From finishing year one of the program 0-8, to this year’s 5-3 finish and making it to playoffs for the first time in 16 years, the Ravens football team is only getting better.
“I knew we had something special with how hard everyone worked and that we would make a lot of progress in years to come,” said Ravens defensive back and punt returner Tunde Adeleke.
Although the team started the season with a loss to Queen’s, the team said they quickly realized they needed to step up their game if they wanted to make it to playoffs.
“We never wanted to feel like that again,” Adeleke said.
The team proceeded to win games against Waterloo, Windsor, and Toronto.
These games seemed to be fairly easy wins for the Ravens, but week five was a different story. The team was to take on the undefeated Western Mustangs during the infamous Western homecoming. The talented Mustangs were surrounded by thousands of screaming fans, making their victory over the Ravens that much sweeter.
After a devastating loss, the Ravens went into their biggest game of the season. The Panda Game was hosted at TD Place on Oct. 4 against their crosstown rivals, the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees. It was an exciting game with over 17,000 fans in attendance, and after a double overtime, the Carleton Ravens came out on top.
The following weekend they defeated York, which secured the Ravens a spot in the playoffs. They had a bye to prepare for their final regular season game against the Guelph Gryphons.
The final game was hosted at Carleton, where both teams wore pink for breast cancer awareness month. The Ravens lost to the Gryphons 44-12, making Carleton the sixth seed. They would have to face Queen’s in the quarter-finals of playoffs, for the last game ever at the Richardson Stadium.
The Ravens proved just how far they had come since the beginning of the season as they dominated Queen’s on their home field. The game resulted in an end to the Gaels’ season, Carleton’s first playoff win in 29 years.
“That was the first game against a really good team that our offence, defence, and even special teams clicked,” Adeleke said. “Defence made stops, special teams won the field position battle, and offence put points on the board. It was probably one of the most exciting games I’ve ever played in.”
“It just felt so incredible to finally feel like we accomplished something real,” said Ravens receiver Nate Behar. “To do something which really matters like a playoff game—that was the best moment for sure.”
Most players agreed the game was the highlight of their season.
Heading into semifinals, the Ravens were to face a team they were all too familiar with from their final regular season game, the Guelph Gryphons. Carleton looked like a completely different team, taking the lead over Guelph numerous times throughout the game. It went back and forth for the first three quarters, but Guelph pulled ahead in the final quarter, and Carleton was unable to catch up ending their season.
Ontario University Athletics individually recognized nine Ravens football players as 2015 All-Stars for their successful season. These players included KC Bakker, Nate Behar, Stefano Napolitano, Guillaume Caron, Nathaniel Hamlin, D’Sean Thelwell, Tunde Adeleke, Michael Domagala, and Keith Graham.
“With all the work we put in behind the scenes like practice, the gym, and in off-season it’s great to know that it’s being recognized by players and coaches around the league, but at the same time I always keep in mind that I couldn’t have got here without my teammates and coaches who push me to keep getting better. I’m just grateful that I chose to play here instead of somewhere else,” Adeleke said.
This was Behar’s third consecutive year being recognized for his outstanding individual performance.
“I mean it’s definitely a testament to some great quarterbacks. I think I have the best offensive coordinator in the entire country so I have to give a lot of credit to that. It’s always nice to be respected—you think you work pretty hard during the offseason,” Behar said. “So it’s nice to get a little love. But it’s football, so it’s also a team sport. Doesn’t matter how much one guy works—if you don’t have a team around you, you won’t be able to do a single thing, so I can’t take too much of the credit.”
The team say they will continue to train and work hard, and return next season stronger than ever.
“We’re not just playing for a winning season—we’re playing for a Yates and a Vanier now,” Adeleke said.
Behar agreed, “That’s the goal, that’s the plan, that’s the thought, that’s the entire off-season. We’re going to come ready next year,” he said.
