What's next for Marauder football?
With the Marauders 2013 football season coming to an end this past weekend on Nov. 2 in London, Ont. the McMaster Marauders have lost a bit more than just their hopes of a playoff run.
The Marauders also say farewell to some of the best players this football program has ever seen. Players that helped lead the McMaster Marauders to the school’s first ever Vanier Cup win and two consecutive Yates Cup wins in 2011 and 2012.
Matt Sewell, Mike DiCroce, Mike Daly and Joey Cupdio are some key Marauder names that we will not be seeing on the roster for next season as their years of eligibility in the football program have expired.
It’s more than just the success these players have had that will be missed, but the memories and teammates they will leave behind which is proving to be the hardest part of the thought of graduating for these fifth year all-stars.
“The best part of it all for me were the bonds that were made with my friends and brothers, the guys you go to war with are at your side through good times and bad,” said graduating wide receiver Mike DiCroce.
“Those bonds are the ones that last forever,” he added. “I know we made history at Mac and we made our stamp across the country that we are the best.”
It’s not hard to understand why these Marauders can look back on their careers and know that they took their school and their football program to a whole other level.
The 2011 season will remain a viagra dosage highlight for the graduating Marauder players and CFL hopefuls.
“The best memory is definitely the whole 2011 season where we went from zero to hero,” DiCroce said.
“We hit our lowest point as a team and later as an underdog (and a team doubted by many) went on to hit our highest point as a team, successfully silencing the critics.”
These graduating Marauders can still look towards hopeful athletic careers with Mike Daly drafted by the city’s own Hamilton Tiger-Cats, DiCroce going 29th overall to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Joey Cupido with another budding athletic career taking place alongside his football one.
Cupido is also a key member of the Calgary Mammoth National Lacrosse League team, which he is a dedicated member of when he isn’t lacing up for the Maroon and Grey.
Although it will be difficult saying good-bye to some McMaster OUA All-stars, the Maroon contingent still possess many positives for the 2014 season and seasons to come.
McMaster kicker and key component of the Vanier Cup win Tyler Crapigna returns for another year of Marauder football for the 2014 season.
The Marauders also added three rookies to the Ontario University Football All- Rookie list with the likes of Daniel Vandervoort, Mark Mackie and Nicholas Firlit who all put up impressive numbers this season for McMaster.
The spotlight on the McMaster Marauders has not gone off yet. With a budding season in the works for the men in maroon, McMaster fans can certainly expect returning quarterback Marshall Ferguson to lead his team to another playoff spot once again, and maybe even helping the Marauders to continue on to another stint in the Yates playoff game.
