Scott Radley: Ben Chapdelaine was a Yates Cup champ. Two decades later, the former McMaster QB is back in the big game
The 2000 Yates Cup? Yes, he remembers it.
The game was played at McMaster in his fourth year. Wilfrid Laurier was the opposition. The fans were everywhere, including hanging off the fence. He's pretty sure former CHCH sports guy Ken Welch spent part of the game in a hot tub built into a car parked in the end zone. The place was wild.
It felt like a 10,000-person crowd when Les Prince Field only held like 1,200," Ben Chapdelaine says.
And oh yeah, Mac won its first-ever Ontario championship that afternoon. Final score 48-23. He threw for 324 yards and even caught a touchdown pass on a trick play from running back (and game MVP) Kojo Aidoo.
Why bring that up now? Because, 21 years later, Chapdelaine - the quarterback of that winning team - is back in the big game this weekend. Only this time, he won't be playing. Instead, he'll be wearing the stripes as side judge.
Far as anyone can remember, this will be the first time a former champion and a Hec Crighton Award winner (the top player in Canada) will work a title game as an official.
Scary, isn't it?" he quips.
The 43-year-old dipped his toe into the whistle-blowing business four years ago when the pangs struck and he really started to miss being on the field. Years before, an official who'd worked his games had told him that with his football IQ and feel for the game, he'd be good at it. He'd never forgotten that discussion.
It turns out former OUA referee Murray Drinkwalter was correct.
He's outstanding," says Western head coach Greg Marshall, who was Mac's head coach during that 2000 game. That's Ben. He's good at everything."
That view is bolstered by the fact that every official is graded after every game during the Ontario university football season. Championships are rewards for the best of the best. He's earned his way in.
Based on Marshall's view of Chapdelaine's acuity at all things, perhaps that shouldn't be a surprise. Still, it's remarkable how quickly he got here.
Chapdelaine admits that when he started officiating, things were moving really, really fast on the field. Realistically no faster than when he was playing, but it's all about confidence. He knew what he was doing under centre so things seemed to slow down. He wasn't there yet with the whistle.
Adjusting to the OUA speed has been something that I've been working on for a few years and that goes on forever," he says. But things are at a point where I feel comfortable while I'm out there."
There's always something that could create a new challenge, though. Here, it might be that this Yates is Western at Queen's, meaning his old coach will be working one sideline. And if he glances to the other, he'll see Queen's offensive co-ordinator Tom Flaxman, who's a former teammate. And a bunch of other ex-Marauders are sprinkled through the coaching ranks of both teams.
That's a lot of familiarity. And a lot of guys who know him at a time he's striving for anonymity. As a quarterback you want to make a difference in a big game. As an official, you want the exact opposite. Particularly in a championship. You want nobody to notice you.
If they're talking about you after the game, things have probably gone wrong.
This matters because the fact that he so viscerally remembers the first of his two Yates Cup games reminds him of how important this moment is to the players, and drives home the fact that every call is big. Every judgment is crucial.
I try not to think of it that way," he says, looking to not add pressure to the work. We're just there to make sure the game is played within the guidelines, within the rules, and safely for all, but not to overstep our roles."
How will you be able to tell if he's succeeding? If you tune into the game and if your hearing is exceptional you might catch a hint.
Chapdelaine says when he was playing, Marshall called him Ben when things were good and Benny when he was ticked.
Marshall laughs at the memory.
Hopefully," the coach says, I'm not calling him Benny on the weekend."
Scott Radley is a Hamilton-based columnist at The Spectator. Reach him via email: sradley@thespec.com
Yates Cup
Western (7-1) at Queen's (8-0)
Saturday, 1 p.m., CHCH TV
Local content: Queen's - Sterling Seunarine, LB (Westdale), Ryan Berta, OL (Brebeuf), Jaden Bailey, RB (Burlington, went to prep school in the U.S.), Evan Florian, OL (Ancaster, went to prep school in the U.S.). Western - Evan Hillock, QB (St. Thomas More), Savaughn Magnaye-Jones, REC (St. Thomas More), Riley Macleod, RB (St. Thomas More), Spencer Smyth, LB (Dundas, Canada Prep), Isaac Sardo, DB (Bishop Ryan), Tyler Maddox, OL (St. Thomas More)
What's at stake - The winner hosts the Atlantic champions in the Mitchell Bowl next weekend for a berth in the Vanier Cup. Based on recent history, that's all but a sure win. The Atlantic winner hasn't won a national semifinal in 12 years and the past three games have seen the AUS champs outscored 182-3.