Stingers victorious in Shrine Bowl

The Concordia Stingers football team defeated the McGill Redmen 35-14 last Saturday afternoon at Loyola Stadium, taking bragging rights in this year’s Shrine Bowl.
Before the game’s opening kickoff, Concordia’s American players, Chris Jewel and Patrick Donovan along with McGill’s American players, Matt Stockl, Mark Petleyand Alex Algie were called to midfield in an emotional moment as the crowd observed a moment of silence in remembrance of the victims of last week’s terrorist attacks in the United States. Afterwards, the American and Canadian national anthems were played.
The first scoring play of the game came near the midway point of the first quarter. Stingers quarterback John Kronemeyer completed a three yard pass to receiver Chris Cvetkovic, who took the ball into the end zone, giving the Stingers a 7-0 lead.
The Stingers added to their lead as the quarter neared its end. Brad Remus returned a Redmen punt 93 yards for a touchdown, putting the Stingers up by 14 as the opening quarter came to an end.
The Stingers Darrel Wood demonstrated his’ versatility on the play, with an impressively hard block on a McGill special teams player, clearing the way for Remus.
“I’ve learned from past experience that my boys will cover for me when I’m looking for some room on the field,” Remus, who would later add another TD off a seven yard Kronemeyer pass, said.
Midway through the second quarter, with the Stingers on the Redmen three yard line, Kronemeyer fooled the visiting team, running the ball in himself through the defensive line for another Stinger touchdown.
This score put the Maroon and Gold ahead 21-0. Kronemeyer added another rushing touchdown to his credit in the second half, with a three yard run.
Kronemeyer, who was selected as the game’s MVP, had some pretty impressive statistics on the afternoon. He was 13-for-18 for 207 yards passing, with two TD’s and two interceptions.
Kronemeyer’s impressive game gave backup quarterback Hugo Fortier a chance to take a few snaps in the fourth quarter, with the Stingers comfortably ahead.
Kronemeyer admits that the team felt confident throughout the game. “I felt really comfortable out there today. The offensive line played well.”
The QB also noted that when McGill started to demonstrate poor discipline in the second half, his team took advantage. “When things started to break down on their side, we knew that we had to take advantage,” Kronemeyer added, who is playing in his fifth season with the Stingers.
McGill’s running back Nicholas Hoffman was his team’s only bright spot on the day, averaging three and a half yards on eleven carries with two touchdowns.
McGill, a team notable for being dangerous in the second half when trailing, scored on their first possession in the third quarter.
Concordia was, however, able to weather the storm and held the McGill offense to a total of 317 offensive yards. Coach Gerry McGrath liked what he saw. “The kids played well because they were well prepared,” McGrath said.
Despite the win, the Stingers emerged bruised and battered. Defensive tackle Marc-Andre Legault left the game with an injured right knee. Legault is expected to miss this Saturday’s game versus Laval.
According to McGrath, it was too early to give a diagnosis for most of the
players. “It is more than likely that Marc-Andre will miss this week’s game, but for the others, we won’t be sure until game time approaches,” McGrath added.
With the Stingers at 2-0, they get set to host the Laval Rouge et Or this
Saturday, a team they defeated 20-8 in the season opener. Laval will be looking for revenge, and McGrath said it will be a “street fight.”
Kickoff is at Concordia Stadium at 1 p.m.

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