It’s been nearly 14 years since the Carleton Ravens last played a varsity football game, so expectations should be tempered when they return to the gridiron next fall.
But with the recent play of the Ottawa Sooners — a junior football team that features at least 10 future Ravens — that might be a little more difficult than anticipated.
The Sooners clinched a berth in this weekend’s Ontario Football Conference (OFC) semifinal with a 43-27 thrashing of the Burlington Braves Sept. 29 at Carleton’s Keith Harris Stadium.
Quarterback Jesse Mills threw a season-high 307 yards and wide receiver Dexter Brown grabbed his team-leading seventh touchdown as the Sooners cruised to their fifth straight victory on the final weekend of OFC regular season action.
“You’re happy when your guys are successful and playing well and you know they’re going to be playing with you next year,” said Ravens head coach Steve Sumarah. “It kind of makes you go, ‘OK, I think that will translate to success for us.’”
Although there’s no official affiliation between the two programs, the Sooners are the closest thing to Ravens pigskin Carleton’s campus has seen since 1998.
They call Keith Harris Stadium home, they work with Ravens offensive line coach Chris Coulson once a week, and their roster is made up of at least 10 Ravens recruits — and likely more to come.
Among them, the teenage trio of Mills, Brown, and running back Keith Graham are the ones to watch.
Mills, who played under Sumarah last season at Saint Mary’s University, will likely be the face of Carleton’s program.
On the Sooners’ opening drive against the Braves, the 6’4”, 230 lbs quarterback found receiver Dechaun Beals, also a Ravens recruit, for a 73-yard touchdown reception. It was Mills’ first of four touchdown passes on the night.
“Jesse brings great leadership,” said Sooners head coach Matt Murfitt. “He’s just a winner.”
But the most pleasant surprise, according to Murfitt, has been Brown — a 6’0”, 200 lbs receiver from Sherwood Park, Alta.
Brown, who participated in the Edmonton Eskimos spring mini-camp in April, led all receivers with an average of 26.7 yards per reception this season.
Unlike Mills and many of the other Ravens recruits, who have roots in Halifax like Sumarah, Brown was completely off the radar on this side of the country before he joined the Sooners.
“He came down here for one night with no pads or anything to get on the field and get us a look,” Murfitt said. “No one expected this kid. He’s been lighting it up and I’d be surprised if he’s not a league all-star at his position.”
An argument could also be made for Graham, a running back from Jacksonville, Fla. who also left Saint Mary’s for Carleton.
His three touchdowns Sept. 1 in a thrilling, comeback victory over Montreal’s St. Leonard Cougars helped the Sooners turn things around after starting the season 0-3.
“I don’t think we knew how good we could really be,” said Mills, who posted a 53.8 per cent completion rate this season. “After that win against St. Leonard, we realized what this team is capable of.”
They haven’t lost a game since.
Mills said there’s a valuable lesson to be learned from the Sooners’ shaky start — one that will apply when the Ravens return to Canadian Interuniversity Sport competition next season.
“You need to put the egos at the door when you come onto the team,” he said. “Especially starting from scratch, it’s not going to be easy. But if you’ve got 70 guys that are willing to play together, then it could end up how it’s ended up for us this season.”
More and more, Mills said he and his teammates are starting to realize they could be part of something special with the Ravens program.
It may not result in many victories next season — maybe not even the year after — but with less than a year to go until opening night, it appears the pieces are starting to come together.
“These are some of the most talented guys I’ve ever played with,” Mills said. “A few of the receivers we have are probably the best in the country. You can really build something around that.”
