The Concordia Stingers had something to prove entering Saturday’s playoff showdown with the mighty Rouge et Or. After all, they had been on the receiving end of a resounding thrashing during the last game of the season against the very same squad, and desperately wanted to avoid history repeating itself.
Unfortunately for the boys in Maroon and Gold, the dark skies and creeping snowfall appeared to be an omen. One which did not favour ConU. The raucous Rouge et Or crowd of 10,323 went stir crazy with every Laval possession, although the home team failed to provide their usual offensive fireworks.
They did enough however, as several field goals and a late touchdown provided them with 29-13 victory. ConU had fan support, as a fair number of the Stinger faithful made the trip to Quebec City.
The Stingers found themselves struggling from the start, due to a rash of key players’ injuries. Also, the poor weather conditions seemed to have more of an impact on the visitors than on Laval.
Concordia’s quarterback, Juan Scott, was recuperating from surgery, having been out of commission for the last game. Star Stinger Troy Cunningham, the team’s gargantuan sack leader, was also recovering from a foot injury, so his usual intimidating presence did not have its usual psychological effect. Team mate Keith Dauper commented following the defeat that Cunningham’s sacrifice “takes a lot of heart.” He mentioned the Stingers’ defensive strength, stating theirs was still a great performance. Even if they did not win, “The entire defence played as a team.”
The first quarter saw Laval off to a great start, as the team’s leading player, Jeronimo Huerta Flores, provided them with a two-yard touchdown run. He was responsible for the majority of points in the last Laval game.
Concordia’s efforts were constantly thwarted, as the team hardly gained any rushing or passing yards. Laval managed to gain 166 yards through the game, while Concordia only gained 50. The lone offensive bright spot for the Stingers was place kicker, Warren Kean, who booted in three field goals. Place Kicker and back up quarterback, Stephane Larosilliere was terrific for Laval, as he kicked in two fourth quarter field goals.
The game closed with a bang for the hometown heroes as Pierre-Luc Yao scored on a three-yard touchdown run during the last 3 minutes of the game, thus concluding a very disappointing season for Concordia. The Rouge et Or, on the other hand, have to prepare to do battle with the nation’s best team, the Universit
