Three players from the Canadian Football League’s Toronto Argonauts will be part of a free football camp for youths in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory on Monday. Starting quarterback Cameron Dukes, former all-star offensive lineman and starting centre Peter Nicastro, and all-star defensive end Folarin Orimolade will join Ottawa Gee-Gees quarterback Ben Maracle as part of the free, non-contact football camp at Quinte Mohawk School. Maracle, who is from Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, has also played for the Kingston Grenadiers, in the Kingston OPP league, with St.
Theresa Catholic Secondary School in Belleville, and with Canada’s national junior team. He also went the CFL Combine in Edmonton as an underclassman and then attended the Ottawa Redblacks training camp as part of the CFL’s quarterback internship program. The Argos reached out to Maracle about initiating the camp, which happened for the first time in 2022.
Participants will run through the football basics, learn a little about Indigenous culture, and be treated to local cuisine for lunch, all at no charge. There will be multiple pro and college players at each drill to instruct the kids. Orimolade, who has played for the National Football League’s Los Angeles Rams as well as the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders, said in a telephone interview that he cherishes the opportunity to participate in such camps, something he didn’t have the luxury of doing himself as a youth.
“I find it really cool to be able to go back do so.