Recent Ontario Conference News
Quinte running back Jake Venditti
Photo courtesy of WJ Smith Photography
He gained valuable experience as a rookie in 2023, now the Quinte Skyhawks are hoping for a breakout season from running back Jake Venditti.
The speedy ball carrier’s greatest strength is his patience behind the line and his explosiveness to make would-be-tacklers miss. At 5’6, Venditti uses his size to squeeze through holes opened up by his offensive line and “hide” in the trenches before picking his lane.
He has laid high expectations on his own shoulders coming into 2024 with a personal goal of becoming an Ontario Conference All-Star.
Though he’s only going into his second CJFL season Venditti’s favourite play during his rookie campaign came against the GTA Grizzlies where he collected one of his longest runs of the season, carrying multiple defenders as he fought for extra yards.
His most memorable game last season was the first of his CJFL career when his Skyhawks matched up against the Ottawa Sooners. It didn’t go exactly to plan, but it showed him how challenging and rewarding it is being a running back in the CJFL.
As he prepares for his sophomore season, Venditti and the Skyhawks will open up on Sunday August 18th when they visit the Grizzlies in Toronto.
Jake Venditti of the Quinte Skyhawks is a CJFL Player to Watch in 2024.
Kick-off is set for August 17 in Ontario
The CJFL in conjunction with the Ontario Conference (OFC) have released their 2024 schedule that will see the six-member Conference open the CJFL season the weekend of August 17, 2024 with a full slate of games
The defending Conference champion St. Clair Saints begin their title defence in a Conference final rematch when they visit the London Beefeaters that afternoon at 3:00pm. The Hamilton Hurricanes will visit the Ottawa Sooners that night at 7:00pm, then the GTA Grizzlies host the Quinte Skyhawks the next day at 1:00pm.
The teams are scheduled to play an eight-week regular season concluding on October 6th. The Conference playoffs have a bit of a twist this year, with all six teams qualifying for postseason play, beginning with a pair of quarterfinals on October 12. The top two seeds will have a bye into a semi-final and will await the quarterfinal winners the following weekend before the Conference championship game scheduled for Saturday October 26th. The winner of the Conference will host the 2024 Canadian Bowl on their home field on Saturday November 9th when they host the winner of the CJFL National Semi-Final between the champion from BC and the champion from the Prairie Conference.
It was 2021, the last time the Ontario Conference hosted the Canadian Bowl. That season the Beefeaters fell to the visiting Langley Rams.
The Ottawa Sooner shares his love of football
For the most part, players in the CJFL fell in love with the game of football at a young age. The first chance they got they were involved in the game, whether playing, filling water bottles or cheering on their favourite teams.
Regardless of how they got to their current CJFL team, each one of the players has a story. This is the story of defensive lineman Richard Graham who just graduated from the Ottawa Sooners program. He was a dynamic player on the defensive side of the ball for his club and every now and then would appear offensively as well.
Following the Sooners season, Graham was invited to the CFL’s Invitational Combine and he impressed some of the professional teams so much that they are still talking with as the draft approaches.
Richard talks with Ryan Watters about his Football Story.