FOOTBALL CANADA CUP: FCC FINAL TO BE AN ALL-PRAIRIE AFFAIR
Alberta and Saskatchewan book berths in Sunday’s championship
KELOWNA, B.C. – It will be a Battle of the Prairies on Sunday evening at the Football Canada Cup, as both Alberta and Saskatchewan won their semifinals on Thursday and advanced to the championship game. Top-seeded Saskatchewan took care of business by defeating No. 4 Ontario 23-11 in their semi-final, while No. 3 Alberta upset No. 2 Quebec, 23-13.
For Saskatchewan, this will be their fifth straight appearance in the final game, while Alberta will be playing in its first final since 2018. Meanwhile, Ontario and Quebec will face off for the bronze medal.
In consolation play, Manitoba downed Nova Scotia 28-10, while the hosts B.C. defeated New Brunswick 36-3. Manitoba and B.C. will play for fifth place, while Nova Scotia and New Brunswick will face off for seventh spot. Both matchups are repeats of the final day games at the last Football Canada Cup in 2019.
Semifinals Alberta 23, Quebec 11 – Box score
Matteo Civitarese scored three receiving touchdowns for Alberta as they upset Quebec and picked up a 23-11 win on Thursday. The Calgarian caught a 34-yard pass in the first quarter and a 19-yarder in the second as Alberta took a 16-6 halftime lead. He put the finishing touches on the win with a 66-yard catch and run for a score early in the fourth quarter.
Civitarese had 140 yards receiving on five catches, and also carried three times for 21 yards. Alberta QB Josh Page had another strong performance as he went 12-for-20 for 229 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. Page also led the Albertans with 28 rushing yards on three carries.
For Quebec, Antwan Raymond had 17 carries for 148 yards, but was unable to reach the end zone. Quebec’s only touchdown came on a one-yard quarterback sneak by Nathan Carignan in the fourth quarter.
Defensively, Alberta’s Cyril Atemnkeng had a game-high six tackles and added an interception. For Quebec, Ibrahim Konate had five tackles, including 2.5 for losses and forced a fumble.
A pair of field goals by Quebec’s Jayden Rice and an Alberta safety touch rounded out the scoring.
Saskatchewan 23, Ontario 11 – Box Score
Carter Ashman’s three touchdowns led Saskatchewan back to the championship game for the fifth straight time, as they cruised to a 23-11 win over Ontario. Ashman scored a pair of two-yard touchdowns in the second quarter, as Saskatchewan got out to a 16-0 lead. Ontario’s Jonas Paslan cut the halftime margin to 16-3 with a 29-yard field goal on the last play of the first half.
Ashman’s third score came in the fourth quarter. After an interception by Jacob Goldstone set Saskatchewan up on the Ontario 9, Ashman needed only one play to find the end zone and stretch the lead to 23-3. Ontario got a late touchdown and two-point conversion by Matthew Jovanovic, but could not draw any closer.
Ashman finished with 13 carries for 57 yards. Saskatchewan QB Carter Casey threw for 157 yards on 10-for-18 passing.
For Ontario, Anthony Lio went 16-for-22 for 184 yards and a touchdown. He was also Ontario’s leading rusher, with six carries for 67 yards.
Defensively, Porter Hanson led Saskatchewan with six tackles, including a sack. Westley McLennan won MVP honours for Ontario with 4.5 tackles and an interception.
A field goal by Saskatchewan’s Carter Casey rounded out the scoring.
Consolation Semifinals British Columbia 36, New Brunswick 3 – Box Score
Joe Murphy scored a pair of touchdowns as B.C. rebounded from Monday’s heartbreaking loss to Alberta with a 36-3 victory over New Brunswick. The Vernon resident hit pay dirt on an eight-yard run halfway through the first quarter, and he closed out the first half with a two-yard run, as B.C. cruised to a 31-0 halftime lead.
Yapo Conteh and Renzel-Ron Arinaza also scored majors for B.C., while Marcus Jones added a pair of field goals and a safety touch rounded out the hosts’ scoring. For New Brunswick, Aly Helal kicked a 17-yard field goal to provide his team’s first points of the tournament.
Murphy led all rushers with 85 yards on eight carries. B.C. pivot Owen Sieben went 13-for-17 for 166 yards, while Lucas Feaver was 4-for-7 for 111 yards and a touchdown pass. Colton Miekle finished with seven catches for 81 yards, while Arinaza had 87 yards on two catches.
New Brunswick’s Connor McNamee completed 12 of 20 passes for 82 yards. Sam Parent was his favourite target, with five catches for 51 yards.
Gabriel Levesque led the defensive effort for N.B. with 5.5 tackles, while B.C. was led by a 4.5 tackle performance from Devon Crenshaw.
Game 5: Manitoba 28, Nova Scotia 10 – Box Score
A trio of big plays keyed Manitoba to their 28-10 victory over Nova Scotia in the first game of the day. After a scoreless first quarter, Eric Martens broke the ice with a 90-yard pass-and-run from Miles Blatherwick with 4:25 left in the half. Just after the three-minute warning, Manitoba doubled their lead on a 40-yard pass from Blatherwick to Dylan Tereck. The final big play came in the fourth quarter when Jerome Fouillard ran a fumble back 45 yards for Manitoba’s final touchdown of the day.
Austin Neufeld had Manitoba’s other major score on an eight-yard run on the last play of the third quarter.
Aidan Rossong had the only touchdown for Nova Scotia, while Declan Oss added a field goal.
The big plays overturned a statistical advantage for Nova Scotia, who outgained Manitoba 335 yards to 309, and made 15 first downs to Manitoba’s 10.
For Manitoba, Joshua Farber ran nine times for 73 yards, while Blatherwick threw for 161 yards while completing eight of 14 attempts.
Nova Scotia’s Cohen Carter had a solid day passing as he completed 18 of 26 attempts for 229 yards. Noah Banks had five catches for 99 yards, while Ayres Perry had four catches for 78 yards.
Manitoba’s Matt Gillespie had a team-high eight tackles, including a sack, while Jerome Fouillard had 6.5 tackles, including two sacks, and the fumble return touchdown. Luca Langille led Nova Scotia with 4.5 tackles
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The schedule for Sunday will see the Maritime Derby between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick at 10 a.m., followed by the bronze medal game between Ontario and Quebec at 1 p.m. B.C. will take on Manitoba for fifth place at 4 p.m., with Alberta and Saskatchewan facing off in the championship game at 7 p.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 def. Manitoba, 36-0
Quebec def. New Brunswick, 57-0
Saskatchewan def. Nova Scotia, 40-0
Alberta def. B.C., 18-17
Thursday, July 14
Manitoba def. Nova Scotia, 28-10
Saskatchewan def. Ontario, 23-11
Alberta def. Quebec, 23-13
B.C. def. New Brunswick, 36-3
Sunday, July 17
Seventh place game: New Brunswick vs. Nova Scotia, 10 a.m.
Bronze-medal game: Quebec vs. Ontario, 1 p.m.
Fifth-place game: Manitoba at B.C., 4 p.m.
Championship: Saskatchewan vs. Alberta, 7 p.m.
