quadfecta, scoring four touchdowns for the RedBlacks. Daniel Consiglio added a single touchdown and Brody Munnings ran in a two-point conversion. Ian Watt and Fox Theobold each scored a touchdown for the Roughriders in their losing effort.

The Tiger Cats won a tight contest, 51-49, over the Argonauts in the second game. Reid Nobes led the Tiger Cats with a whopping five touchdowns. Liam McCartie added two touchdowns and ran in three two-point conversions while Mike Bevan tacked on a single touchdown. Landon Levesque scored three touchdowns for the Argos, kicked three extra points and ran for a pair of two-point conversions. Kurtis Pawlowski found the end zone twice while Theo Edwards and Ethan Bebbington tacked on a single touchdown each.

The Junior RedBlacks defeated the Roughriders 22-0. Lucas Harrington, AJ Galloway and Beau Jannsen all scored single touchdowns. Harley Rock and Galloway each kicked for a convert.

The second Junior game had the Tiger Cats defeat the Argonauts 54-22. Harrison Anchor led the scoring for the TiCats with two touchdowns and five extra points. Benton Gallant, Jack Trull, Jacob Yarrow and Benjamin Carter each had a touchdown. Connor Dodds notched an extra point. Eli Black scored two touchdowns for the Argonauts and made converted two extra points. Sam Kelly found his way into the end zone for a score.

Halfway through the regular season, the RedBlacks are leading the Junior Division and the Tiger Cats are at the top of the the Senior Division.

KMFL is running their first Friday Night Lights games since 2019 this Friday. Guest host announcers Jordan Mercier and Gabe Robinson (Former Toronto Argonaut and Grey Cup Champion) are serving as the broadcast team for the play-by-play and colour commentating respectively. Junior action kicks off at 6 p.m. and the Seniors begins at 7:30 p.m. as the Argonauts and RedBlacks battle it out.

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Kinsmen Minor Football League Week Two Roundup

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Week Two of the Kinsmen Minor Football League is in the books as the league played their games at Thomas A Stewart Secondary School (TASSS) last Saturday.

Sr Ticats vs Redblacks

The first game saw the Senior Division-leading Sr. Tiger Cats defeat the RedBlacks 44-27. Liam McCartie, Gage Raby and Reid Nobes scored two touchdowns apiece for the TiCats.  McCartie and Raby both kicked two extra points while Nobes added a single convert. Levi Paige scored two touchdowns for the RedBlacks while Ashton McKinlay and Brody Munnings each scored a touchdown. Munnings also kicked and ran a two-point conversion.

The second senior game had the Argonauts winning a tight contest, 25-22, over the Roughriders. Landen Levesque led the scoring for the Argos with three touchdowns. John Chapin scored a touchdown and Ethan Bebbington tacked on a rushing two-point conversion. Michael Porter, Ian Watt and Fox Theobold all scored touchdowns for the Roughriders while Zimmarie Garlow kicked two converts.

The junior-leading RedBlacks defeated the Tiger Cats 52-32. Lucas Harrington and AJ Galloway scored two touchdowns each while Easton Schenk, Joe Lachey, Harley Rock and Dillon King each added single scores for the TiCats. Galloway also kicked an extra point.

The second Junior game saw the Roughriders get a win over the Argonauts 40-12.  Caden Curtis led the scoring for the Riders with two touchdowns and five converted kicks. Mason Earnshaw added a couple of scores for the Roughriders and Leif Nancekivell had a single touchdown. Eli Black scored a pair of touchdowns for the Argonauts.

The KMFL recognizes the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation this Saturday on Week Three. All fans are asked to wear orange to the field. Chief Laurie Carr of Hiawatha First Nation will open the day with a ceremonial smudging.

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U10 Peterborough Wolverines Crowned Provincial Champions

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The U10 Peterborough Wolverines of the Ontario Summer Football League are provincial champions, winning the Sandy Ruckstuhl Memorial Cup after defeating the Mississauga Huskies U10, 25-14, at the Western Alumni Stadium in London on Sunday afternoon.

Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Wolverines.

The game was a rubber match after both teams gave each other their only loss in the regular season, playing twice prior to the championship. Peterborough’s home opener resulted in a 40-24 win on May 27. The Huskies got revenge with a 36-22 win on June 17.

Peterborough went a perfect 3-0 in the playoffs after going 5-1 in the regular season. Their opening postseason game against the Guelph Jr. Gryphons U10 yielded their second shutout of the season in a 40-0 win on July 15. They followed up their perfect performance by beating the York Lions in a 75-20 rout to make the championship game.

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U10 Peterborough Wolverines Advance to Provincial Football Championship After 70-25 Rout

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The U10 Peterborough Wolverines of the Ontario Summer Football League have punched their ticket to a provincial championship game after routing the York Lions 70-25 at Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School on Saturday.

Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Wolverines.

The win gives the Wolverines a date with the Mississauga Huskies U10 in the finals of the Sandy Ruckstuhl Memorial Cup (the name of the AA U10 playoffs). The finals take place at the Western Alumni Stadium in London this Sunday.

Both teams have played each other twice during the regular season, splitting the series 1-1 with the home team as the victor in both games. Peterborough’s home opener resulted in a 40-24 win on May 27. The Huskies got revenge with a 36-22 win on June 17. The championship is a rubber match for the teams as their only loss (in the regular season and playoffs) have come off each other.

Peterborough had a 5-1 record during the regular season and is 2-0 in the playoffs. Their opening postseason game against the Guelph Jr. Gryphons U10 yielded their second shutout of the season in a 40-0 win on July 15. They followed up their perfect performance by beating the York Lions on Saturday to make the championship.

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Peterborough's Jared Wayne Signs With NFL's Houston Texans

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Peterborough’s Jared Wayne did not get his named called but his NFL dream is far from over as he signed an undrafted free agent contract with the Houston Texans on Saturday.

Jared Wayne is the son of former CFL linebacker Patrick Wayne. The latter spent nine years in the league mostly with the Ottawa Roughriders but also had stints with the B.C. Lions and Toronto Argonauts. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

It would have been the first person from Peterborough to be drafted to the NFL if his name was called.

Wayne played four seasons of his collegiate football career all with the Pittsburgh Panthers, totalling 13 touchdowns during that span.

He finished with career-highs of 60 receptions for 1,062 yards — his first 1,000-yard season — and five touchdowns; one short of last year’s total.

Locally, Wayne has played in the Kinsmen Minor Football League, Peterborough Wolverines and Adam Scott Lions.

In his final collegiate game, he helped the Panthers win the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl on Dec. 30 with five receptions for 50 yards for a 37-35 win over the UCLA Bruins. His performance earned him an invite to play in the Hula Bowl.

He had another year of eligibility with Pittsburgh but decided to enter the NFL draft according to his father and former CFL linebacker, Patrick Wayne.

“I’m very proud, the whole family is proud of how he’s grown on the field and as a person,” he said in a prior interview with PTBOCanada.

Wayne impressed NFL scouts with his speed, posting a 4.53 second 40-yard dash at the combine.

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Peterborough's Jared Wayne Declares Eligibility For 2023 NFL Draft

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Pittsburgh Panthers wide receiver and Peterborough’s Jared Wayne has declared himself eligible for the 2023 NFL entry draft on an Instagram post made on Friday.

Jared Wayne is the son of former CFL linebacker Patrick Wayne. The latter spent nine years in the league mostly with the Ottawa Roughriders but also had stints with the B.C. Lions and Toronto Argonauts. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Wayne played four seasons of his collegiate football career all with Pittsburgh totalling 13 touchdowns during that span.

He had another year of eligibility with Pittsburgh but opted to go to the NFL as the best option for his future according to his father and former CFL linebacker, Patrick Wayne.

“We weighed the pros and cons and it’s better for him to go onto the next phase of his career,” he explained. “I’m very proud, the whole family is proud of how he’s grown on the field and as a person.”

He helped the Panthers win the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl on Dec. 30 with five receptions for 50 yards for a 37-35 win over the UCLA Bruins.

He finished with career-highs of 60 receptions for 1,062 yards — his first 1,000-yard season — and five touchdowns; one short of last year’s total.

The 2023 NFL Draft runs from April 27 - 29 and is held outside of Union Station in Kansas City, Mo. The first day covers first-round picks only with second-to-seventh round picks on the following days.

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Team 55's Friday Night Lights Raises Over $28,000 In Its 10th and Final Year

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The 10th and final year of Team 55 Let’s Tackle Suicide Awareness Friday Night Lights concluded, raising $28,000 for the campaign.

Dave Pogue at the ninth annual Team 55 “Friday Night Lights” event last year. Only one family member per player was allowed to watch the game during that year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The number was confirmed by founder Dave Pogue and was recorded as the second-highest total ever raised.

The “Friday Night Lights” football game was at Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School’s athletic field and has raised over $600,000 since it began in 2013.

Proceeds support Canadian Mental Health Association initiatives that helped launch the Assertive Outreach for Suicide Prevention program.

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