The Gryphons continued their close relationship with the Ontario Football Alliance by hosting the fourth annual Red vs. Black weekend at Alumni Stadium.
“This year they’ve helped more than ever because we did a combine so we had 16 of the team come out and help out, run the combine, be our water boys and help with equipment,” OFA executive director Tina Turner said. “It’s been a great help.”
While every OUA school involved in football had coaching representation at the weekend camp that is used to select the Team Ontario roster for the Canada Cup of football, the national championship tournament for the under-18 age class that’s to be held in Winnipeg in July, the Gryphon presence was noticeable.
Defensive co-ordinator Adam Grandy is the provincial team’s special teams coordinator and defensive assistant while fellow Gryphon coaches Brian Cluff and Mike MacDonald were guest coaches for the camp. Several other Gryphon coaches were not listed as participants, but helped out throwing passes during practices and manning the media box throughout the weekend.
“The central location of Guelph as well as our close relationship with the University of Guelph and Stu Lang and his staff along with Kevin MacNeill, they’ve always been very supportive of Team Ontario,” said Josh Prior, OFA director of marketing and promotions. “It’s a great location and it’s a great spot to hold the event.”
The fact that the OFA is based at the Royal Distributing Athletic Performance Centre at Marden helps, too.
“That’s part of it as well,” Turner said. “We have less to lug around and it’s handy and close to our home office.”
“We’re fortunate in that the Ontario Football Alliance has their headquarters in Guelph so it’s natural for them to hold it in Guelph,” said Stu Lang, former head coach of the Gryphons who has stayed with the team in an advisory role. “They don’t have to move the offices or the staff and we have a good relationship with them through the Junior Varsity Gryphons. Tina and Wayne Turner have been very supportive of bringing it and holding it here. We’ve tried to do a better job than our opposition in terms of making it an event.”
For game day this year, the final day of the three-day camp, the Gryphs arranged for a food truck to attend and also had their inflatable Gryphon tunnel entrance at the door and there were also events at halftime.
“We provide a lot of things gratis to make it easy for them to come here,” Lang said. “We hosted a coaches social (Saturday) night at Wellington Brewery, who is a big supporter of ours. We’re trying to do things to make it difficult for them to pull it away.”
Invited to participate in the camp were the top 90 players that the OFA identified through four regional tryouts.
“Here’s where they get that first style as far as two-a-day practices, the meetings,” Prior said. “The coaches really throw a lot at the kids and you really see the players who can push through it and make that team.”
“This is probably the premier recruiting event outside of the Canada Cup,” Lang said. “You’re seeing two teams of the best high school football athletes and they’re one year away from graduating. You get a chance to see them early and spend some time developing a relationship. The fact that it’s held here, they get to see our facilities and it’s much easier for our coaches to be here and coach. It’s a big plus when it comes to recruiting.”
This year for the first time the OFA had its coaches draft players for game’s rosters. The end result was a 36-30 win in overtime for the Black squad.
“They did a really good job picking even (teams),” Turner said. “All the players are getting good reps so once we watch our film, we’ll be able to pick a good team.”
While the game was important for the selection of the team, all aspects of the weekend camp were to be taken into account.
“The whole weekend — the game, the practices, the meetings, ensuring they’re on time for things, how they’re acting in the halls and everything — it’s all important,” Prior said. “What the whole weekend encompasses is important.”
A 54-man roster is expected to be announced next week and that will eventually be whittled down to 40 for the Canada Cup tournament.
Host Quebec won last year’s gold-medal game when the tournament was held at Saint-Jean, Que., 15-12 over Ontario.
“The team looks bigger and faster than last year and they were the silver-medal winners,” Lang said.
And the Gryphons hope the experience for everyone involved was a good one and that the special weekend will continue to be held at Alumni Stadium.
“We’re just trying to build a relationship where they don’t want to go anywhere else,” Lang said.

Visit Gryphon Football on Vimeo to see Interviews from the weekend. https://vimeo.com/163557582