Stingers shine at Shrine Bowl

There is now a glimmer of hope in the Stingers’ final push for a playoff spot as Gerry McGrath’s men ran away with the win against the Sherbrooke Vert et Or at home during the annual Shrine Bowl game on Saturday.
Leading the way was offensive player of the game Liam Mahoney, who had 13 receptions and scored two touchdowns, and cornerback Nathan Taylor, who dominated with eight solo tackles and was awarded best defensive player honors. Although Sherbrooke did manage to rally after a slow start, Concordia succesfully closed out the game with a score of 34-22.
With the zero finally removed from the victory column, the Stingers can now breathe a quick sigh of relief as their losing skid is now a thing of the past.
“This victory feels amazing. We were 0-4 and we came out and did everything right. The whole team did its job and that’s why we won”, said Taylor.
To say the Stingers did their job is an understatement. The team came onto the field with both energy and desperation- you could see from the bench that this was a team thirsty for a win.
The first half went especially well for the Stingers. While Concordia’s defense kept things tight on its end by putting tremendous pressure on Sherbrooke quarterback Jean-Philippe Shoiry, the team’s offence, managed to get on the board early when Mahoney ran a ten yard pass from Rob Mackay to score his first touchdown of the day. Sherbrooke continued to struggle on their drives and went absolutely nowhere on the turf, paving the way for momentum-building on the Stingers side. With the seconds dying out during the first quarter, Shoiry was sacked by defensive end Devon Mitchell, resulting in a Sherbrooke fumble near their 20 yard line. The Stingers were quick to recover, and Cory Watson scored a touchdown on the drive’s first and only play.
Mahoney continued his stellar play during the second quarter as the wide receiver ran a whopping 82 yards to score his final touchdown of the game. However, the Vert et Or offence was starting to show signs of life by that time. With minutes left in the first half, Concordia’s defense failed to take notice of Pascal Fils, who despite being Sherbrooke’s best player, was wide open. Fils had but eight yards to run in order to finally put his team on the board. Still, there was no reason to panic just yet since the Stingers entered the second half with a 16 point lead.
The game quickly became a nail-biter for both Concordia and Sherbrooke fans as the Vert et Or took little time to get back on the board. Wide receiver Alex Poirier added to his team’s quick comeback, narrowing the Stingers lead. Once again, Poirier was wide open, and Concordia’s defense was once again looking rusty. Add two field goals on each side and two Sherbrooke safeties (both intentional), and the Stingers had themselves another close game.
Thankfully, the Stingers picked up the pace in time after losing some momentum throughout the second half. After moving into Sherbrooke territory following an 81 yard drive, running back Cedric Ferdinand scored a touchdown on his only reception of the game. The Vert et Or attempted to complete the rally during the final minutes of the game, but it was too little too late. The Stingers won their first game of the season and at the same time avenged their loss to Sherbrooke just weeks ago.
The Stingers were all smiles when they received the Shrine Bowl after the game, but the rest of the season is sure to be a long and trying one. The team is entering a bye-week going into the Thanksgiving holiday, after which they will hit the long road to Nova Scotia.
Nathan Taylor believes the break will be a good thing for his team.
“We really need to rest. We have some injuries we need to tend to, and we have some time to relax and just enjoy the victory. When we come back, we’ll be stronger than ever.”
The Stingers will face the University of Acadia Axemen in Nova Scotia on Oct. 17.

There is now a glimmer of hope in the Stingers’ final push for a playoff spot as Gerry McGrath’s men ran away with the win against the Sherbrooke Vert et Or at home during the annual Shrine Bowl game on Saturday.
Leading the way was offensive player of the game Liam Mahoney, who had 13 receptions and scored two touchdowns, and cornerback Nathan Taylor, who dominated with eight solo tackles and was awarded best defensive player honors. Although Sherbrooke did manage to rally after a slow start, Concordia succesfully closed out the game with a score of 34-22.
With the zero finally removed from the victory column, the Stingers can now breathe a quick sigh of relief as their losing skid is now a thing of the past.
“This victory feels amazing. We were 0-4 and we came out and did everything right. The whole team did its job and that’s why we won”, said Taylor.
To say the Stingers did their job is an understatement. The team came onto the field with both energy and desperation- you could see from the bench that this was a team thirsty for a win.
The first half went especially well for the Stingers. While Concordia’s defense kept things tight on its end by putting tremendous pressure on Sherbrooke quarterback Jean-Philippe Shoiry, the team’s offence, managed to get on the board early when Mahoney ran a ten yard pass from Rob Mackay to score his first touchdown of the day. Sherbrooke continued to struggle on their drives and went absolutely nowhere on the turf, paving the way for momentum-building on the Stingers side. With the seconds dying out during the first quarter, Shoiry was sacked by defensive end Devon Mitchell, resulting in a Sherbrooke fumble near their 20 yard line. The Stingers were quick to recover, and Cory Watson scored a touchdown on the drive’s first and only play.
Mahoney continued his stellar play during the second quarter as the wide receiver ran a whopping 82 yards to score his final touchdown of the game. However, the Vert et Or offence was starting to show signs of life by that time. With minutes left in the first half, Concordia’s defense failed to take notice of Pascal Fils, who despite being Sherbrooke’s best player, was wide open. Fils had but eight yards to run in order to finally put his team on the board. Still, there was no reason to panic just yet since the Stingers entered the second half with a 16 point lead.
The game quickly became a nail-biter for both Concordia and Sherbrooke fans as the Vert et Or took little time to get back on the board. Wide receiver Alex Poirier added to his team’s quick comeback, narrowing the Stingers lead. Once again, Poirier was wide open, and Concordia’s defense was once again looking rusty. Add two field goals on each side and two Sherbrooke safeties (both intentional), and the Stingers had themselves another close game.
Thankfully, the Stingers picked up the pace in time after losing some momentum throughout the second half. After moving into Sherbrooke territory following an 81 yard drive, running back Cedric Ferdinand scored a touchdown on his only reception of the game. The Vert et Or attempted to complete the rally during the final minutes of the game, but it was too little too late. The Stingers won their first game of the season and at the same time avenged their loss to Sherbrooke just weeks ago.
The Stingers were all smiles when they received the Shrine Bowl after the game, but the rest of the season is sure to be a long and trying one. The team is entering a bye-week going into the Thanksgiving holiday, after which they will hit the long road to Nova Scotia.
Nathan Taylor believes the break will be a good thing for his team.
“We really need to rest. We have some injuries we need to tend to, and we have some time to relax and just enjoy the victory. When we come back, we’ll be stronger than ever.”
The Stingers will face the University of Acadia Axemen in Nova Scotia on Oct. 17.