A Red Deer high school student has been selected to join the nation’s top high school football talent at the 2025 CFC Prospect Game in Hamilton, Ontario, later this month.
École Secondaire Notre Dame High School’s Ben McAuley, a member of the school’s Senior Cougars Football Team, is one of 72 invitees 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. 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,” said McAuley
“(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, 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 6-foot-3, 180-pound wideout for the Cougars, has been a leader on and off the field.
“Ben is naturally talented and gifted in multiple levels of athletics,” exclaimed Ian Rattan, the Senior Cougars head coach and defensive coordinator.
“He has been extremely coachable, a great teammate, and his ability to pick up on nuances of technique is second-to-none. He does not have a go-slow speed - he is in it 100 per cent when he plays on the field and court.”
Previous CFC Prospect Game participants have committed to NCAA schools in the United States and USports schools in Canada. Several players who attended the inaugural game in 2019 were eligible for the 2025 Canadian Football League (CFL) 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 (NFL) and CFL.
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.
Team rosters will be announced on Tuesday, May 20 on Canadianfootballchat.com. The 2025 CFC Prospect Game kicks off at 11:15 a.m. (EST) on Saturday, May 24.
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