Ravens host first football game in 15 years, and 5 reasons to attend the Panda Game

While the return to collegiate football may seem fairly lopsided for the Carleton Ravens in a 71-4 loss to the Western Mustangs, it was a good experience for them to see CIS football at its best before games that should be much closer approach on the schedule.

The Ravens will host a home football game for the first time in 15 years this Saturday (1 p.m. EST) - a game against a Waterloo Warriors squad that should be a close match-up, an important game on the schedule for both sides.

When the ball is kicked off on Sept. 7, it marks the great work of the Old Crow Society to bring football back to Carleton. Congratulations to Kevin McKerrow, John Ruddy and the entire board of directors. It's a great step forward for the CIS - and even better for the city to have the annual fun of the Panda Game back on the local calendar on Oct. 5.

Need a few good reasons to attend the Panda Game?:
1) It will be an important game for one or both teams midway through the season for playoff positioning.
2) You don't need to even enjoy football to attend - the fan show is just as entertaining.
3) Mascots: the dueling mascot rivalry between Rodney the Raven and the Gee-Gee (a first place horse in a race for those who did not know) has included everything from dance-offs to sudden and mysterious mascot disappearances.
4) Based on my recollection of the last Panda Game in 1998 - while I was a freshman student at Carleton's School of Journalism - you'll see the bizarre, amazing costumes and hear some pretty good back-and-forth chanting.
5) Affordable sports entertainment.

Make no mistake, Carleton will be in tough in its first season back - in fact, making the playoffs would be nothing short of a miracle.

On Carleton's full 70-man roster, 60 are freshmen. While that's going to make things tough on veteran CIS coach Steve Sumarah and his staff, things can only improve.

Stefan Carty, a third-year defensive lineman, Matt Lapointe, a third-year offensive lineman, and long-snapper and senior Matt Engel, are the only three players on the Ravens' roster not in their first or second year of eligibility.

But Sumarah has amassed a strong group of coaches including former Gee-Gees coach J.P. Asselin and former Gee-Gees star quarterback and quarterbacks coach Josh Sacobie.

Carleton's return to the CIS was arguably the hardest it could be: a six-hour bus ride to London, Ont., to play the perennial powerhouse and No. 4 nationally ranked Western Mustangs in front of a capacity crowd.

Welcome back, eh.

The Mustangs were kind enough to produce a video that captures the return of the Ravens. Take a look here...