FOOTBALL CANADA CUP: DAY 1 saves the best for last
Alberta-BC thriller highlights quarterfinal action in Kelowna
KELOWNA, B.C. – A down-to-the wire thriller between Alberta and British Columbia highlighted the action on Day 1 of the Football Canada Cup at the Apple Bowl in Kelowna, Monday. After trailing through most of the contest, Alberta scored a touchdown with 43 seconds left to down the hosts 18-17.
Earlier in the day, Ontario shut out Manitoba 36-0, Quebec eased past New Brunswick 57-0 and Saskatchewan dropped Nova Scotia 40-0.
Game 4: Alberta 18, B.C. 17 – Box score
Josh Page’s 1-yard touchdown scamper with 43 seconds left gave Team Alberta a come-from-behind 18-17 win over British Columbia. His run capped seven-play, 75-yard drive in 1:28 as Alberta came back from a 14-9 halftime deficit.
The quarterback had scored on a 5-yard run in the second quarter, a touchdown that briefly gave Alberta a 9-7 lead. Page was named the offensive player of the game for Alberta as he was his squad’s leading passer (9 for 18, for 142 yards) and leading rusher (5 carries for 90 yards).
B.C. got touchdowns from Owen Sieben, on a 1-yard run in the first quarter, and Noah Brinham, on a 27-yard pass from Sieben with 35 seconds remaining in the first half. Alberta’s James Keane and B.C.’s Marcus Jones traded field goals, while a second-quarter safety touch by Alberta rounded out the scoring.
For B.C., Sieben threw for 111 yards, on 11-for-21 passing, and found six different receivers. On the ground, Hudson Bromley led the hosts with 34 yards on six carries.
Alberta’s Ethan Clazie had a 100-yard receiving day.
Defensively, Thomas Mwenda won MVP honours for Alberta, with 3.5 tackles and a pass knockdown. For BC, the award went to Axel Stratton, who had 7.5 tackles, including one sack.
Game 3: Saskatchewan 40, Nova Scotia 0 – Box Score
A 48-yard blocked punt return by Ethan Laing with 3:40 left in the first half broke the game open, as Saskatchewan eventually went on to cruise past Nova Scotia, 40-0. Prior Laing’s special teams play, the teams had played to an offensive stalemate, with only a field goal by Lukas Scott troubling the scorekeepers in the early stages.
Eythan Crites solidified the Saskatchewan lead as he scored with five seconds left in the first half, sending his squad to the dressing room up 17-0. Austin Kemp had the only major of the third quarter. In the fourth, Saskatchewan took advantage of a tired Nova Scotia defence, scoring a safety touch and touchdowns by Owen Mazur and Brady Blackburn.
Saskatchewan outgained Nova Scotia 343-113, and held a 127-25 edge in rushing yards.
Mazur led Saskatchewan’s rushers with 65 yards. Carter Casey completed 13 of 22 passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns. Crites led his team with five receptions.
For Nova Scotia, Cohen Carter went 9-for-16 for 90 yards, and added 15 yards on the ground. Logan Walton had four catches for 89 yards.
Defensively, Porter Hanson led Saskatchewan with 9.5 tackles, including two sacks. For Nova Scotia, Sam Lecker-Evans won MVP honours with 2.5 tackles and two pass knockdowns.
Game 2: Quebec 57, New Brunswick 0 – Box Score
Antwan Raymond scored two first-quarter touchdowns to stake Quebec to a 17-0 first-quarter lead, as they cruised to a 57-0 shutout of their neighbours from New Brunswick. The Pierrefonds native found the end zone on a 4-yard run and a 65-yard pass in the first quarter. He hit paydirt a third time early in the third, on a 82-yard run.
Terrence Brown, Valerian Cyrenne, Charles William and Charles Fortin had the other Quebec touchdowns, while Jayden Rice added a 37-yard field goal and a punt single, while the Quebec defence forced two safety touches to round out the scoring.
Raymond finished with 186 rushing yards on 10 carries, and 251 all-purpose yards. Olivier Terroux threw for 243 yards and four touchdowns. His favourite receiver was Nathan Carignan, who he hit four times for 77 yards.
For New Brunswick, Connor McNamee threw for 66 yards, with Nick Hersey making two catches for 35 yards.
Defensively, Bright Rukundo won MVP honours with three tackles and an interception. Benjamin Blaise posted a team-high four tackles. For New Brunswick, Kaden Boomer led with five tackles, including one for a loss.
Game 1: Ontario 36, Manitoba 0 – Box Score
Ontario scored 19 points in late the first half to key their 36-0 shutout over Manitoba. After holding a slim 3-0 lead when the three-minute warning sounded, the Ontarians proceeded to score a safety touch, followed by touchdowns from Matthew Jovanovic and Chase Judge, with a 42-yard field goal by Jonas Paslan on the last play of the half proving to be the final blow.
Jayden Gurzi-MacDonald added two touchdowns in the second half for the victors.
For Ontario, Chase Smith completed 11 of 15 passes for 114 yards, with two touchdowns, while Anthony Lio went 3-for-4 passing for 44 yards, but put up a team-high 67 rushing yards during his time at quarterback. Chase Judge had four catches for 70 yards.
For Manitoba, Austin Neufeld had four carries for 28 yards, while Jalen McDonald put up 106 all-purpose yards.
Dario Macchia led Manitoba defensively with 8.5 tackles, including one for loss, while Carlos Teklu had five tackles. Darren Brown led Ontario with four tackles, including a sack.
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The schedule for Thursday’s games, has now been set. On Thursday, Manitoba will take on Nova Scotia in the first consolation semifinal at 10 a.m. (all times Pacific). That will be followed by the two championship semifinals: Saskatchewan vs. Ontario (1 p.m.), and Quebec vs. Alberta (4 p.m.). The day’s final game will see the hosts B.C. take on New Brunswick at 7 p.m.
On Sunday, the Bronze Medal game will now take place at 1 p.m., with the championship still set for 7 p.m. B.C. will play its game at 4 p.m., with the other consolation-round game set for 10 a.m.
All games will be streamed on the Football Canada YouTube channels. Follow Football Canada’s social media accounts on Twitter and Instagram for updates during the competition.
Football Canada Cup
at Kelowna, B.C.
all times Pacific
Monday, July 11
Ontario vs. Manitoba , 36-0 10 a.m.
Quebec vs. New Brunswick, 57-0 1 p.m.
Saskatchewan def. Nova Scotia, 40-0 , 4p.m.
Alberta def. B.C., 18-17 , 7p.m.
Thursday, July 14
Manitoba vs. Nova Scotia, 10 a.m.
Saskatchewan vs. Ontario, 1 p.m.
Quebec vs. Alberta, 4 p.m.
New Brunswick vs. B.C., 7 p.m.
Sunday, July 17
Seventh place game, 10 a.m. or 4 p.m.
Bronze-medal game, 1 p.m.
Fifth-place game, 10 a.m. or 4 p.m.
Championship, 7 p.m.
