Beloved Peterborough Coach Passes Away Suddenly At Age 64

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The Peterborough sports community has mourned the loss of coach John Welsh, who passed away suddenly at age 64 on Tuesday.

Photo courtesy of KMFL Peterborough.

Welsh was active in the sports world for several decades. He coached in the Kinsmen Minor Football League (KMFL) for 45 years, was the founding president of the Peterborough Hockey Association for 25 years and coached the St. Peter’s Secondary School Saints Senior football team.

The KMFL released this statement regarding Welsh’s passing:

“John had a heart of gold. He cared deeply, and he showed it in the way he treated everyone—especially his players, who he loved like family. Whether it was a word of encouragement, a quiet check-in, or simply being there when someone needed support, John was someone you could always count on. And if you ever watched John on the sidelines, you saw the joy in his face watching his players play. There was pride in every moment, in every rep, in every success they achieved. Their growth and happiness meant everything to him.”

Brian Junkin of the Peterborough Wolverines, who worked with Welsh, also released a statement on behalf of the organization:

“Football is Family. Unfortunately, we lost a prominent member of our family last night. It saddens me to inform you that longtime Wolverines and KMFL Coach John Welsh has passed away. John devoted over 45 years of his life to coaching youth in multiple sports, but especially football. This is a generational loss to the Peterborough Football Community. Some of our coaching staff were actually coached by John as children and have now had their own kids coached by John. He spent thousands of hours coaching thousands of kids in high school, house league and rep ball.

On a personal note, it was John Welsh that gave me my first opportunity to coach football some 23 years ago and I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to coach under him for 16 years in the KMFL. He will be greatly missed.”

Welsh leaves behind his wife Vicki; his children Sarah and Jonathon and his grandchildren Lila-Jane, William and Margaret. He is a brother to Jim and Bill; brother-in-law to Nancy and an uncle to several nieces and nephews.

Visitation will be held at Highland Park Funeral Centre on May 11 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., followed by the funeral service to start immediately after. Words of remembrance will be shared at 1 p.m., followed by a reception.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations to the KMFL John Welsh Financial Grant, which can be made by emailing fundraising@kmfl.ca.

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Kinsmen Minor Football League Registration Open For the 2025 Fall Season

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Photo courtesy of KMFL.

The League will consist of a Junior Division (kids born from 2015-2017) and a Senior Division (kids born from 2012-2014).

Weekly practices start on Aug. 25, Saturday games begin Sept. 13 and the season concludes on Championship Day on Nov. 1. 

Cost is $395 with Early Bird pricing of $345 in effect until July 1.

All equipment, excluding mouthguards and cleats, is provided.

“We are very excited to open our 2025 Season,” said Angela Madill, KMFL vice-president. “Last year we had the largest season in the 45-year history of the League. We are hoping to continue that success and have added a few surprises to further enhance our player and family experience this season.”

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RedBlacks Sweep Kinsmen Minor Football League Championships

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The junior and senior RedBlacks swept the Kinsmen Minor Football League Championships over the Roughriders at Thomas A Stewart Secondary School on Saturday.

Photo courtesy of KMFL.

The Junior RedBlacks defeated the Roughriders 42-8, capturing their third consecutive championship. AJ Galloway led the scoring for the RedBlacks with five touchdowns, adding two kicked converts. Cody Laurant added a single touchdown and Ronnie Hope added a kicked convert. Mason Earnshaw scored the single touchdown for the Roughriders and Jacob Cahorn kicked a convert.

AJ Galloway was named the Ken Butcher Junior Championship Game MVP for a second consecutive season.

The Senior Championship saw two high-scoring teams get into a defensive battle. The RedBlacks topped the Roughriders by a score of 14-6. Brody Munnings scored two touchdowns for the RedBlacks while Chase Coghill added a kicked convert. Michael Porter scored the lone touchdown for the Roughriders.

Brody Munnings was named the Ken Butcher Senior Championship Game MVP.

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Hometown PTBO: KMFL President Bryan Junkin On Keeping the League Going For 44 Years and Championship Weekend

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This week on Hometown PTBO, David Tuan Bui talks with Ptbo KMFL president Bryan Junkin about championship weekend this Saturday, the league's 44-year history and what made the 2024 season so special.

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Kinsmen Minor Football League Championship Set After Playoff Games

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The Kinsmen Minor Football League (KMFL) has entered the postseason as it started its playoffs at Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School (TASS) over the weekend.

Photo courtesy of KMFL.

The action started with the Senior Roughriders eliminating the Argos 38-14. Hayden Phair scored two touchdowns for the Roughriders while Michael Porter, Ryan Donato and Royce Adderley added a single score. Kaden Curtis kicked four converts. Parker Vivian and Ethan Bebbington scored for the Argonauts, with Chase Rimes adding a kicked convert.

The first Junior game of the day had the Roughriders eliminating the TiCats 24-0. Jackson Buck led the scoring for the Roughriders with two touchdowns. Jacob Cahorn added a single score and kicked three converts.

The second Senior playoff saw the RedBlacks eliminate the TiCats 54-7. Brody Munnings led the scoring for the RedBlacks with four touchdowns. Danial Consiglio, Mason Desroche, Brock Hendren and Harley Rock each added single scores. Chase Coghill kicked three converts. Lukas Zoric scored the single touchdown for the TiCats, with Lucas Morissey adding a kicked convert.

The day's final game saw the Junior RedBlacks eliminate the TiCats 40-0. Easton Schenk scored two touchdowns and also kicked a convert. Carter Gray, Cody Laurant and Brycen James each found the endzone as well. Ronnie Hope and AJ Galloway each added two kicked converts.

The KMFL finals are set for this Saturday at TASS. The Roughriders and RedBlacks will battle in both divisions to capture the KMFL Championship.  Junior action kicks off at 10 a.m, followed by the Senior final at noon.

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Kinsmen Minor Football League Enters Second-Half of Season With Week Five Games

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The Kinsmen Minor Football League (KMFL) is in its mid-season, running its Week Five games on Saturday.

The Senior TiCats ballcarrier trying to shed several tackles from Roughriders. Photo courtesy of KMFL.

The week kicked off with the Senior Roughriders defeating the TiCats 41-0. Michael Porter led the scoring for the Roughriders with two touchdowns. Calvin Toplak, Chris Chmarney and Vincent Martin-Holowaty each reached the end zone. Kaden Curtis kicked four converts and added a 23-yard field goal.

The first Junior game saw the Roughriders win over the TiCats 32-8. Mason Earnshaw scored three touchdowns for the Roughriders while Sterling Denton added a single score. Jacob Cahorn kicked all four converts. Landon Brook scored the touchdown for the TiCats with Wesley Clark kicking the convert.

The second Junior game had the RedBlacks defeating the Argonauts 32-6. Carter Gray led the way for the RedBlacks to hit paydirt twice. Landon Clements, Easton Schenk and Hudson Brethour each added a single touchdown. Easton Schenk also kicked three converts. Jamieson Temple scored the lone touchdown for the Argos.

The final game of the day saw the Senior RedBlacks defeat the Argos 49-21. Brody Munnings led the scoring for the RedBlacks with four touchdowns. Mason Desroches had two touchdowns and Levi Paige added a single. Brock Hendren kicked two converts and Desroches kicked a single. Paige also ran in a convert for a single point. Ethan Bebbington scored two touchdowns for the Argos, while Parker Vivian added a single. Max Ytsma kicked a convert.

The last week of the regular season sees the second Friday Night Lights game on Friday. The Argonauts will take on the TiCats, with Junior action kicking off at 6 p.m., followed by the Seniors at 7:30 p.m. Saturday will see the Roughriders and RedBlacks in Junior action at 8 a.m. and Senior action at 9 a.m.

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Kinsmen Minor Football League Hits Halfway Mark of the Season After Week Four Games

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The Kinsmen Minor Football League (KMFL) passed the halfway mark of its season with its Week Four round of games on Sautrday.

The Senior Roughriders and Argos in head-to-head action during a play. Photo courtesy of KMFL.

The Senior RedBlacks and TiCats kicked off the action with the former winning in a 55-18 rout. Brody Munings had four touchdowns, while Levi Paige and Charlie Sims also got in the endzone for the RedBlacks. Paige and Munnings each added a convert, as did Brock Hendren and Mason Desrocher. Scoring touchdowns for the Ticats were Mike Bevan, Leighton Shaw and Keaton Anchor.

The Junior RedBlacks defeated the TiCats 18-0. Lucas Harrington was the lone scorer for the RedBlacks, scoring three touchdowns.

The second Junior game saw the Roughriders defeating the Argonauts 58-34. Jackson Buck reached the endzone four times while Mason Earnshaw added three touchdowns. Jacob Cahorn was perfect on the day, kicking seven converts.

In the final game, the Senior Roughriders defeating the Argos 48-19. Hayden Phair scored four touchdowns for the Roughriders. Michael Porter added two scores and Foster James added a single. Kaden Curtis kicked three converts. Scoring for the Argos were Parker Vivian with two touchdowns and James Lavoie added a single. Max Ytsma added a kicked convert.

Week Five is this Saturday with the RedBlacks taking on the Argos and the Roughriders facing the TiCats at Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School.

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Kinsmen Minor Football League Holds First Friday Night Lights Games For the Season

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The Kinsmen Minor Football League had the spotlight on them on their first Friday Night Lights series with packed stands this past weekend.

KMFL President Bryan Junkin addressing a record number of players during the Senior Evaluation Night. Photo courtesy of KMFL.

The opening game saw the Junior RedBlacks defeat the Junior Roughriders 36-16. Jacob Cahorn and Camron Yanuziello with a touchdown each for the Roughriders. Cahorn also added two converts. The RedBlacks saw AJ Galloway, Easton Schenk (2) and Carter Gray for scores. Denver Paige led the defense with a pick-six. Galloway added a convert and Schenk kicked two converts.

In Senior action, the RedBlacks and Roughriders had a back-and-forth match that went down to the wire. The Roughriders edged the RedBlacks 44-41. Brody Munnings led the RedBlacks with five touchdowns. Levi Paige added a touchdown and kicked two converts. Brock Hendren added a convert. Hayden Phair led the scoring for the Roughriders with four touchdowns. Michael Porter and Vincent Martin-Hollowaty added a score, while Kaden Curtis kicked four converts.

Saturday morning began with the Junior TiCats defeating the Argos 36-6. Kai Scott scored two touchdowns for the TiCats, with Conrad Condon and Mike Zoric each adding a single. Wesley Clarke kicked three converts. Jamieson Temple scored the lone touchdown for the Argos.

The final game were the Senior Argonauts defeating the TiCats 38-8. Parker Vivian and Max Ytsma each scored three touchdowns for the Argos with Chase Rimes adding a convert.  Keenan Mealin scored the lone touchdown for the TiCats while the defence added a safety.

Action continues Saturday at 9 a.m. with the Argos facing the Roughriders and the TiCats taking on the RedBlacks.

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Kinsmen Minor Football League Season Opens With the Largest Season In History

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The Kinsmen Minor Football League kicked off the largest season in League history this past Saturday at Thomas A Stewart Secondary School.

KMFL President Bryan Junkin addressing a record number of players during the Senior Evaluation Night. Photo courtesy of KMFL

The was between the Senior Argonauts and Roughriders. Hayden Phair for the Roughriders took a long run to score a TD on the game’s first play. Late int he game, Max Ytsma intercepted a pass in the Argos endzone and returned it for a pick six to tie until the final buzzer.

The Junior Division games kicked off at 11am with the RedBlacks defeating the TiCats 28-6. Easton Schenk (two touchdowns), AJ Galloway and Cody Laurant scored for the RedBlacks. Schecnk and Galloway also added a convert each. Tai Scott scored the touchdown for the TiCats.

The second Junior game was a high scoring game with the Roughriders defeating the Argos 44-36. Alex Ward, Reid Graham and Brycen Moore all scored two touchdowns for the Argos. Mason Earnshaw (two touchdowns), Jacob Cahorn (three touchdowns) and Cameron Yanuziello scored touchdowns for the Roughriders. Cahorn also made four converts.

The final game saw the Senior RedBlacks defeat the TiCats 45-6. Levi Paige (three touchdowns), Brock Hendren (three touchdowns) and Brody Munnings scored touchdowns for the RedBlacks. Munnings also converted two converts. Harrison Anchor scored the lone touchdown for the TiCats.

Former Peterborough Wolverine and Winnipeg Blue Bomber of the CFL, Owen Hubert, made an appearance. Hubert grew up in Norwood and was home for his bye week. He signed autographs, pictures and to chat with the young players about his football journey.

Next weeks action starts at 9 a.m. at TASS with the Argos facing the RedBlacks and the TiCats taking on the Roughriders.

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Kinsmen Minor Football League Ready To Kick Off Largest Season in League History

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The Kinsmen Minor Football League kicked off its 44th season on Saturday, as expected, the largest season since its inception in 1980.

KMFL President Bryan Junkin addressing a record number of players during the Senior Evaluation Night. Photo courtesy of KMFL.

“We have 260 athletes ready to hit the Gridiron this season," said Bryan Junkin, KMFL president. “To be able to set a new league record only two seasons after recovering from the impact Covid took on us, it's just incredible. It's a testament to the passion and commitment of our volunteers.”

The previous record of 220 athletes was set in the late 1990s or early 2000s according to a press release.

The Senior Division (11-13) has 160 athletes across four teams playing 12-man football. The Junior Division (8-10) has 100 athletes with four teams playing nine-man football. 

“We had such a rush of registrations, that the Board had to decide to cap the team rosters in July.” said Junkin. “This type of growth caught us off guard, but with help from the Kinsmen Club and a fantastic response from the community to our 2024 Sponsorship drive, we were able to purchase the additional player and field equipment needed to take on these additional numbers.”

The League will partner with Electric City Special Needs Hockey to provide food and refreshments on game days. They will also hold their annual Friday Night Lights games on Sept. 27th and Oct. 18th. 

“We have some halftime events planned for those nights and will also be accepting food donations for the local foodbank.” said Junkin.

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