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CIS Corner: Stefan Ptaszek and the McMaster Marauders aren’t thinking about perfection

McMaster Marauders head coach Stefan Ptaszek has never looked at the chance to go 8-0 in the regular season as a goal for his football team. He admits that first place in the OUA and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs are things that are talked about, but perfection isn't a part of that conversation.

" It's tremendously helpful from the recruiting side and the engaging of alumni side so it is something that is not being ignored," Ptaszek said in a phone interview Thursday. "But I'm doing everything in my power to keep it out of the locker room and keep the guys focused on winning the big game and peaking at the right time.

Ptaszek pointed to November 3rd as the date for when he hopes his team peaks, as that's when the Marauders will open the postseason at home. However, there is still a little bit of business to take care of in the regular season before McMaster can move onto the games that carry the most importance.

The Marauders host the Laurier Golden Hawks this weekend in their season finale. Ironically, it was at Laurier where Ptaszek spent two seasons as the offensive coordinator between 2003-2005 and helped lead the Golden Hawks to back-to-back OUA championships and a combined 16-0 regular season record. It was there, working under longtime head coach Gary Jeffries where Ptaszek says he learned what it meant to build a football program.

"Coach Jeffries is a mentor and a very good friend," Ptaszek said. "He is one of the best at creating a football family and that team atmosphere where every person feels a part of a family-type environment. I've tried to recreate that here and he was always very good at getting the most out of your locker room so that has helped me tremendously.

"[He] always taught me that you don't always agree with what the young men in your locker room do, but you always support them no matter what, so those are some things I've carried through to my career at McMaster."

Building a successful program at McMaster has taken some time, though. While Ptaszek's regular-season record with the Marauders prior to 2012 season was an impressive 34-14, it wasn't until last season that his team broke through and reached an OUA final, eventually going on to win the Yates Cup and the school's first-ever Vanier Cup in a double-overtime thriller over Laval.

Ptaszek credits the veterans in his room—led by fifth-year quarterback Kyle Quinlan, who returned to McMaster after a tryout with the CFL's Montreal Alouettes in the spring—for not only leading the Marauders to another successful regular season, but for maintaining an unsatisfied attitude.

"It sounds weird, but I'm impressed with how grumpy and unsatisfied my seniors have been; there hasn't even a little bit of complacency," Ptaszek said. "Some of the leaders on this football team could care a less about rankings and [an] undefeated [record]. They know that to get out of Ontario is incredibly hard and they want to get better each and every day so I've been very impressed with my seniors."

As the top team in the OUA this regular season, there's a tremendous opportunity for the Marauders to return to the Yates Cup and perhaps the Vanier Cup as well, and Ptaszek knows that thoughts of regular-season accomplishments can't get in the way of the true task at hand. So they'll do their best to shake out any sort of kinks in this weekend's game against Laurier. They'll also have to manage their resources, though, because win or lose Saturday, the real test has yet to come.

"November 3rd, it's for keeps," Ptaszek said. "One bad day and it's all done."