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

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

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

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.”

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A post shared by Jared Wayne (@jwayne__)

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

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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Team 55's Friday Night Lights Running Its Final Year After a Decade; Fundraiser to Continue In Subsequent Years

The decade milestone of the “Friday Night Lights” football fundraiser for suicide awareness with Team 55 is running its last year and held at Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School this Friday.

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 final theme for this year’s event is a homecoming for Thanksgiving weekend. Anyone who participated in the event in the last nine years is invited to attend with opening ceremonies beginning at 6 p.m. — though fans are encouraged to arrive at 5:30 p.m. — It is also a celebration of the event’s culmination over the years.

Peterborough Petes president Dave Pogue Team 55 is having its last event because the event planning takes exhausting amounts of work and feels he’s accomplished the goal of having a “decade of discussion” regarding suicide.

“It's a lot of work, it's very difficult to put on an event like this and it's stressful because tend to want to one-up ourselves every year,” explained Pogue. “The conversation has been rampant over the last nine years which is exactly what we were after.”

Team 55 will remain active in fundraising despite Friday Night Lights doing its last year.

Pouge founded the Team 55 campaign after losing his son Mitchell to suicide. The charity is named after Mitchell’s jersey number, 55 as he captained the Adam Lions football team.

Over $600,000 has been raised for suicide awareness, aiding Canadian Mental Health Association initiatives that helped launch the Assertive Outreach for Suicide Prevention program. It provides help and resources for attempted suicide victims or those contemplating it.

The double-header football games begin with opening ceremonies beginning at 6:00 p.m. then the following matchups:

• 7:00 p.m. - Adam Scott Collegiate and Vocational Institute vs. Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School

• 9:00 p.m. Holy Cross Secondary School vs Crestwood Secondary School

The games will be broadcasted by YourTV Cogeco with the field open at full capacity.

Fundraising efforts are through donations online, their Facebook page “Team55 Tackles Suicide Awareness” or sending a cheque to the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) offices at 415 Water St.

An online silent auction will run until Saturday evening. Big-ticket items include Petes private suite package, signed Steve Yzerman jersey, signed acoustic guitar by Carrie Underwood, $500 freezer meal package and more.

A barbecue is available on site that includes burgers, hot dogs, snacks, soft drinks and hot drinks.

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Hometown PTBO: Ennismore's Carter Frost On Being Drafted to the Peterborough Petes as a Goaltender

This week on Hometown PTBO, Pete Dalliday talks with Peterborough Petes goalie Carter Frost on being drafted in the 15th and final round of the 2022 Ontario Hockey League priority selection and growing up in Ennismore.

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Hometown PTBO: Jared Wayne Getting His Start in Football From the NCAA and Wanting to Be Drafted in the NFL

This week on Hometown PTBO, Pete Dalliday talks with University of Pittsburgh wide receiver Jared Wayne about how he got into football, his father's influence on the sport, working on getting into the NFL and growing up in Peterborough.

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Peterborough's Joseph Bencze Gets Re-Signed By Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Offensive lineman and Peterborough native Jordan Bencze will remain on the Hamilton Tiger-Cats roster of the Canadian Football League after being re-signed with three other players on Monday.

Facebook photo.

Bencze made his regular-season debut with the Tiger-Cats against the B.C. Lions on Nov. 5. That was his only regular-season game as he spent most of his time with the practice roster.

He made 24 appearances over four seasons with the McMaster University Marauders through 2016-19 as an offensive tackle and defensive tackle.

The McMaster alumnus was drafted by Hamilton in the fifth round, 45th overall in the 2020 CFL Draft.

He recorded 26.5 total tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and two quarterback sacks during his time on defence during his university career.

Bencze and the Tiger-Cats made the Grey Cup but lost to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 33-25. It was the fourth overtime game in Grey Cup history.

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Peterborough Offensive Linesman to Make CFL Debut For Hamilton Tiger-Cats

The lights have never been brighter for offensive lineman Joseph Bencze as he will make his CFL debut with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats against the B.C. Lions on Friday night.

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are second in the East Division with a 6-5 record behind division leader Toronto Argonauts. Facebook Photo.

The Peterborough lineman was drafted in the fifth round, 45th overall in the 2020 CFL Draft. He signed with the Ti-Cats on Jan. 21 last year but did not play that season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bencze made 24 appearances over four seasons with the McMaster University Marauders through 2016-19 as an offensive tackle and defensive tackle.

He recorded 26.5 total tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and two quarterback sacks during his time on defence during his university career.

The 6-5 Ti-Cats will host the 4-7 Lions on Friday at 7:00 p.m. EST.

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