Friday 18 October 2024

1972 College Hybrid Football Season


Canada East Hybrid Conference (CEHC)
WEST
(2) Toronto Dukes
Hamilton Howlers
London Foresters
St. George Maples
Dominion Knights
Kitchener-Waterloo Provincial Beavers
Sudbury Provincial Miners

EAST
(8) Majeure Montreal Insulaires
(10) St-Laurent Cavaliers de Riviere
Nova Scotia Armada
Rideau Rams
Montreal Provincial Panthers
UPNB Pirates
Mont-Bellevue Geais Bleus

CEHC Playoffs
(2) TOR 20-16 UHAM
(8) MMTL 33-22 (10) ST-L

CEHC Championship
(2) TOR 27-20 (8) MMTL

The Toronto Dukes remained the team to beat in the CEHC. Led by star RB Joshua Tomlinson and DB Oliver Benson, the Dukes cruised to each win in their unbeaten season. UHamilton regained 2nd in the West Division, led by their star LB Corey Briggs, a potential #1 pick. London remained competitive but fell back after losing key players from last season. The East was a battle between Majeure Montreal and St-Laurent. While St-Laurent had been a Hybrid Football Championship finalist last season, they seemed to hit a snag this year after QB Justin Arceneaux, who looked like a top QB prospect after last season struggled in his senior year. At Majeure Montreal, QB Matthieu Chevalier stepped up and delivered a great season, leading the Insulaires back to the top of the East Division. Nova Scotia and Rideau both had alright teams as well but fell short of the postseason.

In the playoffs, the Howlers would give the Dukes one of their toughest games of the season, but it wasn’t enough to topple the #2 ranked team in hybrid football. Majeure Montreal and St-Laurent had a close duel in the other final, but a late-game pick-6 from DB Alexandre Gagnon would seal the win.

Toronto ended up literally running through the Insulaires via RB Joshua Tomlinson. They held a 27-10 lead at one point. While Majeure Montreal attempted a comeback they would still fall well short of a win, as the Dukes captured their 4th conference title in 5 seasons.

West-Can Athletic Conference (WCAC)
(4) Edmonton Huskies
(6) Pacific Provincial Seahawks
Saskatchewan Provincial Prairie Dogs
Alberta Provincial Wranglers
Riel Rebels
Central BC Mountain Lions
Western Manitoba Wolverines
Royal Regina Blues
Royal Gardens Knights
Lethbridge Miners

WCAC Playoffs
(4) UEDM 24-20 APU
(6) PPU 25-19 SPU

WCAC Championship
(4) UEDM 29-21 (6) PPU

Out west, the first year of hybrid ball in the WCAC would see the Edmonton Huskies rise to the top lead by QB Oscar Frost. Coming in 2nd behind Edmonton was the Pacific Provincial Seahawks who were led by a pair of solid prospects in S Todd Collingswood and WR Alex Acquafredda. QB Steve Robiskie led a solid offence at Alberta Provincial with the help of WR Colt Robbins and TE Dylan Abney. However, they were not quite able to surpass the well coached Saskatchewan Provincial Prairie Dogs in the standings. Riel and Central BC were both playoff contenders but fell short of the mark.

In the playoffs, Robiskie would lead the Wranglers to a solid performance, but could not quite out duel Frost and the Huskies, who held on. Pacific Provincial would manage to take down the Prairie Dogs on the back of a key interception from S Todd Collingswood. 

In the title game, the Huskies would reign supreme, taking down the Seahawks for the 2nd time this season to capture the first hybrid title in the WCAC.

America East Hybrid Conference (AEHC)
(3) New England Cardinals
(7) Haynes Colonials
(9) Rhode Island State Bulldogs
Cambridge of Boston Cubs
Maine State Acadians
West Mass State Rangers
Concord-Manchester Fighting Pike
Vermont Republic Mountaineers

AEHC Playoffs
(3) UNE 34-6 CUB
(7) HAY 21-19 (9) RISU

AEHC Championship
(3) UNE 32-18 (7) HAY

The new-look AEHC would be led by the typically strong New England Cardinals with the plethora of talent they have including WR Evan Moore and DB Guy Wright. Following behind them were a couple of usual suspects with Haynes and Rhode Island State. Both also feature many prospective draftees, most notably OL Noah Glassman at Haynes and LB Paul Sanborn at RISU. Cambridge of Boston rounded out the playoff teams led by DB Frederick Royston, while Maine State, led by RB Daniel DeVille fell just short.

In the playoffs, New England dismantled their intown rivals 34-6. In stark contrast, Haynes would narrowly advance on a last second field goal to get past RISU and in to the AEHC final.

The Colonials’ luck would run out in the championship as New England rolled on to a 32-18 win to capture a 2nd straight conference title.

Central Hybrid Conference (CHC)
EAST
(1) Western New York Whitetails
Upstate Bluebirds
Erie Sailors
WNY-Rochester Eagles

WEST
(5) North Indiana Cardinals
Louisville State Stallions
Indiana Tech Express
Daniel Boone Pioneers

CHC Playoffs
(1) WNY 46-13 UPST
(5) UNIN 27-12 LVST

CHC Championship
(1) WNY 25-28 (5) UNIN

In the brand new CHC, it was pretty clear who the playoff teams were versus the rest. Western New York crushed their conference play, led by S George Turner and DL Stephen Marshall. Outside of playing WNY, Upstate was solid behind RB Gabe Ibrahim. Then, Erie and WNY-Rochester struggled a lot finishing far behind the top two in the East. In the West, North Indiana led the way with great performances from their seniors producing one of their best graduating classes. QB Dominic Hoffmeister had a great final season along with WR John Jackson and the OL twins of Owen and Gavin Brightman. Louisville State was still solid behind them led by LB Brad Johnson. Indiana Tech was definitely the best non-playoff team, but they still weren’t a match for the top 4.

In the playoffs, it showed just how much better the top 2 teams were with WNY crushing Upstate while North Indiana got a big win over their rivals in the Stallions.

In the championship, most expected the Whitetails to top the Cardinals, however, Hoffmeister had a career game and managed to lead North Indiana to an upset win, capturing the first ever CHC championship.

Hybrid Football Playoffs
Canadian Final
(2) Toronto Dukes 31-27 (4) Edmonton Huskies
In the debut of the Hybrid Football Playoffs, the Canadian Final would feature Toronto and Edmonton. The two teams were well-matched. Despite his best efforts, QB Oscar Frost was unable to lead the Huskies past the Dukes. RB Joshua Tomlinson had 3 touchdowns in the big win, leading his team to the Championship.

American Final
(3) New England Cardinals 17-21 (5) North Indiana Cardinals
In the American final, it was the battle of the Cardinals. Once again, North Indiana was able to shock the college world, with a 2nd consecutive upset over New England. QB Dominic Hoffmeister had another strong performance, to lead his school to their first overall championship game in their history.

Hybrid Football Continental Championship
(2) Toronto Dukes 30-24 (5) North Indiana Cardinals

Finally in the championship, it was Toronto versus North Indiana looking to pull off another massive upset. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, their luck would run out despite a solid game. The Dukes were ultimately the better team and would capture a 3rd championship in 4 seasons. 

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