Photo courtesy of Sideline Pix

Former Westshore Rebels running back Jamel Lyles was named the championship tournament Most Valuable Player as he led the Team Canada Senior Men’s team to a gold medal on the world stage.

The Canadians recently beat Team Germany in the inaugural Gridiron Nations Championship in Wattenscheid Germany 25-10 behind a terrific ground attack from Lyles.  He rushed 12 times for 78 yards and had a pair of touchdowns including Canada’s first score in the championship game.  Down by a major early in the contest Lyles scored on an 11-yard run late in the second quarter to cut the Germans lead to one heading into halftime.

In the second half, the Canadians dominated with Lyles putting the exclamation point on the game with a 30-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter which iced the game.

When the Team Canada roster was named back in February it featured 11 former CJFL players and former CJFL coach Jesse Maddox at the helm.    Six of those 11 players ended up in the box score for the gold medal championship including Lyles who finished the contest with 124 yards from scrimmage on 16 touches and the two majors.  Receiver Hayden Amis, formally of the London Beefeaters also made a reception for 22 yards while the defensive side featured Kent Hicks (Rebels) and Hakeem Johnson (Beefeaters) each making a tackle, former Calgary Colt Jayden Lawson collected 2.5 tackles and Makana Henry, who played for the Burlington Braves had four others.

It was an impressive finish for Team Canada who outgained the Germans in yards; 346-102 on a chilly, wet night in Germany.

Canada earned their right into the championship game after a thrilling 20-17 semifinal victory over Italy a few days before.  Lyles again led the way with 105 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns.

This was a history making tournament as the first global competition for tackle football since the 2015 IFAF World Championships…and the gold in 2025 belongs to the red and white!

When the roster was initially announced the following CJFL alumni were named:

• Jamel Lyles – Westshore Rebels
• Hayden Aims – London Beefeaters
• Shawn Charles - Ottawa Sooners and Langley Rams
• Makana Henry – Burlington Braves
• Kent Hicks – Westshore Rebels
• Hakeem Johnson – London Beefeaters
• Ben von Jagow – Ottawa Sooners and London Beefeaters
• Chris Larson – Westshore Rebels
• Jayden Lawson – Calgary Colts
• Jordan Sye – Langley Rams
• Daniel Woloshin – Regina Thunder