The Jr. Gaels Football Club Varsity and Junior Varsity teams are enroute to the Ontario Provincial Football League 2019 semi-finals . Submitted photo.

The Junior Gaels Varsity (V) and Junior Varsity (JV) football teams are playoff-bound after both teams finished their Ontario Provincial Football League season on a high.

Both teams finished out the season with a pair of wins over the Guelph Junior Gryphons (V) / Vaughn Rebels (JV) and the Mississauga Warriors.

“Our younger age players were big contributors on the field this

season,” said Junior Gaels Football president Alexandra Reyes-Walsh.

“They responded well to their coaches and did everything that was

asked of them.”

The Varsity team will travel to Ottawa on Saturday, Jul. 20 to take on

the second place Ottawa Sooners who edged-out the Junior Gaels a mere

13-8 at the start of the season.

The third place Junior Varsity team will face the second place

Stampeders in Burlington. The Junior Gaels defeated the Stampeders

39-0 when the teams met earlier this spring.

Most players will be getting a well-deserved rest this week while the

Football Canada Cup and U16 Eastern Challenge takes place at

Richardson Stadium. However, five Junior Gaels are representing Team

Ontario at both the U16 level (by Brandon Hay and Rhys Ruttan), and at

the U18 level (by Will Cockfield, Ethan Coulas and Zack Dodge).

Practices will resume on Monday, Jul. 15, 2019.

“All players have been working very hard and I don’t expect that will

change in the coming weeks,” said Reyes-Walsh. “Hard work means good

things can happen.”

The winners of the eastern semi-final games will go on to east

division championship on Saturday, Jul. 27, followed by the Ontario Provincial Football League championship game taking place in London, Ontario on Saturday, Aug. 3.