Football in Ontario continues to grow especially at the collegiate level. What once seemed to be a long shot dream for young football players has now become a very real reality whether the opportunities come here in Canada, or in the United States. The city of Brantford, Ontario has one of the more interesting stories when it comes to collegiate football commitments in recent times.

North Park Collegiate has turned into one of the more successful football programs in the CWOSSA region in recent years. The Trojans have won five city championships since 2015 while also reaching the Junior Metro Bowl semi-finals in 2018. Leading the charge for these successful teams has been the trio of running backs that have come and now gone on to play collegiate football. North Park has had three running backs graduate and commit to collegiate programs in the past three seasons (excluding 2021 where there was no season due to COVID-19).

The recent run of football excellence at North Park started in 2015 when Daniel Bosett transferred to the school. Bosett’s patience and ability to change directions was a great asset for the Trojans and drew the attention of many coaches within the USPORTS ranks. His desire to win and overall passion for the game helped bring his team together, ultimately leading his teams to three city championships in four years. Bosett says the ability to win multiple championships while wearing trojan colours was something he will always cherish.

“It feels like all the hard work you put in behind the scenes when you felt like nobody was watching was worth it in the end.”

After graduating from North Park, Bosett accepted an offer to continue playing football at McMaster University where he currently studies communications. Bosett has dressed every season that he has been a Marauder, helping the team win a Yates Cup back in 2019.

The heir apparent to Bosett brought a new dynamic to the Trojan back field. Matthieu Clarke came to North Park in grade nine with no previous football experience. His raw athleticism and speed were traits that could not be ignored and once he had the ball in his hands, everyone knew he was going to be special. Clarke continued to improve year after year for the Trojans, building on that explosive speed and turning into a fantastic back. Clarke finished his career with the Trojans winning two city championships before accepting an offer to continue his playing career at the University of Calgary. Clarke says the experiences he had while playing at North Park are ones that set him up for success.

“With not having much of a background in football and only starting to learn the sport in high school, North Park gave me the opportunity to gain experience and provide me with a platform to be able to show universities what I am capable of achieving.”

Most recently, class of 2022 running back Isaac Cherewka signed his letter of intent to play football at Dordt University in Sioux Center, Iowa. The NAIA program is excited to add him to their backfield for the upcoming season. Like Bosett and Clarke, Cherewka’s strength and power brought a different element to the backfield that teams were not accustomed to. Cherewka is excited to continue his playing career at Dordt and was humble when speaking about the opportunity he had stepping in after Bosett and Clarke.

“I looked up to them both. Watching them both sparked my interest and made me hungry to get better and ultimately work towards getting a scholarship of my own.”

Head coach Todd Andrew was grateful to have been able to coach the trio throughout their time as Trojans and says it was their hard work and dedication towards wanting to achieve their goals that set themselves apart.

“All three shared the same competitive spirit, desire, and leadership qualities. They put the time in to work on their physical skills and strength off the field, as well as buying into the mental challenges that were asked of them. It has been a great pleasure to watch these men grow both on and off the field and I am proud to see each of them live out their goals.”

The trio have set a great example for future generations of players not just at North Park, but in the city of Brantford. All three of the boys can remember watching former Trojan running back David Adeniran, who most recently finished sixth in the OUA in rushing yards per game at the University of Windsor this past season and find it humbling to have kids looking up to them today as they did to him many years ago.