A Red Deer football player will compete alongside the nation's top high school football talent later this month.
On Friday, May 9, École Secondaire Notre Dame High School announced Ben McAuley, a member of the school’s Senior Cougars football team, has been selected to play in the 2025 CFC Prospect Game in Hamilton, Ont., on Saturday, May 24.
McAuley is one of 72 players invited to the game, which has been presented annually by Canadafootballchat.com (CFC) and The Sports Network (TSN). He is one of 10 invitees hailing from Alberta, and one of only 12 wide receivers invited to take part.
“It means a lot to me to be selected to the CFC Showcase," said Ben McAuley.
"I am very excited for this opportunity to be able to represent my school, coaches, teammates, friends and family that have supported me this far in my football journey. (I am) extremely excited to be able to showcase myself and my school to the rest of the country."
To qualify for the CFC Prospect Game, McAuley had to attend a CFC Evaluation Camp in Calgary in February, which was one of eight professional-level combines held across the country. The combine included a 40-yard dash, a 5-10-5 shuttle, as well as vertical and broad jump events.
McAuley, a six-foot-three, 180-pound wideout for the Cougars, has been a leader on and off the field, said Senior Cougars head coach Ian Rattan.
“Ben is naturally talented and gifted in multiple levels of athletics. He has been extremely coachable, a great teammate, and his ability to pick up on nuances of technique is second-to-none," said Rattan.
"He does not have a go-slow speed — he is in it 100 per cent when he plays on the field and court. In Grade 10, he broke a track and field zone record in the long jump that had been standing since 1965. He continued where he left off in Grade 11 and was a contributing member on offence, defence and special teams for the Senior Cougars.
"On the basketball court, Ben was counted on again for sound defence, leadership and offensive putbacks. Ben is an incredible human being. He always had a smile on his face and was always looking for ways to help out his coaches and teammates."
Previous CFC Prospect Game participants have committed to NCAA schools in the United States and USports schools in Canada. A number of players who attended the inaugural game in 2019 were eligible for the 2025 Canadian Football League draft, which was held on April 29.
This year, CFL on TSN analysts Davis Sanchez and Milt Stegall will return as special head coaches. Sanchez and Stegall are both former professional football players who played in both the National Football League and CFL.
Team rosters will be announced on Tuesday, May 20 on Canadianfootballchat.com. Previous showcases had been held in 2019, 2022, 2023, and 2024 at TD Place in Ottawa, home of the CFL’s Ottawa RedBlacks. This year’s edition moves to Hamilton Stadium, home of the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
