Huskies’ Quarterback Ian McCausland signs letter of intent with the University of Guelph Gryphons 

By Jim Stewart

Huskies' Quarterback Ian McCausland signed his letter of intent with the University of Guelph Gryphons in a ceremony on Tuesday morning at Humberview Secondary School.

The event was attended by Mayor Annette Groves who applauded McCausland's diligence.

“Ian has shown us what determination, dedication, and commitment look like. He's been a model student and athlete. Today, we're celebrating Ian's signing with the University of Guelph. None of this happens without your great volunteer coaches. I was proud to support the team from proceeds we raised at the Mayor's Gala. $40,000 was donated to the Huskies football program.”

Humberview SS Athletic Director and Huskies Head Coach Adrian Piscitelli acknowledged the ongoing support of Mayor Groves.

“This is a Mayor who really knows about kids. Her gesture of buying gelato for our players after they did volunteer work shows her generosity and shows her connection to student-athletes in our community.”

Coach Piscitelli also thanked Principal John Colton “who is so supportive of our football program” before focusing on the talents of his graduating Quarterback and Kicker.

Piscitelli addressed Gyphons' Coaches Joe Cappiello and Donnavan Carter and reminded them that “you've found a hidden gem today. Ian has accumulated more points than any other player in the history of the Humberview football program. Even more importantly, Ian took hits. Ian got hit as a Quarterback, he kept getting knocked down, but he kept getting back up again. He's our toughest player. He will be a complete kicker in the conference. He's been a leader in our community—a kind, young man.”  

When Guelph's new kicker took the stage, he “thanked Jesus Christ and my Catholic faith.”

McCausland also expressed his gratitude to “my teammates and coaches and I want to thank my parents for encouraging me to keep going.”

The veteran Huskies' Quarterback/Kicker applauded the Huskies' improvement over his five-year football career.

“This team has been transformed over the years, going from tough times wearing old equipment to much better times and results on the field.  Go Huskies, Go Gryphons.”

Prior to the signing ceremony, University of Guelph Gryphons Director of Personnel, Camps Coordinator, and Defensive Line Coach Joe Cappiello warmed up the room with his remarks about the value of football and its importance to communities. Coach Cappiello expressed his appreciation to Humberview SS and the Town of Caledon.

“Coach Adrian has built a strong program here with the Huskies. Thank you as well to Mayor Groves for supporting high school football—a sport which makes such a difference in the lives of so many young men.”

Closing his address to the dozens of student-athletes attending the ceremony, Coach Cappiello encouraged all the Huskies “to enjoy and play the greatest sport in the world” then turned his attention to McCausland who will assume full-time kicking duties for the Gryphons in September.

“Ian's dedication to his craft—to the art of kicking which is such a technique-driven position—takes a special guy to do that and we're so happy to have found a kicker after our coast-to-coast search. I had the opportunity to recruit Ian while coaching at another school and I am so pleased to see him sign today with us at the University of Guelph.”

Gryphons' Assistant Head Coach and Special Teams Coordinator Donnavan Carter expressed a keen interest in McCausland's kicking skills after a “so-so season for that phase in 2025.”

Coach Carter encouraged all the football players in attendance to “strive for the things you're passionate about” and expressed his gratitude towards Mayor Groves.

“It's a pleasure to see the Mayor of the city so involved with the youth of the community.”

After he signed his letter of intent with Coach Carter and Coach Cappiello, McCausland reflected on the best part of committing to the University of Guelph.

“For me, it's about the coaching staff—they've been so excellent during visits. The culture of the Gryphons—even in a down season—is so strong that they made the semifinals.”  

When asked about the turning point of the Huskies' season during which they punched their ticket to the ROPSSAA finals, McCausland noted that there were “two moments—one was our loss in our first game where we realized we hadn't taken it seriously and needed to prepare better. The other was the Mayfield game—we beat them 31-0 after losing to them for two years. The turning point of that game was when I scored an 80-yard touchdown to make 10-0 just before the end of the first half. It gave us lots of momentum for the second half and we scored three more touchdowns.”

In addition to the romp over Mayfield, McCausland identified the two most memorable moments of his football career at Humberview: “The semifinal game that we won in triple OT against Ambrozic this year. We also beat Ambrozic during a Friday Night Lights game in 2024.  During the last five seconds, I was able to throw the TD pass that won the game.”

McCausland discussed the challenges of his transition from being a touchdown-throwing high school quarterback and a kicker at Humberview to being a full-time university kicker at Guelph.

“One of the challenges is that kickers play a different role.  Being a QB all these years prepared me to be a better team player, but now, it'll be more of an individual role and it's a bit lonelier in terms of preparation.”

Despite the prospect of a different kind of role as a university football player, McCausland expressed his excitement about attending the University of Guelph.

“What I'm looking forward to the most are the games—the crowds—they love their sports at the University of Guelph and the games are sold out.  I'm also looking forward to making new friends and making new football bonds at Guelph.” 

In addition to enjoying life on the gridiron as a Gryphon, McCausland's academic plans at Guelph were delineated in our post-ceremony interview in Humberview SS's library: “I'm going to study History and Religion—to get my two teachables—so I can teach High School.”