As Griffin DeDominicis finishes out his final year at St. John’s College, the football standout can look back to a time with many highlights including earning MVP honours, overcoming a severe injury, and capping it with a hard-fought championship.
DeDominicis, who hails from Brantford, enjoyed an introduction to various sports, eventually discovering football, and suiting up for the local Bisons football program.
“When I was young, I played with CYO Brantford Hawks…basketball was a big part of my upbringing. I also played a little bit of house league hockey and soccer…I really never played football, and it was always just one of those sports that was always great to watch, or play with my friends or my siblings,” he said. “And then I decided to try football with the Bisons during the summer before going into high school. I quickly realized how big a community it was…[and] I fell in love with the game. The Bisons have always been great to me….they made me feel welcome and made it easy for me to learn. They’ve always wanted what’s best out of their athletes, which I find great.”
However, DeDominicis then reflected on a highlight with the Bisons, where he played on U14 to U16 teams.
“I remember the first ever organized football game I played in. It was a preseason game…at Guelph alumni on the big field. I had a couple of catches and runs [as well as a two-point conversion. Everyone came and celebrated with me. The coaches patted me on the back, and it was very encouraging. It felt great to be there, being able to play on that field and thinking that one day I could be playing somewhere like that at the university level,” he said.
After a strong first year at St. John’s, where he played receiver, and in the second year splitting roles as a receiver and running back. But when the young star suffered a significant injury, it tested his resolve.
“That was a great year. It was a lot of fun [despite] us losing in the semifinals. Then in the summer after grade ten, I tore my ACL and meniscus when I was playing for the Bisons. That was the last time I played for them…by November, I had surgery, and for the next year I was doing rehab and just recovering. I pushed myself as much as I could to get better, because I wanted to go play in grade 12,” he reflected. “I knew I had to be consistent with it. I went to physio twice a week, and then I also knew that was a small part of it. I knew I had to do a lot on my own..doing exercises and everything to get back on the field. I wanted to come back better than I was before. That time also taught me a lot about myself, and I gained a lot of confidence.”
After spending the year recovering, DeDominicis came back ready to compete while trying to master a pivotal position.
“I knew we didn’t have one for our team [so] no one was expecting to play quarterback. I took that on myself, to learn a new position. It’s an important position in football [and] I believed that I could do well in this role, I knew I could push the team and compete at a high level with my goal of winning the championship,” he stated. “Becoming quarterback taught me a lot….how to read a defense and really understand them. It also taught me that I needed to know what everyone was doing on the field [including] the offensive line, receivers, and running backs. I had to know everything, and had to execute plays with the ball. It taught me that I needed to accept that pressure. I knew that I had to just execute to the best of my ability and make sure everyone else was executing as well. I was pushing everyone to be the best versions of themselves.”
Along with football, he also excelled at rugby, which ultimately helped refine his skills for the gridiron.
“It was a brand-new sport for me [which I] never played before. I didn’t do anything in grade nine for the spring season, so I knew I wanted to do something….so I decided to join the team. It’s like football in my mind….when it comes to the aggression aspect of it. I knew I wanted to play in grade ten too [and] we went on to win CWOSSA [Central Western Ontario Secondary Schools Association] which was great,” he noted. “It taught me properly, how to tackle. Not saying that I tackled much in football, but that skill transferred into the offensive aspect [and getting] more physical…knowing how to not brace for contact, but run through it is. And going into grade 12, I learned that was a big thing and really used my size advantage too.”
Nevertheless, the multi-sport athlete who won Junior Male Athlete of the Year in 2024 and also the Junior Football MVP, decided to put all his energy into football and help the team overcome ‘the curse.’
“The curse was a bit of a joke we had…it was that we lost four years before in the finals after having undefeated seasons. It was a lot knowing that…and really thinking that we have to be the team that lifts this curse. We knew that we had to push ourselves to the best of our abilities and get the job done. We knew we had to be the best versions of ourselves on the field, and really had to stay disciplined and to execute,” he said.
And the team started to pull together with a dominating 18-0 win against Brantford Collegiate Institute (BCI) in the semi-finals despite adverse weather conditions.
“The weather was terrible with heavy rainfall, and it was very cold. We were trying to stay dry on the sidelines throughout the game. We knew we had to just stick to our game plan with the run, because we knew our offensive line was strong and we had a great running back game too….we had to keep the ball on the ground. Looking back, it was a fun game, but at that time, it was tough….but we still executed our game plan very well. Everyone worked hard [and] we did try some new concepts which worked out for us,” he noted.
At the end, the St. John’s College Green Eagles would finally capture the Athletic Association of Brant, Haldimand, and Norfolk senior football championship, led by DeDominicis at quarterback, over Paris District High School, 30-7.
“We knew we had to execute, because we knew that Paris would play a very run-heavy game, and they would take a lot of time with the ball….trying to stop any momentum we would build…so we knew that when we got on the field, we had to get some points on the board….so, we scored on the first drive. It was good to start with the momentum on our side,” he explained. “Our defense was holding them in check and took some time to get the ball back,” the student-athlete said. “By the third quarter, we were feeling that we had a chance to get the job done and win the championship…as we continued to ride the momentum whenever we had the ball and were really executing. We just kept playing our game and didn’t take our foot off the gas the whole time.”
However, along with the championship win, the footballer was making plans for his future as he was continuing his education at the University of Waterloo while getting a chance to play for the Warriors football program.
“Waterloo is a great place. I went to visit the university earlier in the year, and I got to see the team and work out with them on the field. I really liked how they ran things there, and it felt like a family, which is important to me. I could picture myself there, and they made me feel really welcome. I am looking forward to making the team and obviously getting my degree, which is in sports management,” he stated. “Right now, I am preparing, making sure I stay in the weight room, keeping myself healthy, and working towards being a better athlete. I am taking that next step, knowing that everyone is going to be much quicker and stronger at the University level. I am really focused on keeping myself in shape and pushing myself to be the best version of myself.”
However, along with heading to Waterloo next season, DeDominicis also has some other goals.
“I’ve learned that sports is a great community and I have meet so many great people…that are now my best friends. I’m looking forward to being part of the [Warriors] next season, [but] a long-term goal would be to play at the next level…maybe in the CFL…I am just seeing how far I can take it. Since I started playing football, I have always pushed myself to be the best version of myself, and knowing that there was that option to go play at the University level, and even play beyond at a professional level,” he stated.
