Second-year offensive lineman and right tackle veteran William Brine has traveled more than 2,400 kilometres to attend Sault College in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, where he is pursuing the Mechanical Engineering Technician program while also making an impact on the football field with the CJFL Sault College Cougars.

Brine and the Cougars enter week seven of the OFC season with an undefeated 6-0 record, preparing to host the 3-3 London Beefeaters on Saturday, September 26, at Superior Heights Field. The matchup comes just one week after Sault College travelled to London and recorded a convincing 52-10 victory over the Beefeaters on September 19.

Despite the large margin of victory in the first meeting, Brine says the Cougars’ offence knows there is still room to improve.

“From an offence perspective, we feel we left points off the board,” Brine said. “We played hard and physical, had explosive plays. But we had plays that lacked full execution.”

That emphasis on execution has remained a consistent theme throughout the Cougars’ undefeated season. Rather than focusing on the result of the previous game, Brine says the team continues to look at each week as another opportunity to improve.

“As we have said all year, every week we are getting ourselves better. We look to this game as nothing different from the last, a game to keep getting better.”

Expecting a Different London Team

Although Sault College defeated London by 42 points in the previous meeting, Brine expects the Beefeaters to come into Saturday’s rematch with a renewed sense of urgency.

With the postseason approaching, London will have an opportunity to make adjustments and compete against the Cougars for a second consecutive week.

“We expect they will respond much harder this week with more preparation and a sense of urgency with playoffs around the corner,” Brine explained.

For the Cougars, the focus has been on making small adjustments rather than making major changes to their approach.

“We are preparing by making small tweaks to fix up mistakes and focusing on staying locked in on our game plan.”

A Home Finale With Added Meaning

Saturday’s game will also carry additional significance for Brine and the Cougars as it marks the team’s final regular-season home game.

As an international player who has made the move to Sault Ste. Marie to attend college and play football, Brine says the opportunity to compete in front of the local community has become an important part of his experience.

“As an international player I really want to be able to play at home in the playoffs, in front of the crowd that welcomed me into their community.”

For Brine, earning a playoff home game starts with taking care of business against London.

“Winning this week is the next step towards that.”

The Cougars also have an opportunity to finish the regular season undefeated at Superior Heights Field.

“Also, 4-0 at home sounds nice,” Brine said. “I think after last year and struggling to find wins at home, our fans deserve this more than anyone.”

Building Together

The Cougars have continued to build momentum throughout the season, but Brine believes one of the biggest differences in the team is the way the players continue to push one another.

Rather than relying on individual performances, the Cougars have developed a team-first mentality in which each side of the football contributes to the development of the other.

“We just keep building off each other every day,” Brine said. “We see ourselves as a unit that comes to practice with the desire to get each other better day in and day out.”

That mentality extends throughout the roster.

“Our offence gets defence better and vice versa.”

Maintaining the Standard

With the regular season nearing its conclusion and the playoffs approaching, Saturday’s matchup provides another opportunity for Sault College to maintain the standard that has carried the team to a 6-0 record.

For Brine, the importance of the game is no different from any other contest on the schedule.

“It’s as important as every other game we play. Whether it’s on our field or another team’s, our focus and intensity has to be on ourselves playing hard, fast and intelligent football.”

After travelling more than 2,400 kilometres to Sault Ste. Marie to pursue his education and continue his football career, Brine has become part of a Cougars team that has established itself as one of the OFC’s undefeated teams heading into the final week of the regular season.

Now, with the London Beefeaters returning to Superior Heights Field, Brine and the Cougars will look to finish their regular-season home schedule with another strong performance.

Opening kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 26, at Superior Heights Field, as the 6-0 Sault College Cougars host the 3-3 London Beefeaters.