Tag: Football

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Stingers football head coach wants to know players better

stingers football head coach
The Stingers missed the playoffs for the first time in five years. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

Team faced challenges with Collinson coming in so close to start of year

The past 12 months for the Concordia Stingers football team have been a roller-coaster ride. Former head coach Mickey Donovan left the team last January for the Montreal Alouettes, and his brother Pat, who was the interim head coach, quit last May.

Current head coach Brad Collinson took over in June, and the team finished the season with a 2-6 record. They missed the playoffs for the first time since 2013, when they went 0-8. The head coach was on CJLO Sports on Oct. 29 and talked about the challenges of taking over the team so close to the start of the season.

“You don’t know the student-athletes so there’s that progression and adaptation,” Collinson said. “So for them, not knowing me as well, trying to get our points across on things we wanted to do and things we wanted to instill took some time.”  

The Stingers allowed the most rushing yards this season, with 6.9 yards/carry. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

Despite the quick changes, Collinson is still happy about how his players adapted. “The kids bought into what we were trying to do,” he added. “So that, moving forward, will be very helpful and they’ll be able to teach the new kids coming in how we want to do things.”

In addition to the new coach, the Stingers also had a new starting quarterback. Adam Vance took over from Trenton Miller, who graduated at the end of last season. Miller was hurt towards the end of last year, so Vance did get a few starts, but that was under Donovan’s offence.

Vance finished the season with 1,635 yards passing, 56.4 per cent completion, five touchdowns and 10 interceptions in eight starts. Despite throwing the most interceptions in the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) this season, he had the second-most passing yards, behind Université de Laval Rouge et Or’s Hugo Richard.

“I’m sure he’s not as happy as he wants to be with his season but, moving forward, I think he can build on this,” Collinson said. “Hopefully, for next year, he’ll come in prepared and know what to expect as a starter.”

Vance had the luxury of having Jarryd Taylor available as a receiver. He finished the season with 24 catches for a league-high 527 yards, and two touchdowns. Collinson expects the third-year player to be a major part of his team next season.

“He had some really big games then teams caught up to what he was doing, so he can grow from this as well,” the Stingers football head coach said.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Stingers gave up the most points in the RSEQ, allowing 38 points per game—no other team allowed more than 30. They had only 10 forced turnovers on defence, compared to 25 on offence, once again the worst in each category. Rushing was their biggest weakness, allowing 6.9 yards per carry, and opponents scored 15 touchdowns against the Stingers on the ground.

For the head coach, fixing the defensive problems is a priority in the offseason. “We’re going to look ourselves in the mirror and see what we need to do to get better,” Collinson said, adding that they’re going back to the drawing board.

Coaching job posted

Concordia University posted a job opening for the Stingers football head coach position on Oct. 30. Stingers athletics director D’Arcy Ryan said it’s just a human resource formality, since they didn’t go through this process with Collinson in June.

“After Mickey Donovan quit last January, the job was never posted, so we’re just through the regular process,” Ryan said. “Collinson was not relieved of his duties and he’s still under contract with us.”

With files from Matthew Coyte. Main photo by Mackenzie Lad.

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Colour commentary: Drew Brees is the greatest of all time

Sports Editor Nicholas Di Giovanni gives his take on his latest in sports with his weekly Colour Commentary

Saints quarterback has done more with less than counterparts

Drew Brees is the greatest quarterback in NFL history. There, I said it—but not enough people do. Everyone is quick to call Tom Brady the greatest quarterback, and that’s because of his five Super Bowl rings. Brees only has one, but he’s still a better quarterback than Brady.

On Oct. 8, Brees surpassed Peyton Manning for most passing yards in NFL history with 72,435 yards and counting. At the time of writing, Brady had 68,035 career passing yards, well behind Brees, with four more career games than him. Brees also has a higher completion rate, 67.2 per cent versus 64.0, and more completed passes: 6,410 against Brady’s 5,799. Brady has the edge for touchdown passes with 504, while Brees is right behind at 502.

Statistics aside, what makes Brees so great is how he’s accomplished so much with so little. He was cast aside by the San Diego Chargers in 2006 after injuring his throwing shoulder. An unpromising New Orleans Saints team took the risk on Brees and his shoulder, and in return, he pulled the Hurricane Katrina-damaged city to a Super Bowl title in 2010. When he won that Super Bowl, he carried the Saints on his back with a passer rating of 109.6, the second-highest in his career so far.

Throughout his time with the Saints, Brees has never had a proper defence to support him. During the Super Bowl-winning season, the Saints’s defence ranked 25th in yards against. Since Brees signed in 2006, the New Orleans defence finished in the top half of the league only three times. Meanwhile, Brady has had the luxury of having a top-10 defence for all five of his Super Bowl titles. If you put Brees on the New England Patriots, with the defence and players Brady has played with, Brees could have had five rings too, but instead, he only has one.

The argument that Super Bowl titles define a good quarterback is ridiculous. Jim Kelly and Dan Marino are two of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, and neither ever won a Super Bowl title. When people talk about the great QBs in the game, Brady and Manning are constantly brought up, with Brees often cast to the side.

What makes Brees so special is his height disadvantage. At a “small” 6’0”, Brees is your atypical quarterback and can’t look past his offensive lineman the same way his taller counterparts do. But he makes up for his size with his vision and intelligence. While watching Brees play, you see him stand on his tip-toes when he’s in the pocket, and he’s always checking his options for his best available receiver; that’s why he’s so accurate.

It’s time to give Drew Brees the credit he deserves.

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Stingers lose fourth straight game at home versus Redmen

Even though the Stingers had a 19-2 lead at one point, they failed to score in the second half. Photo by Hannah Ewen.

Concordia takes 23 penalties in loss

The Concordia Stingers football team started their game against the McGill Redmen with a 10-0 lead before even going on defence. Despite this, they still lost their fourth-straight game 31-19 at the Concordia Stadium Saturday afternoon.

“We stopped playing,” said head coach Brad Collinson. “We got complacent when we had the lead.”

After Andrew Stevens scored a field goal on the Stingers’s opening drive, Redmen returner Pearce Dumay fumbled on the ensuing kick-off. The Stingers capitalized with a 19-yard touchdown pass to Yanic Lessard to grab a 10-0 lead before having to play defence.

Stingers mascot Buzz joined the cheerleading team. Photo by Hannah Ewen.

The Stingers played strong for the rest of the first quarter, and took a 17-2 lead when linebacker Samuel Brodrique returned a fumble 70 yards for a touchdown. Their lead grew to 17 points in the second quarter before McGill scored two field goals and a touchdown to go into halftime down 19-15. That’s when the Redmen started gaining momentum in the game.

“[McGill] started playing and we were sitting back on our laurels,” Collinson said. “We were happy that we were up and we just didn’t continue playing. That’s what it comes down to, it’s not rocket science.”

The Stingers didn’t score at all during the second half. The Redmen won the game with the strong running plays, as running back Donavan Martel led the game with 112 yards on 15 rushes. Quarterback Dimitrios Sinodinos also rushed for a touchdown in the third quarter, which gave the Redmen their first lead of the game.  

Penalties were another big factor in the loss. The Stingers had 23 penalties for a total of 215 yards—almost two lengths of the field. The Redmen had 11 penalties for 105 yards, which upset the home fans. Collinson said the undisciplined play wasn’t the deciding factor in the game, but offensive lineman Maurice Simba said it was demoralizing.

“We had three or four bad drives [with penalties] and obviously we got down,” Simba said. “But we just had to tell ourselves to keep playing.”

Despite the rivalry between McGill and Concordia, players on both teams were reminded that football is just a game. In the third quarter, Sinodinos threw a pass for wide receiver Jeremy Sauvageau in the end zone, who had to dive to try to make the grab. He couldn’t catch it, and as the players were going back to the line of scrimmage, he remained down, motionless. McGill’s trainers ran to attend to him right away, and he eventually walked off the field.

“Those are unfortunate moments that you don’t want to see on the playing field,” Collinson said. “But it is the reality of the sport.”

“No matter the colours he’s wearing, it hurts us to see it,” Simba added. “I can’t imagine what they went through seeing their teammate like that. I hope he’s okay.”

Wide receiver Jarryd Taylor was held to a single catch for six yards. Photo by Hannah Ewen.

With the loss, the Stingers now have a 2-5 record, tied with the Redmen. They sit in the fourth and last playoff spot, ahead of the 1-5 Université de Sherbrooke Vert et Or, who they beat in September. The Stingers travel to Sherbrooke on Oct. 27 in the last game of the regular season.

“We’re still in it and we still have a chance to make the playoffs,” Collinson said. “It’s up to [the players] on whether they want to pack it in or come out ready for another hard-fought battle in Sherbrooke next week.”

Main photo by Hannah Ewen.

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Stingers lose by big margin again in Shrine Bowl

The Stingers lost their second-straight game at home on Saturday against the Rouge et Or. Photo by Gabe Chevalier.

Conference’s best team beats Concordia 53-2 in Shrine Bowl

The Concordia Stingers football team played the Université Laval Rouge et Or on Sept. 29 in the 32nd annual Shrine Bowl. The Rouge et Or remained undefeated this season with a 53-2 win.

The Stingers kept the game respectable after the first quarter down 9-0, but heading into halftime, they were down 19-2. In the first half, the Stingers defence played fairly well, giving up less than 20 points to the best team in the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ). They forced the Rouge et Or to a couple of two-and-outs and were playing with some intensity.

The Stingers offence, however, could not seem to sustain a good drive and could not stay on the field. Laval’s defensive line was able to keep the Stingers running game in check, allowing them a total of 82 net yards for the game.

“We had a good first quarter. The second quarter was good too,” said Stingers running back David Germain. “We were confident coming back out from halftime. Some guys had trouble getting momentum back in the second half.”

Laval’s offence put up 438 total yards against the Stingers. Photo by Gabe Chevalier.

The third quarter was when the Rouge et Or blew the game wide open. Their offence seemed to hit their stride, and wide receiver Jonathan Breton-Robert caught four passes on one drive that led to a touchdown. He finished the game with seven catches for 98 yards. Laval ended up outscoring Concordia 30-0 in the third quarter alone. The Stingers persistently ran the football even though it was not working.

The Rouge et Or defence does deserve some credit. They played a very disciplined game and did not give up any big plays. Laval’s Souleymane Karamoko played a solid game in his cornerback position. He seemed to always be at the right place at the right time. He ended the game with three passes defended, and stopped the Stingers receivers almost the entire game. Derek Trinh finished with a team-high 21 yards receiving for the Stingers.

Laval’s offence had a very good game, too. Their quarterback, Hugo Richard, had a productive game, completing 19 out of 29 pass attempts for 213 yards and two touchdowns. The Rouge et Or offence picked up 438 yards throughout the game, compared to the Stingers’s 118.

Even though the score was lopsided, the Stingers showed some promise. Trinh and Quaysie Gordon-Maule showed signs of elusiveness as returners on special teams. There were times when they came close to breaking off on a big run and returning it to the house. Both of these players are extremely dangerous in open space. The Stingers running back Micah Sullivan had a solid game; he racked up 92 yards on 17 carries for an average of 5.4 yards per carry.

“We have to get going on both sides of the ball and, even on special teams, we have to keep it going for 60 minutes,” Germain added. “If we play 60 minutes, we can play with anyone in the league.”

Concordia looks to bounce back in two weeks and get their revenge as they play the Université de Montréal Carabins on Oct. 13.

Main photo by Gave Chevalier. 

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Stingers put smiles on kids faces at Shriners

Two patients of Shriners Hospital were named King and Queen of the Shrine bowl. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

Shrine Bowl to hit $1-million mark

Preparations for the 32nd annual Shrine Bowl, benefiting the Shriners Hospital for Children, are underway. A few players of the Concordia Stingers football team made the yearly visit to the hospital on Sept. 26. With this year’s donations, the total amount of  money raised from the Shrine Bowl will hit the $1 million mark.

Head coach Brad Collinson, cornerback Khadeem Pierre, linebacker Jersey Henry, defensive tackle Brandon Pacheco, centre Marc-Antoine Sevigny, and defensive linemen Maurice Simba and Michael Sanelli all participated in the hospital visit.

Maurice Simba (foreground) said he enjoys putting smiles on kids’ faces. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

The players visit to patients throughout the hospital was accompanied by this year’s Shrine Bowl King and Queen, Saoud, 16, and Victoria,14, who are also patients at the Shriners. All of the players involved in this year’s walk around the hospital expressed how much they enjoy the experience and being able to interact with the patients.

“It’s been an honour to participate in this event every year,” Sanelli said. “I realize how blessed we are to play the sport. You put a smile on the kid’s face and brighten up their day and it’s an honour.”

Simba also said it’s great to make the kids happy and to see a smile on their faces. “I think it’s good that we do this as a program and on a personal level too,” he said.

“Seeing kids and making them happy is a big deal,” Pierre added. “It’s nice to give back.”

David Merrett, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Governors, expressed his feelings on being able to reach that one-million-dollar mark.

“The people who started this way back never would have imagined raising this amount because it just seemed unreachable,” Merrett said. “But as the years went on, and the dollar changed, it seemed reachable.”

Michael Sanelli, Marc-Antoine Sevigny and Brandon Pacheco all made the trip to the hospital. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

The Honorary Chairman of the event this year is former Stingers head coach Gerry McGrath. He coached the team from 2000 to 2013, and played in the CFL for the Montreal Alouettes, Montreal Concordes and Saskatchewan Roughriders for six years.

“I’ve been involved with the Shriners and this game for many years,” McGrath said. “It’s always special to see what they’ve done and see it get to the one million mark.”

The Stingers play in the Shrine Bowl at home on Sept. 30 against the Université de Laval Rouge et Or. Canadian singer Sara Diamond will perform the Canadian national anthem, and deliver a special halftime performance. Kick-off is at 2 p.m., with money raised from ticket sales donated to the Shriners Hospital for Children.

Main photo by Mackenzie Lad.

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Concordia honours historic Stingers teams

Football assistant head coach Pete Regimbald was honoured after 50 years with the team. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

Two teams and two players inducted into Concordia Sports Hall of Fame

Pete Regimbald, assistant head coach on the Concordia Stingers football team, was honoured during a weekend celebrating the school’s athletic history. He has been with the football team since 1968, when they were the Loyola College Warriors, and will retire at the end of this season.

Head coach Brad Collinson played under Regimbald from 2000 to 2002, and was a part-time coach alongside him from 2004 to 2010. Now, in his present role, Collinson gets to work with him for his final season. The head coach said Regimbald brings a lot of experience to the coaching staff.

“He’s a great man and he’s spent a lot of time here,” Collinson said. “It’s an honour to be working with him again.”

Current players, such as fourth-year offensive lineman Maurice Simba, also spoke highly of Regimbald. “That guy is everything,” Simba said. “He’s like a mentor and father for us. He knows this program more than anyone.”

Concordia honoured Regimbald on Saturday night, following their 74-3 loss to the Université de Montréal Carabins during the homecoming game. Despite the blowout loss, Simba said the players gave their best effort for Regimbald.   

“People now are going to say, ‘How did you guys give 100 per cent when you lost by 71 points?’ but we gave everything we got,” Simba added. “I’m really proud of the person he is, and he’s helped a lot of guys on the football team.”  

Receiver James Tyrrell also had nothing but positive words about the assistant head coach after the game.

“He’s an intense coach no matter his age, and his heart is really in the game,” Tyrrell said with a laugh. “It’s fun to have him around and he deserves it.”

The women’s soccer team was the only Stingers team able to win a regular season game at home during homecoming weekend. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

Two players, two teams inducted into Hall of Fame

Part of the homecoming weekend was the annual Concordia Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony, held in the John Molson building on the downtown campus. The 1998 Stingers football team was one of the inductees, and they were honoured at halftime against the Carabins.

The 1998 team finished first in the old Ontario-Quebec Intercollegiate Football Conference (OQIFC) with a 6-2 record, before beating the Bishop’s Gaiters in the semi-final. They played the Dunsmore Cup at home against the Université de Laval Rouge et Or. After two overtimes, the game had to be postponed until the next day to due darkness—there were no flood lights at the Concordia Stadium at the time. The Stingers won in the third overtime the next day, and you can actually watch the full game, or at least the first day of it, on YouTube.

The team eventually beat the Acadia Axemen in the Atlantic Bowl before losing to the Saskatchewan Huskies in the Vanier Cup, the national title game. It’s the only time in school history that the football team made it to the Vanier Cup. Sylvain Girard, Evan Davis and Jeffrey Anderson were all members of the 1998 team that were picked in the 1999 Canadian Football League (CFL) draft.

Head coach Collinson said some former players spoke to the current players last week. Tyrrell said it was good to be able to spend time with some of the past players.

“We understand what we have right now is because of them, they built it,” the receiver said. “It’s great to connect what was given to us, through them.”

Dwayne Bromfield, a player of the 1999 football team, was also inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Historic women’s hockey team also honoured

Can you imagine an undefeated hockey season? Well, the 1997-98 Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team did just that. They had a perfect 13-0 season before winning six-straight games to claim the Quebec Student Sports Federation (QSSF) title and the first-ever national championship. They won two tournaments that year and had only four losses, all in exhibition games, with two of them against the American national team.

To understand just how good they were, in four games against the McGill Martlets that season, they outscored them 34-1.

Delaney Collins, Anne Rodrigue and Corinne Swirsky were named All-Canadians that season. Swirsky also received national MVP honours, playoffs MVP and Stingers female athlete of the year.

Lisa-Marie Breton played as a rookie on that 1997-98 team and was also inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame during its ceremony Sunday morning. She played for the Stingers until 2002, winning another national title in 1999, and helped the team qualify for five-straight nationals.

Breton’s impact on women’s hockey extends past Concordia – she helped co-found the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL) in 2007. She played for one of its original teams, the Montreal Stars, for eight years, winning three Clarkson Cups. Breton is still with Concordia, serving as the women’s hockey strength and conditioning coach.

The women’s hockey team played three preseason games this weekend. They beat the University of Toronto Varsity Blues 3-1, and the Waterloo Warriors 3-2, before losing to the professional Les Canadiennes 7-1 on Sunday.

Main photo by Mackenzie Lad.

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Maurice Simba is a giant football prospect

Maurice Simba came to Canada six years ago thinking he would be a plumber, but started playing football instead. Photo by Gabe Chevalier.

Fourth-year trying to stay humble with scouts watching

On Aug. 30, the Canadian Football League (CFL) announced the top-20 prospects for the 2019 CFL draft. Maurice Simba, offensive lineman on the Concordia Stingers, was ranked 18th on the list of top Canadian prospects from U Sports and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

“It was special for me and I had tears on my face,” Simba said. “My goal now is to work harder to be number one and the best at my position.”

Simba stands at a commanding six feet eight inches, weighing almost 320 pounds. The Stingers’s offensive lineman is a pure powerhouse, and as described by fellow lineman Matt Halbgewachs, a true leader.

“I think of him as like our spark plug, once Maurice gets going, we all get going,” Halbgewachs said.

Born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Simba lived there with his grandparents until he was 18 years old. After that, he moved to Montreal to reunite with his parents. He had never played football and had a different idea of what his life and career in Canada would be like when he arrived.

“My first thought when I came here was that I was going to be a plumber,” Simba said. “I guess God had a different plan for me. My uncle was friends with a coach in Cégep at Montmorency. They set up a meeting and said I was going to play football. So, then my mind changed to ‘now I’m going to be a football player.’”

Simba began his path in football in 2013 with the Montmorency Nomades before joining the Stingers in 2015. Under the watchful eyes of Stingers offensive line coach Ted Karabatsos, Simba learned and excelled at the game.

Despite the guidance and proper coaching, Simba didn’t play much in his first year as a Stinger. This was in part due to his lack of experience, and because he started out with a gentle demeanor. Simba sat down with Karabatsos about why he wasn’t playing as much, and the coach said it was because he was soft, but offered up a great motivator.

“The most disrespectful thing a coach could say is you’re soft,” Simba said. “He told me one thing though: ‘If I walk into your house, you’re there and your mom is there, and I slap your mom. You’re just going to let me go?’ I said no. He said ‘every single play from now, imagine that guy in front of you [that you’re] supposed to block, imagine that guy walks into your house and tries to beat your mom.’”

Simba said that’s why he plays like he’s mad every play, because if someone were to touch his mom, he would make them pay twice.

This past May, both Simba and Halbgewachs were selected to take part in the annual East-West Bowl. The Bowl is a seven-day camp for CFL prospects that includes rigorous training exercises and a game. The camp is also heavily watched by scouts in the CFL and National Football League (NFL).

“It was really fun,” Simba said. “I feel very fortunate to [have been] selected for it. There were a lot of guys eligible on the team and I feel bad for them, because I felt that at least ten guys from Concordia should have gone. I thank God for that, and my coaches.”

Although a future in football looks bright for Simba, he still aims to complete his schooling. He is currently enrolled in the leisure science program, having transferred from religion last year, and he has some extra incentive to finish his schooling.

“Your football career could end in one second, so I realized being in university with the full scholarship, I’ve got to get my degree,” Simba said.

He added that, even if he ends up playing professionally, he wants to return to school every winter to complete his degree, because he promised his mom. “When I make a promise to her, it’s something I’m going to do.”

Even though Simba will be heavily watched by football scouts this season, he doesn’t believe he needs to prove himself to anyone else.

“It’s not fair to say that I’m proving myself to anyone but me,” Simba said. “We all work together and it’s not fair to say I work harder than anyone else. My goal every day when I step into that complex is I want to be better than the guy I was yesterday. Doesn’t matter how good practice was yesterday, I want to do better the next day.”

With an opportunity in the CFL and the potential for a shot in the NFL on the horizon, Simba’s focus remains on the season at hand at Concordia. From his humble beginnings in the Congo, to now being one of the top-20 prospects in Canada, his story of perseverance and heart is one to be admired.

“I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing, keep learning, stay humble and take it all day-by-day.”

Main photo by Gabe Chevalier. 

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Stingers humbled by Carabins with 74-3 loss

Quarterback Adam Vance threw three interceptions against the Carabins. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

Concordia hasn’t given up this many points since 2014

The Concordia Stingers football team lost 74-3 to the Université de Montréal Carabins Saturday at the Concordian Stadium. The Stingers haven’t allowed this many points in a game since they lost to the Université de Laval Rouge et Or during the 2014 playoffs.

“We got beat,” head coach Brad Collinson said after the game.

The Stingers played well at the start of the game, holding the Carabins to a field goal in the first 20 minutes. Even though their defence was playing well, Concordia’s offence didn’t generate much, despite scoring a field goal early on. The game was tied 3-3 after the first quarter.

The Stingers offence scored their only points in the first quarter. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

The Carabins pulled away with the game in the second quarter. Asnnel Robo scored a 77-yard rushing touchdown six minutes into the second quarter, which put the travelling Carabins fans on their feet. The Stingers conceded a safety on the next drive, and from there, the Carabins were in full control of the game.

“It gets to a point where you understand you lost and the game is done,” said slot back James Tyrrell. “The score becomes irrelevant at one point, and you move onto next week before the game is done.”

The Carabins scored their second touchdown of the game with less than two minutes left in the second quarter on a one-yard pass to Robo. The Stingers had a two-and-out on the following drive, which allowed the Carabins to score a field goal and head into the halftime with a 22-3 lead.

The second half didn’t start much better for the Stingers, as Derek Trinh fumbled the kick-off. Robo scored his second rushing touchdown after the turnover. The Stingers were able to get some offensive chemistry going in the third quarter, but quarterback Adam Vance threw two interceptions returned for touchdowns, and fumbled once in the second half.

Vance was replaced by Maxime Bouffard in the fourth quarter after going 16/26 for 149 yards and three interceptions. Bouffard didn’t do much better, going 3/12 with two interceptions and 25 yards.

“Obviously when you lose, no one is going to be happy and laughing,” offensive lineman Maurice Simba said. “But this is our job to keep our heads held high. It happens: it’s a football game, you win some and lose some.”

The Carabins had a 40-3 lead after three quarters, but didn’t hold back in the fourth. They scored 31 points in the final 15 minutes, with three rushing touchdowns and an interception return for a touchdown.

“Obviously it was a bit of a down mood [on the bench],” Tyrrell said. “It’s tough to stay up in games like that when you’re losing like that […] and just battle with mind and saying, ‘You know what, I’m going to keep going until the end.”

With a 2-2 record, the Stingers are now third in the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ). They host the first-place Rouge et Or next Saturday at 2 p.m.

“We have to be better,” Collinson said.

Main photo by Mackenzie Lad. 

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Stingers home-opener gets crowd off their feet

The Concordia Stingers trailed for 56 minutes against the Vert et Or, but still won. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

Concordia scored 17 points in final six minutes to complete comeback win

The Concordia Stingers football team were trailing for 56 minutes of their home-opener against the Sherbrooke Vert et Or on Sept. 8 at the Concordia Stadium. A touchdown catch by wide receiver James Tyrrell gave the Stingers a 22-20 win as time expired, and helped improve their record to 1-1.

Heading into the second half down 9-0, the Stingers’s chances of beating the Vert et Or didn’t look good. They had been held to mostly ineffective plays, and any time they gained some momentum, it was quickly negated by penalties and turnovers.

Stingers quarterback Adam Vance said that the team just kept shooting themselves in the foot during the first half. Head coach Brad Collinson was not impressed with how his team came out in the first part of the game.

“I told them they had to look themselves in the mirror,” said Collinson about his halftime locker room talk with the team. “They had to make a decision coming out to that second half if they wanted to play or not.”

The Stingers needed a last-second field goal to beat the Vert et Or last season. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

Stingers air attack key in second half

The Stingers came out strong to start the second half. Vance was finally able to get his rhythm going and found chemistry with his receivers. Despite a slow first half, the air attack was deadly for the Stingers. Vance finished the game 20/34 for 441 yards and one touchdown pass. Wide receiver Jarryd Taylor had eight receptions for 258 yards, averaging over 35 yards per catch.

“Our whole offence [was clicking],” Taylor said. “We have the best receiving corps in all of Canada and we showed it today. I went into the locker at half with [one] catch. I’m the type of player who wants the ball in my hands every play.”

Sherbrooke made sure to vary their coverages to throw off the Stingers offence, but Vance was able to adjust and connect with his receivers.  

“Second half, we definitely came out with some anger behind us,” Tyrrell said, who finished the game with 78 yards and that game-winning touchdown catch.

Sherbrooke didn’t rack up as many yards in the game, but they made sure to take advantage of any opportunity. Quarterback Joé Hudon finished with 108 passing yards and a touchdown, and running back Gabriel Polan had 55 rushing yards. Sherbrooke’s play-action wreaked havoc for most of the game, and often left the Stingers’s defenders losing sight of the ball.

Despite playing better in the second half, the Stingers still found themselves in trouble. They were only able to score a single touchdown and get one field goal in the red zone all game. The Stingers were frustrated when they were in prime scoring position on the two-yard line late in the fourth quarter, down eight points. Stingers running back Widler Exilus took the handoff from Vance, but contact at the line of scrimmage made him drop the ball. That fumble was recovered by Vert et Or defensive back, Anthony Chagnon, who took it 108 yards to extend the Vert et Or lead to 20-5.

The Stingers seemed out of touch, especially after such a potentially demoralizing play. But a touchdown run and two safeties later, and the score was suddenly 20-16 with less than two minutes left in the game.

This was Brad Collinson’s first win as head coach of the Stingers. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

The Comeback

With 15 seconds left in the game and the Stingers in their own half, Vance used his arm to find Taylor. It was a 50-yard catch-and-run play that placed the Stingers on Sherbrooke’s 25-yard line.

With six seconds left on the clock, Vance snapped the ball, and Sherbrooke had four defenders deep in the endzone. The quarterback was forced out of the pocket, took a couple of steps forward, and tossed a high ball to the back corner of the endzone towards Tyrrell.

“I knew from the snap that I was going to him,” Vance said. “His vertical is crazy.”

Tyrrell leaped up, showcasing his vertical against two Sherbrooke defenders, and managed to bring the catch down for a touchdown as time expired.

The packed crowd exploded, as both fans and the entire Stingers team rushed onto the field to celebrate.

“I used to jump up and play ‘Jackpot’ when I was little, so it just came down to that,” Tyrrell said. “This is the stuff you dream of. It’s just you and the ball, you don’t hear anything else, you just have to catch it.”

Games notes

For Stingers offensive guard Kenny Johnson, this was about as good of a return to the home field as he could have hoped. Johnson missed the last three seasons recovering from a serious knee injury which he suffered in 2015, during his rookie season. After three surgeries, he is finally back on the field as a fifth-year player. This was his first game back at the Concordia Stadium, where he suffered his injury. For him, the win meant a lot. “It’s amazing,” Johnson said. “I came back to a team filled with my brothers. I had my friends come out [to the game], my girlfriend come out. The crowd was with us the whole time.”

The Stingers will take on the McGill Redmen at McGill on Sept. 15.

Main photo by Mackenzie Lad.

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Sports

Stingers pull off a massive comeback with 22-20 win over Sherbrooke

The Stingers came back from a 20-5 deficit with six minutes left to win in their home-opener. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

James Tyrrell hauls down game-winning touchdown as time expires

The Concordia Stingers football team managed to pull off a massive comeback as they beat the Sherbrooke Vert et Or 22-20, thanks to a game-winning touchdown catch by wide receiver James Tyrrell.

Heading into the second half down 9-0, the Stingers’s chances of beating the Vert et Or didn’t look good. They had been held to mostly ineffective plays, and any time momentum got moving their way, it was quickly negated by penalties and turnovers.

Stingers quarterback Adam Vance said that the team just kept shooting themselves in the foot during the first half. Head coach Brad Collinson was not impressed with how his team came out in the first half.

“I told them they had to look themselves in the mirror,” said Collinson about his halftime locker room talk with the team. “They had to make a decision coming out to that second half if they wanted to play or not.”

The Stingers came out strong in the beginning of the second half. Vance was finally able to get his rhythm going, and found chemistry with his receivers. Despite a slow first half, the air attack was deadly for the Stingers in the second half. Vance finished the game 20/34 passing for 441 yards and one touchdown. Wide receiver Jarryd Taylor had eight receptions for 258 yards.

“Our whole offence [was clicking],” Taylor said. “We have the best receiving corps in all of Canada and we showed it today. I went into the locker at half with [one] catch. I’m the type of player who wants the ball in my hands every play.”

Concordia needed a rushing TD to kick-start their comeback in the fourth quarter. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

Sherbrooke made sure to vary their coverages in order to throw off the Stingers offence, but Vance was able to adjust and connect with his receivers. “Second half, we definitely came out with some anger behind us,” Tyrell said, who finished the game with 78 yards and the game-winning touchdown catch.

Sherbrooke didn’t rack up as many yards in the game, but they made sure to take advantage of their chances. Quarterback Joé Hudon finished with 108 passing yards and a touchdown, and running back Gabriel Polan had 55 rushing yards. Sherbrooke’s play-action wreaked havoc for most of the game, and often left Stingers defenders losing sight of the ball.

The red zone was not a friendly place for the Stingers, as they were able to convert only a field goal and touchdown throughout the whole game. This frustration came to a point when the Stingers found themselves on the one-yard line in the fourth quarter, but fumbled the ball. That fumble was recovered by Vert et Or defensive back Anthony Chagnon, who took it the length of the field to score, extending their lead to 20-5 with six minutes left.

The Stingers seemed out of touch, especially after such a potentially demoralizing play. But a touchdown run, and two safeties later, the score was suddenly 20-16 with about 1:30 left in the game.

With six seconds left on the clock, Vance snapped the ball, and Sherbrooke had four defenders deep in the endzone. The quarterback was forced out of the pocket, took a couple of steps forward, and tossed a high ball to the back corner of the endzone towards Tyrrell.

“I knew from the snap that I was going to him. His vertical is crazy,” Vance said. Tyrrell leaped up with two Sherbrooke defenders, and somehow managed to bring the ball down as time expired.

 

The packed crowd exploded, as both fans and the entire Stingers team rushed onto the field to celebrate.

“I used to jump up and play ‘Jackpot’ when I was little, so it just came down to that,” Tyrrell. “This is the stuff you dream of. It’s just you and the ball, you don’t hear anything else, you just have to catch it.”

The Stingers will take on the McGill Redmen at McGill on Sept. 15 in their next game.

Main photo by Mackenzie Lad. 

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Sports

Brad Collinson’s journey from Stingers captain to head coach

Brad Collinson captained the Concordia Stingers football team in 2000, and now he’s the head coach.

St-Bruno native’s football career has come full circle since he played for Concordia

Brad Collinson, 39, was named the new Concordia Stingers football head coach in June 2018. However, the coach’s return to Concordia is just another chapter in his long football career.

“It was always a personal goal of mine to be the coach at Concordia,” Collinson said.

A St-Bruno native, Collinson, began his football career as a kid, under the guidance of his father who played football as well. Collinson described his younger self as a big kid who played many sports before settling on football.

The first big step in his football career was becoming a member of the Vanier Cheetahs football team in 1996. During his time at Vanier, he was scouted by National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) teams in the United States, and by Canadian universities. He accepted a scholarship for the University of Tennessee at Martin after graduating with a diploma in communications in 1998, but that didn’t last long.

“I got my DEC from CEGEP and was hoping to get my first year credited [at Tennessee Martin], which usually happens,” Collinson said. “After the tour they said, ‘No we don’t do that.’ So, I made an academic decision to come home shortly thereafter.”

Once he returned to Quebec in 2000, he joined the Concordia Stingers football team. Playing as a centre and long snapper, Collinson was named captain early on during his time with the team, and established himself as a leader both on and off the field. That hasn’t changed since, according to some of his current players, who describe him as strong and tough, but fair.  

Collinson was then signed as a free agent by the Montreal Alouettes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and started every game during the 2003 season. The Alouettes won the East Division and made it to the Grey Cup, ultimately losing to the Edmonton Eskimos that year.

“That was a childhood dream,” Collinson said about playing in the CFL. “I’m a Montreal kid, born and raised, so when you get the opportunity to play for your hometown, it’s always special.”

That stellar season would end up being his first and last as a CFL player. “Unfortunately, it wasn’t my choice to step away when I got released after training camp in 2004,” Collinson said about leaving the Alouettes.

He went back to Concordia to finish his degree and became a part-time staff member for the football team, as he would be unable to rejoin the Stingers as a player due to his year in the CFL. Collinson received his degree in leisure science in 2005.

“You always want to find something that you love to do,” Collinson said. “As a leisure science student, it all related to coaching and working with individuals to help them achieve their goal. It was just a natural thing for me to come do coaching.”

The Stingers went 3-4 last season and lost in the first round of the playoffs. Archive photo by Alex Hutchins.

In 2010, Collinson stepped away from Concordia and moved onto head-coaching jobs for U18 Team Canada and Team Quebec. He was also an assistant coach with the Université de Laval Rouge et Or, and during his time, they played in six Vanier Cups and won four.

“We’re building that winning culture here,” said Collinson about bringing his winning pedigree to Concordia. “I am trying to instill that work ethic. It’s not going to happen overnight; it’s a process that I think the kids are adapting to well.”

Most football coaches at the professional and collegiate level have played the sport at some point. Collinson made that transition long ago with success as an assistant coach and expects his past will help in excelling the program.

“I think it helps having the experience on both sides,” Collinson added. “I’ve grabbed things from each person along the way and developed my own style. I also want the guys to understand the history here and make them aware that this school is special.”

Collinson has no aspirations to coach in the CFL, so his aim and focus remain strictly on the job and what he is doing at Concordia.

“This is the age I want to work with. It’s the age where we can help them the most and get them to achieve their goals with the biggest rewards,” said Collinson. “There’s no amount of money that would make me leave here for the CFL.”

The head coach added that the Stingers are giving the players resources to develop on and off the field. He said his main focus will be making sure his players graduate.

Collinson brings a lot of experience and knowledge to the Concordia Stingers football team that could help them this coming season. With his background as a player and an assistant coach, he understands what it would take to turn this young Stingers team into a winning one. The Stingers will be seeking their first Vanier Cup appearance since 1998, and the team’s first victory in its history.

“We always have the goal to win the Vanier Cup, and if we don’t believe that, it’ll never happen,” Collinson added.

Main photo by Mackenzie Lad. 

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Sports

Looking ahead at the Stingers’s 2018-19 season

The women’s hockey team won their first championship since 2005 last season. Archive photo by Mackenzie Lad.

After two championships last year, sports teams aim to continue winning

It’s back-to-school season, but for sports fans, this also means the Concordia Stingers teams are back in action. The Concordian previews the 2018-19 season.

Football

Head coach: Brad Collinson

The Stingers had a 3-4 record last season and lost in the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) semi-final to the Université de Montréal Carabins. A lot has changed for this team since they last played in early November. Rookie head coach Brad Collinson leads the charge for the football program, and he’s already facing some challenges with veterans leaving.

Quarterback Trenton Miller graduated from Concordia and is currently playing in Germany. Linebacker Mickael Côté and fullback Tanner Green were both drafted in the Canadian Football League (CFL), while running back Jean-Guy Rimpel left the team.

Adam Vance will have to take over as quarterback, but luckily for him, he will have Vince Alessandrini, Jarryd Taylor and James Tyrrell back as the top receivers.

It will be a learning year for Collinson and his team.

The men’s rugby team is keeping most of their players after winning the title. Archive photo by Alex Hutchins.

Men’s Rugby

Head coach: Craig Beemer

The men’s rugby team will look to repeat their RSEQ championship from last season. Craig Beemer should have most of his players returning, as Andreas Krawczyk was the only fifth-year player on the team last season.

This is Beemer’s third season as head coach and he’s brought in a lot of recruits since he took over. The team’s leaders, such as Charles Debove, Moritz Wittmann and Lucas Hotton all have at least two seasons left to play.

The Stingers went undefeated in RSEQ play a year ago, and it won’t be a surprise if they repeat it.

Women’s Rugby

Head coach: Jocelyn Barrieau

The women’s team didn’t share the same success as the men’s team, finishing the season with a 4-3 record and losing in the semi-final. But that wasn’t the biggest loss they took heading into this season, as veterans Alex Tessier and Frédérique Rajotte both graduated from the team.

Rajotte won the Stingers female athlete of the year award in April, and was named the U Sports top women’s rugby player last season. Both Tessier and Rajotte played a big part in bringing the Stingers to four straight RSEQ finals from 2013 to 2016.

It’s going to be a big hole to fill to replace them, but expect last season’s rookie of the year, Shawna Brayton, to step up.

Soccer

Head coach: Greg Sutton

This year both the men and women’s soccer teams will see a big change, as Greg Sutton will coach both programs. Sutton has been the head coach of the men’s team since 2013.

The men’s team had a 3-8-1 record last season and failed to make the playoffs. Rookie forward Simon Malaborsa was a bright spot, scoring six goals. Besides captain Olivier Georges having graduated, most of the team should stay on.

On the women’s side, they had a 3-7-4 record last year and also missed the playoffs. Captain Laura Lamontagne is leaving, but the team recruited Kathleen Hilaro, who is the captain of semi-pro AS Blainville to potentially replace her in the midfield.

Defender Imane Chebel could be a player to watch this season. She had a strong first season with the Stingers and played with the Algerian national team last spring.

Women’s hockey

Head coach: Julie Chu

The women’s hockey team also won a RSEQ championship last season, and much like the men’s rugby team, their core stars are staying this year. Defenceman and captain Marie-Joëlle Allard graduated but leading scorers Claudia Dubois, Audrey Belzile, Lidia Fillion and Sophie Gagnon are all still with the Stingers.

Third-years Stéphanie Lalancette and Brigitte Laganière both had break-out seasons last year and will look to continue their strong play. No recruits have been announced, but the Stingers said Lauriane Rougeau will return as an assistant coach after taking a year off to play in the Olympics.

Men’s hockey

Head coach: Marc-André Élement

Even though they finished third in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) last year, the Stingers will have a new-look men’s hockey team.

U Sports MVP Anthony Beauregard played professionally with the Laval Rocket at the end of last season. His linemate, and second-highest scorer on the team, Massimo Carozza, signed to play in Italy.

Without their stars, Élement recruited 12 new players, including forward Colin Grannary from the NCAA. Élement will need second-year defenceman Carl Neill to really lead the charge, and he has to hope some of the recruits can replace Carozza and Beauregard’s goal-scoring.

Women’s basketball

Head coach: Tenicha Gittens

It wasn’t a season to remember for the women’s basketball team as they finished last in the RSEQ with a 4-12 record. Guard Jazlin Barker graduated and the Stingers should benefit from three fifth-year players this year with Aurélie d’Anjou Drouin, Marvia Dean and Ashley Moss.

One bright spot last season was forward Coralie Dumont, who was named RSEQ rookie of the year and made the U Sports all-rookie team. She finished the season averaging 11.1 points/game, 6.9 rebounds/game, and had a team-high 39.8 field-goal percentage.

Men’s basketball

Head coach: Rastko Popovic

After losing in the RSEQ final against the McGill Redmen, the Stingers also lost graduating star forward Ken Beaulieu. Beaulieu was a dunking machine and will be hard to replace.

They still have point guard Ricardo Monge, guard Adrian Armstrong and forward Olivier Simon. Simon should see more playing time with Beaulieu gone. The Stingers played three preseason games and had eight new recruits on the roster, so expect to see a young team.

Wrestling

Head coach: Victor Zilberman

Long-time head coach Victor Zilberman led the Stingers to a team silver at U Sports nationals in 2018. Francis Carter won gold and was named as the U Sports MVP, as well as the Stingers male athlete of the year. Fifth-year Vincent De Marinis has left the Stingers to pursue an Olympic dream.

The women’s team should have a strong year with nationals bronze-medalists Jade Dufour, Laurence Beauregard and Amanda Savard all set to return.

Main photo by Mackenzie Lad. 

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