Never a doubt

With an impressive display of both running and passing plays Saturday, the Concordia Stingers football team quelled any lingering doubts about the strength of its offence, steamrolling over the Mount Allison Mounties 66-13.
Stingers quarterback Liam Mahoney went 10-for-13, including one touchdown pass, for a total of 248 yards, while also leading the game in rushing with 60 yards. In total, Concordia amassed 475 offensive yards, compared to 338 for Mount Allison.
“Our new philosophy is to just let our athletes do what we do best. Keep it simple, don’t think too much and just play,” Mahoney, who ran in three touchdowns himself, said.
The Stingers set the home game’s tempo early, scoring 21 points in the first quarter, while allowing the Mounties into their side of the field only at the start of the second quarter.
Mount Allison got on the scoreboard with 13:38 remaining in the first half as quarterback Kelly Hughes connected with receiver Gary Ross, who then took the ball into the end zone. The ensuing kick-off resulted in a single point for the Mounties to make the score 21-8, but soon thereafter, Concordia once again dominated play on both sides of the ball.
Concordia fullback Colin Bennett scored from four yards out at 4:56 of the second quarter, and less than five minutes later, wide receiver Tony Testa returned a Mount Allison punt 81 yards for a major. In total, the Stingers added 24 points to their lead, heading into halftime with a score of 45-8.
“We came out and we were able to impose our style of football,” Stingers head coach Gerry McGrath said. “I thought in the second half we continued to play well. The guys kept executing.”
Indeed, after scoring a touchdown on a 34-yard pass-and-run play with 1:03 remaining in the first quarter, Concordia slotback Cory Watson amassed another 111 yards in the game to lead both teams in receiving.
“It’s about time,” Watson laughingly said of his performance. “It was important to show that we’re a threat offensively. And it’s good for our offence to get confidence because it’s been a while since we’ve scored.”
Concordia stretched its lead to 51 points (59-8) in the third quarter, while retaining possession of the football for just shy of 10 minutes out of the 15. “That allows us to get the young guys in and everybody got playing time today which was a good thing,” McGrath said.
Indeed, back-up quarterback Sheldon Moore stepped in for Mahoney with 4:15 left to play in the third quarter. He went 1-for-4 for 16 yards, including one touchdown pass to receiver Sanchez Deschamps.
Still, despite the seemingly endless wave of scoring taking much of the pressure off, Concordia’s defence also outperformed its Mount Allison counterpart, rejecting both Mounties third-down conversion attempts, including one red-zone stop midway through the fourth quarter.
Stingers halfback Mark Deslauriers also picked off an errant Mounties pass near midfield to take it back deep into Mount Allison territory at the seven-yard line in the third quarter. Mahoney then rushed into the end zone a few plays later thanks to Deslauriers’ defensive effort.
“This week, everything kind of went our way,” Mahoney said. “We prepared really well. Our game plan was great, and we took advantage of it.”
The Stingers will head to Bishop’s this Saturday to face off against the Gaiters in what coach McGrath calls a must-win game. “We have to win our last two games to secure second place and then get ready for the playoffs. But one week at a time,” he said. “That’s going to be a tough game [against Bishop’s]. We beat them here so they’re going to be looking for revenge.”
“Their fans are a little bit rowdy and they come hard,” Watson added. “But our offence is not about one person. Sometimes it’s my day; sometimes it’s going to be some other guys’ day. We’ll stick to what works.”