Mahoney runs over Gaiters

Most of the energetic crowd of 4,084 went home happy on Friday night as the No. 9 Concordia Stingers football team defeated the No. 10 Bishop’s Gaiters 30-15 in their season and home opener at Concordia Field.
Quarterback Liam Mahoney scored a touchdown and rushed 123 yards, while the Stingers defence managed to keep Bishop’s offence at bay throughout most of the game, especially during the second half.
“Our defence played amazing. They were just out of their minds [Friday],” said Mahoney.
Although Concordia played a reassuring first game, their victory didn’t come easy. The Stingers played haphazardly during the game’s opening moments. A fumble recovered by Bishop’s defensive back Matt Gordon led to the Gaiters opening the score with a touchdown by running back Jamall Lee with only 3:40 having leaked in the game.
The Stingers managed to break the ice by scoring an 11-yard field goal, after which Mahoney made an incredible drive to put his team in the lead with a touchdown late in the first quarter.
Spectators were sitting at the edge of their seats during the second quarter as emotions began to run high for both Bishop’s and Concordia. Following an out of bounds tackle on behalf of Mahoney early in the quarter, players began to more frequently butt heads as the game progressed, possibly igniting a bitter rivalry between the two teams. Nevertheless, there was serious football to be played. In the dying seconds of the first half, Tony Testa caught a 28-yard touchdown pass from his quarterback, putting his team in a comfortable lead going into the second half.
Offence took a back seat following an exciting first half while the Stinger’s defence worked hard to protect their 10-point lead, holding Bishop’s offence off the scoreboard during the game’s entire second half. Concordia’s defence even contributed to their team’s final score, with a team safety during the fourth quarter.
Rene Parades solidified Concordia’s lead by kicking a 36-yard field goal and the rest was history.
Despite the high levels of tension between the two teams, the victory was a perfect way to begin the season for Concordia.
Concordia’s coaching staff and players will have to work on ways to reduce useless penalties and turnovers.
“There are a lot of little things we need to clean up. We made a lot of mistakes that you usually see in the first games, but they shouldn’t happen because we worked on them in training camp,” said Mahoney. The Stingers racked up 13 penalties, while Bishop’s managed to top their opponents by drawing 17 flags.
The Stingers will now prepare to square off against the McGill Redmen on Friday night at Molson Stadium.