The 2007 Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) season will continue for the Concordia Stingers as they handed the Bishop’s Gaiters their final loss of the season 34-18 in front of a noisy, jam-packed crowd at Loyola Field.
Over 3,000 Stinger and Gaiter fans witnessed a splendid performance displayed by both teams, but it was the fierce competitive spirit of the Concordia Stingers that earned their spot in the Dunsmore Cup Final.
The first half was a dog fight as both squads traded licks and blows going into halftime. In the first quarter, after Concordia’s cornerback Marc Champagnie nabbed his second interception of the game the Stingers offence lined up on their own twenty-yard line.
On first down, Stingers fullback Blair Yachetti, fumbled the ball. Gaiters defensive back Shane Francis scooped up the pigskin and ran it for the first touchdown of the game.
The Stingers would respond at the end of the quarter when 2007 All-Star Team selection Rene Paredes lined up for a 39-yard field goal and nailed it, cutting the Gaiters lead to four.
In the second frame, Stingers running back Cedric Ferdinand, capped off a six play, 60-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown rush to give the Stingers their first lead of the game.
The Gaiters would answer the Stingers charge with back-to-back field goals from Bishops kicker Josh Maveety, first a 15-yarder to tie the game followed by a 38-yard field goal that gave the Gaiters a three-point lead with five and a half minutes remaining in the quarter.
At the end of the half Rene Paredes lined up for his second field goal attempt. With no time left on the clock, Paredes made good on the 10-yard attempt and tied the game at thirteen going into halftime.
On Concordia’s opening drive in the third quarter quarterback Liam Mahoney capped off a five play, 68-yard drive with a 13-yard touchdown run, giving the Stingers a 20-13 lead.
On the very next drive Gaiters quarterback Jesse Andrews’ pass attempt was picked off by Stingers outside linebacker Cory Greenwood. It was the third interception committed by Andrews in the game thus far.
The Stingers offence would reward their defence with a 26-yard passing touchdown from Liam Mahoney to Nick Scissons. The Stingers were beginning to distance themselves from the struggling Gaiters and it was becoming apparent that Concordia would be the team left standing when the final whistle blew.
The Gaiters would add their third field goal of the game when Josh Maveety sent a 34-yard field goal through the upright at the end of the third. Bishops would add a safety at the end of the fourth to bring the score 27-18 in favour of the Stingers.
Concordia would have the last laugh as Liam Mahoney rushed for his second touchdown of the game, running twenty yards for the major with two minutes remaining.
Concordia continued to put pressure on a beat-up Gaiters team. All-Star running back Jamal Lee for Bishops wasn’t even a factor in this game. Coming into the semi-final Lee had compiled 1,464 rushing yards on 181 carries and 12 touchdowns. In this game, he only managed 29 yards on 11 carries.
Once the game had ended, word broke that the defending Dunsmore Cup and Vanier Cup Champions, Université Laval Rouge et Or defeated the Université de Montréal Carabins 28-16 in the other semi-final game. That means the Stingers will travel to Quebec for the third straight year and hopefully win the title.
“Back to Quebec City, it seems like an annual event!” said Coach Gerry McGrath after he received the news that his team will be travelling to Quebec for the upcoming Dunsmore Cup Final. “We got to take care of some guys who are banged up, and go down there and play our hearts out. I think we played them tough the last time, and if we go down there and play our game, we could beat them.”
“I knew we wanted to come out and run the ball. I was expecting big things,” said Cedric Ferdinand who put on a barn-burning performance, racking up 168 yards on 23 carries and 1 touchdown. Once the game had ended, Ferdinand already had his sights set on next week, “Now, we’re going into their (stadium), they have a distinct advantage at home and the main thing for us is not let things snowball, if you make a mistake, they’ll capitalize on it.”
“It’s the third year going up to Quebec City for the Dunsmore Cup final, and hopefully third time’s a charm,” said All-Star left tackle Keith Dauper playing in his fifth season with the Stingers. “We know what we have to do, and with the young guys we have, sometimes ignorance is bliss, the young guys don’t know what it’s all about. but we showed in the second half of last week that we could hang with them and it’s going to be a dog fight.”
The Stingers will travel to Quebec to take on the #1 ranked Université Laval Rouge et Or for the third consecutive year. Last year, the Red and Gold defeated the Stingers 28-12.
Calling all football fans!
The department of Recreation and Athletics is organizing football fan buses to Quebec City to cheer on the Stingers in their semifinal game versus the Laval Rouge et Or on Saturday. 5$ will cover your ticket and the transport to and from the game. Buses will leave Loyola’s Athletic Complex parking lot at 8:30 a.m. and return immediately following the game. Register at the Loyola reception desk or visit the ASFA office in the Hall Building, H-651.
Four Stingers named to All-Star Team
The Quebec University Football League (QUFL) announced the All-Star selection for the 2007 season on Thursday. Concordia’s Sammy Okpro, Keith Dauper, Cory Greenwood and Rene Paredes were named to the All-Star squad. Quarterback Liam Mahoney has been chosen as the QUFL Rookie of the year and is the conference candidate for the Peter Gorman trophy, awarded to the best rookie of the CIS season.
