The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

In what has become routine for the Holland College Hurricances Football Club, a strong Bahamian presence has once again been the catalyst behind the team to a league-leading season in the Canada’s Atlantic Football League.

Six Bahamian players are currently on the roster for the 2015 team which has clinched home-field advantage throughout the AFL playoffs with the league’s best record. Heading into the final game of the regular season this Saturday at UPEI Alumni Canada Games Place - D’aiquan Wilmore, Lenzel Rahming, Cameron Lynch, D’Vac Munroe, Lawrence Williams and Geno Jones will look to keep the Hurricanes’ undefeated record in tact. They will face the second place Dalhousie Tigers who come in at 3-2.

The two teams met in the season opener where the Hurricanes escaped Halifax with a 19-11 win. Since then, the Tigers have gone 3-1.

The Hurricanes’ offence leads the league in points, averaging 27.8 points per game while their defence allows just 13 points per game.

In the semi-finals, the Hurricanes will face the winless University of New Brunswick Seawolves.

The Hurricanes won both matchups 21-9 on September 26 and 38-6 on October 17.

Wilmore, a 6’4” 285-pound defensive lineman, is the elder statesman in his second season with the club.

Rahming - 5’9” 280 pounds, and Munroe - 6’4” 305 pounds, join him on the defensive line.

Williams anchors the offensive line at 6’7” 320 pounds joined by the 5’9” 285 pound Lynch.

Jones, a former standout track and field star at the junior level, has made the conversion to wide receiver.

The Hurricanes will be faced with the task of winning a third consecutive title with their third head coach in as many seasons.

Following the departure of Andrew Hickey, Kyle Quinlan took control at the helm for Holland but the team has continued its winning ways as the programme currently rides a 13 game winning streak.

Quinlan expressed his optimism in the team’s home-court advantage in an interview on the Hurricanes’ athletic website.

“We have an amazing home atmosphere, so I’m very excited to play the rest of the games here in Charlottetown,” he said. “Our guys have worked very hard all year to earn that privilege, now we need to protect our house.”

Last season, the Hurricanes solidified their dynasty and captured their second consecutive AFL title, the third in four years.

With nine Bahamian players on their roster, the Hurricanes captured the 2014 Moosehead Cup with a 31-15 win over the the University of New Brunswick Seawolves.

The Hurricanes completed a perfect season with an 8-0 record.

In 2013, the Hurricanes reclaimed the title after a disappointing regular season where they finished at 1-4-1, but ended the year with a tie before their consecutive wins in the playoffs. They went on to take the 2013 title with a 20-12 win over the Seawolves.

In 2011, the Hurricanes won their first AFL title when they defeated the UNB Red Bombers 28-0. Bahamian Demetrius Ferguson sparked the Hurricanes and was named the MVP of the game when he scored touchdowns on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball.