Photos courtesy of Joanna Kurowski Photography

Last season the London Beefeaters were one win away from hosting the 2024 Canadian Bowl playing in the Ontario Conference title game for the fifth consecutive season.

Head coach Matt Snyder did an excellent job with his team last year and is optimistic about his club with several returning weapons and a very good recruiting class in 2025.  Players in the area are seeing the value of the playing time in the CJFL and are opting to play with the Beefs.

Following the graduation of LJ Dyer, the Beefeaters are going to look to running back Elijah Prosper to try and fill some of the production numbers of Dyer.   He will enter his third season, backing up Dyer for the last two, learning what it takes to be successful ln the CJFL.  Coach Snyder says Prosper has been one of, if not the hardest working Beefeater this past winter and they expect him to make an immediate impact on the offensive side.

Prosper has a few personal goals he is striding for this upcoming season including hitting the 1000-yard plateau. This would be a massive milestone but with the work he is putting in, the strong offensive line in front of him and the Beefeaters commitment to running the ball, this goal is attainable. 

For running backs each offseason, putting the work in by going to the gym is extremely important, something Prosper has been doing, “This offseason I’ve been very consistent in the gym lifting weights and trying to get bigger and stronger. On the field I’ve working very hard on my agility in preparation of the new season.”

His biggest strength on the field is his size and strength. When carrying the ball, he is hard to tackle particularly with speed going downhill.  Once he hits that hole and is in the open field, he is not easy to catch. 

Every CJFL’s team goal at the beginning of the season is to win the Canadian Bowl, but from Prosper’s perspective creating team unity is just as important, “A team goal I would like to see this year is for us to make sure everyone in that locker room tries to put football first, so we can all be good teammates and attend every practice to create great chemistry for the season.”

Where Prosper is an important player to watch on the Beefeaters offensive side, reigning Ontario Conference Defensive Rookie of the Year, Wes McFarland is just as important on the defensive side.   He enters his second season after 16 tackles, six assisted stops and one knockdown last year.  Coach Snyder is pleased with what he has seen in his preparation, “He should be a game changer for us this season. He looks like he put on 10 pounds of muscle and was all over the field in our Red and Blue game.”

The defensive lineman has worked hard in the offseason with his strength and conditioning coach and wants to be a leader on and off the field this year, “One of my goals for this season, is to always lead by example, finish every play as hard as I can, encourage my teammates and offer any advice and support that I have gained after a season in the CJFL. I hope that my coaches and teammates can help me improve, learn, and grow as a teammate and as a person on and off the field.”

Despite his young age, he seemingly has an excellent grasp of the mental side of the game with one of his biggest strengths being disciplined, “I believe discipline beats motivation any day,” he says. “Discipline remains in both tough times and easy times, while I believe motivation can fade when things don’t go your way.”

When not playing in a game, he is giving back as a coach, “Currently, I am also helping coach my local spring football program ages 7 to 13 which I really enjoy.”  The coaching aspect gives him a different perspective and can help give him a better understanding of the game when suiting up as a Beefeater. 

Both Prosper and McFarland are going to be major parts of the Beefeaters when they open the season on August 2nd at home against the Hamilton Hurricanes. 

They are both  CJFL Players to Watch in 2025.

Following up on Tuesday’s release of the Quarter Century Second Team, the CJFL looks back at the last 25 seasons to present the best of the best, and the First Team selections. 

Members of the CJFL voting panel from across the country scoured the statistical record books, individual awards, team successes and strength of team/Conference to name the Quarter Century Team below. 

This is a tall task as thousands of players have played in the CJFL since the calendar turned to the year 2000.  The voters have broken up the First Team representatives into three categories as you’ll see below with players representing 2000-2009, 2010-2019 and 2020-2024.

The new quarter century begins in July when the BC Conference opens the 2025 schedule. 

2000-2009

2010-2019

2020-2024