The 2009 OUA Football season looks to be a promising one for the Western Mustangs.  After being to the 2008 Vanier Cup game with a relatively young and inexperienced team, the ‘Stangs are poised to go far again next season.  However the Mustangs have lost some key players in DT Vaughn Martin, DB Matt Carapella, DB Corey McNair, DB Andrew Bain, OL Zach Pollari, and LB Jason Kozec.  So how are the Mustangs filling in these vacancies and building toward the future?

Quarterback
Jason Schuler – East Elgin Eagles (Aylmer, ON)
The real question with Schuler is where he slots into the pecking order. Donnie Marshall (Coach Greg Marshall’s son) was the backup QB last year as a freshman. Marshall is a hell of an athlete but at 5’7″ is very small for this level and can barely see over the offensive line (not an exaggeration). It will be interesting to see if Schuler will vault over Marshall in the depth chart. Schuler also plays for the Forest City Thunderbirds of the GLFL.

Running Back
Ken Eansor – St. Thomas Aquinas Flames (London, ON)
At 5’10” and 185 lbs. he’s about Nathan Riva’s size. He is also pretty quick too so you have to wonder if Marshall will keep him at tailback or move him out to receiver. We saw Coach Marshall do that last season with tailbacks Ryan Tremblay and John Leckie at times after Riva became the starting tailback. However, because he needs to get outside to be effective Riva may be moved to receiver (since Marshall doesn’t believe in anything but inside running). If Eansor is good at getting penetration up the middle, he’ll find himself with playing time. Otherwise, there are a lot of players he could be fighting for playing time including Riva, Leckie, Tremblay, Ben Roberts, and Jeremy Hipperson.

Offensive Line
Eric Armitage – Mother Theresa Spartans (London, ON)
Armitage is another quality London product recruited by UWO. Armitage is considered one of the best offensive linemen in London high school football. An extra body on the O-Line can’t hurt.

Shane Bergman – Holy Trinity Titans (Simcoe, ON)
Bergman is a massive 6’7″ and 330 pounds. Coach Marshall thinks he moves really well for a player his size. Bergman should be on the offensive line from the get-go in September. The offensive line was a point of concern for me last season and getting a new, bigger body to give Mike Faulds more time in the pocket is a good thing.

Garet Dickenson – G.W. Williams Wildcats (Aurora, ON)
I couldn’t find much on the 6’2″, 280 lbs. offensive lineman. He was a 2008 International Bowl All-Star so he has that big game experience which will be valuable as the Mustangs advance during the season.

Defensive Line
Mitchell Bec – Chestermere Cowboys (Chestermere, AB)
At 6’4″ and 240 lbs., Bec isn’t the biggest defensive lineman ever. As a smaller lineman, he would be better used on the end. He’s also a 2008 All-Star Football Top 150 Member.

Scott Fournier – Myers Riders (Ottawa, ON)
At 6’1″, 265 lbs., he’s a bit bigger a physical presence than Bec. In fact, Marshall believes that Fournier can compete for a spot right away. If Marshall thinks he can play, I would expect him to be one of the five or six defensive linemen dressed on opening night. That would be a big night for Fournier because that would make his first university game in his home town of Ottawa.

Linebackers
Marcus Babic – Assumption Crusaders (Burlington, ON)
At 6’2″, 215 lbs., Babic’s size is good for high school but a touch to the small side for university level linebackers. He’s got some room to grow still but if he doesn’t he could be switched to DB.

Jerod McCrory – Assumption Crusaders (Burlington, ON)
McCrory is big, strong and fast. Even at 6’2″ and 235 lbs., he’s able to run the forty in 4.58 seconds which is fast for a linebacker. That speed should mean he is more than capable of handling both pass and run coverage. He isn’t just a numbers-only guy. McCrory was an all-star in the 2008 International Bowl and was a member of the 2007 under-19 Team Ontario squad. He looks like he’ll crack the game roster by kickoff of the 2009 season.

Defensive Backs
Matt Lawson – St. Thomas Aquinas Flames (London, ON)
In addition to playing high school football, Lawson also played for London in the OVFL.

Luke Thomas – Saunders Sabres (London, ON)

Mike Spence – Nelson Lords (Burlington, ON)
At 5’11 and 178 lbs., he has good size for cornerback but might be a bit small to battle some of the bigger wide receivers in the OUA. Spence is naturally a safety which is important considering that 2008 starter Carapella has graduated. Interestingly, Spence also doubled as a linebacker in high school.

Kicker
Lirim Hajrullahu – Governor Simcoe Redcoats (St. Catharines, ON)
Hajrullahu likely won’t see any playing time this season as Daryl Wheeler owns that position until he leaves. However, Hajrullahu appears to be an adequate heir to the Mustang kicker lineage as he has a booming kick that will help with the swirling winds of TD Waterhouse Stadium. With this expected to be Wheeler’s last season, as he already played two years of NCAA Division 1 football in Utah, we’ll have to wait to see Hajrullahu in a Mustangs uniform.

For more on the 2009 Western Mustangs, check out our season preview.

With information from:
CIS Football Recruiting Database
London Free Press