Football Canada Cup, Day 3: Ontario 27, Saskatchewan Green 19

I guess I neglected to post a rather key game in this tournament.  The gold medal game!

Congratulations to Team Ontario for winning their first such tournament since the U17 edition won it in 2009 (also in Saskatoon, oddly enough).

The Ottawa RedBlacks have had me distracted, and while this game took place months ago, I still want to record it in case the Football Canada site deletes its historical information, as they have in the past.

I've included statistics for the MVPs in past posts, but the offensive numbers are not available for this game.  If I come across them I'll add them later.

Ontario got off to a rough start, fumbling on the game’s opening play to give Saskatchewan-Green the ball at their opponents 28-yard line. Saskatchewan took advantage as Kristopher Calcutt kicked a 36-yard field goal to give Sask-green an early 3-0 lead. 

Ontario was in tough once again following the early field goal as Saskatchewan punter Eric Despins pinned them back to their own 3-yard line. Ontario responded driving down the field and took the lead on a 59-yard Jevante Stanley touchdown run. 

Ontario added a 38-yard Gabriel Siemieniec field goal to make the score 10-3. 

Saskatchewan stormed back after pinning Ontario at back at their own 3-yard line. 

Saskatchewan linebacker Logan Mainil stepped in front of a Kyle Gouveia pass, returning it 18-yards for the major. The touchdown tied up the game at 10 with just over a minute to play in the first half. 

Ontario answered back as Gabriel Siemieniec hit a 13-yard field goal to put Ontario up 13-10 heading into halftime. 

Ontario increased their lead 20-10 midway through the third quarter as defensive back Ben Cross picked up a Saskatchewan fumble and returned it for a touchdown. 

Saskatchewan answered on their next possession culminating in a 4-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Sawyer Buettner to his favourite target Kade Belnyk making the score 20-17.
Backed up to their own 5-yard line, Ontario conceded a safety touch at the end of the third quarter to narrow the Ontario lead to one 20-19. 

With starting quarterback Kyle Gouveia struggling to find his rhythm in the second half, Ontario turned to dual threat quarterback Kevin John who orchestrated an Ontario drive down to the 9-yard line. Fullback Marquis Richards took over from their driving the ball in from the 1-yard line to widen the Ontario lead 27-19 with four minutes left to play in the game. 

Saskatchewan tried to answer, facing 3rd down and 2 at the Ontario 51-yard line and 3 minutes left to play. It was not meant to be as Sask fumbled on the exchange, allowing Ontario defensive lineman Carter Wilson to recover and sealing the game for Ontario.

MVPs
Ontario Offense:  RB Jevante Stanley
Ontario Defense:  DB Ben Cross- Four solo tackles, one fumble recovery for a score.

Saskatchewan Offense:  Rec Kade Belyk
Saskatchewan Defense:  DB Benjamin Whiting- Three solo tackles, one assist and a pass knockdown

Football Canada Cup, Day 3: Québec 22, Alberta 19

They may have been shut out of the medals, but the Alberta team should be proud of their resiliency.  For the second game in a row they clawed back into contention after falling behind early instead of going through the motions until the gun sounded.  Small consolation, no doubt, but credit is deserved nonetheless.

Somewhat ironically,Québec is probably a little disappointed as well after winning bronze following three golden years.

Quebec led 17-0 at the end of the first quarter following a John Molson field goal, a 20-yard Samuel Makwanda touchdown run and a Mathieu Blanchette receiving touchdown from quarterback Zacharie Quiviger.   

Alberta replied early in the second quarter with a 1-yard Alex Basilis quarterback sneak to inch closer 17-10. 

Following the score Quebec received great starting field position at the Alberta 35-yard line. Alberta’s defense stepping up forcing a turnover as Alberta defensive lineman Anthony Hume intercepted a batted pass at the line to stop the Quebec attack in its tracks. Alberta was unable to capitalize on the turnover as Quebec’s defense stood strong, forcing a punt with a minute to play in the opening half. 

To end the third quarter, following a conceded Alberta safety earlier in the quarter, Alex Basilis recovered his own punt at the Quebec 32-yard line to give Alberta a fresh set of downs. Alberta took advantage as kicker, Des Catallier nailed a 30-yard field goal to narrow the Quebec deficit to 3 points, 19-16. 

A second Catallier field goal tied the game up at 19 with 4 minutes to play. 

Zacharie Quiviger connected with a receiver François Rocheleau who made a spectacular 20-yard reception to set up a Quebec first and goal at the 5-yard line. With 1:10 to play in the bronze medal game John Molson kicked a 13-yard field goal to give Quebec a 22-19 lead. 

With the clock winding down, Alberta tried to respond. With under a minute to play, a pass interference penalty against Quebec gave Alberta a 1st down at the Quebec 43-yard line. 

Following a stifling Quebec blitz set-up a 2nd and 24, Basilis threw over the middle and was intercepted by defensive back John Molson to seal the Quebec victory.

MVPs
Québec offense: RB Samuel Makwanda - 20 carries for 165 yards, one touchdown.
Québec defense: DB Jérémie Dominique - 1 solo tackle and an interception.

Alberta offense: RB Myles Browne - 14 carries for 50 yards, 8  receptions for 80 yards.
Alberta defense: LB Brendan Doubell - 1 solo tackle, an assist and a quarterback sack.

Football Canada Cup, Day 3: Manitoba 24, Saskatchewan White 10

It seems as though the credit for this win can be directed towards the Manitoba pass defense. Saskatchewan had 25 yards passing.  Following "losses", which I assume includes the four quarterback sacks credited to Manitoba, Sask White had -8 yards of net offense.

Let's not judge Sask White too harshly though.  They were considered the secondary provincial team in the tournament and still had a respectable showing.  The players will have earned valuable experience from the participation.

Saskatchewan-White drew first blood following a fumble recovery at the Manitoba 32-yard line. Quarterback Tyler Hermann hit Sean Renouf in the corner of the end zone to make the score 7-0 with 2 minutes to play in the opening quarter. 

A rouge followed by a conceded safety touch made the score 9-0 at the end of the first quarter. 

Manitoba replied following a Saskatchewan fumble at midfield. After a Trevor Wright touchdown run was called back due to an offsides penalty, he ran the ball down to the 12-yard line on the next play. Brandon Stitch took over from there narrowing the Sask lead 9-7. 

Manitoba took the lead 10-9 at the end of the first half with a 39-yard line drive field goal by Keenan Onyebuchi. 

With four minutes to play in the first half, Manitoba struck again following a fumble recovery which gave them great field position at the Sask 35-yard line. Quarterback William Reimer found Jake Robertson on a 12-yard touchdown strike to widen the ‘Toba lead 17-9.
A Trevor Wright rushing touchdown sealed the Manitoba victory 23-10.

MVPs
Manitoba offense: RB Trevor Wright - 20 carries for 150 yards and a score.
Manitoba defense: LB Luke Sperry - One tackle, one assist, three special teams tackles, half a sack  and a fumble recovery.

Saskatchewan White offense: WR Sean Renouf - 1 reception for 20 yards and a score.
Saskatchewan White defense: LB Baxton Moffatt - Four solo tackles a forced fumble.

As a point of interest, both Manitoba MVPs represented the St-Paul's high school program.

Football Canada Cup, Day 3: Nova Scotia 44, New Brunswick 00

Still catching up, obviously...

To be honest, I was hoping for a more competitive contest here but it may have been an unfair expectation of the New Brunswick program.  In the "modern era" of the Football Canada Cup (meaning since it went to a U18 format exclusively in 2010), this is only NB's third year of competition. It'll be fun to watch them grow into it but clearly there's still plenty of work to be done.

...Nova Scotia took an early 9-0 lead after New Brunswick conceded a safety followed by a 15-yard Michael Ogilvie end zone plunge. 

A Thomas Hoyt 11-yard jet sweep touchdown run on a made the score 15-0 at 1:17 of the opening quarter. 

Following a single and conceded safety, backup quarterback Cameron Valardo connected with Greg Hutchins on a 62-yard touchdown to widen the Nova Scotia lead 25-0 with 6 minutes to play in the opening half.   

Starting at the NB 25-yard line following a Jon Main interception, quarterback Duncan Patterson found Thomas Hoyt over the middle and forced his way into the end zone to make the score 33-0. 

Patterson found Valardo who was lined up as a receiver to make the score 40-0. 

Following back-to-back Hutchins’ singles made the score 42-0 at the half, New Brunswick conceded a second half safety to make the final score 44-0.

MVPs
Nova Scotia offense: RB Thomas Hoyt - 4 carries, 38 yards and a score, two receptions for 42 yards and a score.
Nova Scotia defense: LB John Main - 4 solo tackles, 1 assist, 1 QB sack and an interception.

New Brunswick offense: RB Dylan Fyfe - 6 carries for 19 yards.
New Brunswick defense:  DB Derrick Vautour - 6 solo tackles

Football Canada Cup, Day 2: Sask Green 40, Alberta 32

Many of the games in this tournament have not been competitive.  The one below started out that way, but give credit to Team Alberta for making it arguably the most exciting contest of the event.  Great way to close out the day.  The recap is from the Star Pheonix.

Saskatchewan Green built up a big lead and hung on to beat Alberta 40-32 in their second game of the Canada Cup under-18 football tournament Wednesday at Griffiths Stadium. 

... 

While Saskatchewan Green’s offence never got on track in the first quarter – a penalty that negated a long touchdown didn’t help – things turned around in the second. 

Led by Moose Jaw quarterback Sawyer Buettner, Saskatchewan scored three majors in the quarter to carry a 22-14 lead in the break. 

The course of the game changed, at least temporarily, when Saskatchewan found the end zone twice in the final minute. 

First, backup pivot Cordell Kadash scored his second rushing touchdown of the quarter when he dove in on a second-and-goal try. That play was set up by an unnecessary roughness of a defensive receiver penalty on Alberta. 

Then, following an interception by Benjamin Whiting, Buettner found Kade Belyk from five yards out. 

Buettner had completed all but one of his 14 passes in the first half for 177 yards. 

... 

Saskatchewan continued its sustained offence in the third quarter by scoring 17 points – a 30-yard field goal by Kristopher Calcutt and touchdowns by Ben Getzlaf and Kadash.
But Alberta narrowed the gap with a touchdown on the last play of the third quarter by Jacob Janke. 

A field goal and another major put Alberta within eight. 

Saskatchewan did its best to run out the clock, but a low snap on a punt attempt in the final minute led to a big loss. 

That gave Alberta the ball at midfield with 29 seconds left. A three-and-out gave Saskatchewan the win.

Get a load of the QB numbers.

MVPs
Sask Green: QB Sawyer Buettner - 18 of 22 passing 250 yards, two TDs.  6 carries for 90 yards.
Sask Green: DL Nathan Cherry - Three solo tackles and an assist, 1.5 quarterback sacks.

Alberta offense: QB Alex Basilis - 17 of 26 passing for 280 yards and 3tds.  Three carries for 21 yards.
Alberta defense: DL Dexter Da Silva - Two solo tackles and an assist, 1.5 quarterback sacks.

Football Canada Cup, Day 2: Ontario 30, Québec 16

It's probably OK to be a little surprised by this one.  Québec has participated in the last four gold medal games and won the last three.  They had to be considered a favourite, but Team Ontario clearly wasn't in any mood to lay down.  The win put Ontario in the tournament's gold medal game.

...Following a Quebec single on the opening kickoff, a Deshaun Stevens pick six to put Ontario up 7-1. 

Later in the half, Ontario gambled on 3rd and 2 at the Quebec 45-yard line. The gamble paid off as quarterback Kevin John found receiver John Wotherspoon for the touchdown strike to widen the Ontario lead 14-3. 

An interception by linebacker Tchad Ayotte gave Quebec great field position at the Ontario 6-yard line. With their backs at the end zone Ontario’s defense stood strong, holding Quebec to a field goal to make the score 15-6. 

Ontario widened their lead to 23-6 as quarterback Tristan Arndt found Javante Stanley in the end zone. The play was set-up following a fumble recovery at the Quebec 25-yard line. 

After a field goal made it 15-6, Zacharie Quiviger responded following his turnover, running the ball in from the 2-yard line to narrow Ontario’s lead 23-16. 

Jevante Stanley cemented the Ontario win with a 56-yard touchdown run to make the final score 30-16.

The score is incorrectly listed on the Football Canada website as being 30-6.

MVPs
Ontario offense: QB Kyle Gouveia - 11 of 21 passing for 106 yards and one touchdown.
Ontario defense: DB Graham Brodie - Four tackles, two assists and an interception.

Québec offense: WR Julien Bourassa - Nine receptions for 84 yards.
Québec defense: DL Julien Melanson - Four solo tackles, two quarterback sacks.

Football Canada Cup, Day 2: Sask. White 26, Nova Scotia 14

Not much to add about this game, but Nova Scotia defensive MVP Brad Bevan's numbers raised an eyebrow.  To be in on eight tackles in this kind of tournament is fairly impressive.  I can't pretend to know the guy, but it suggests a very active player and I suspect he'll find his way onto the tournament all-star team once it's determined.

Saskatchewan-white opened the scoring on a 2-yard Tyler Hermann quarterback keeper. Saskatchewan widened their lead to 10 on an Alex Lenius field goal to start the second quarter. 

Nova Scotia kicker Greg Hutchins got his team on the board with a rouge on a field goal that missed wide but had enough leg to go through the end zone for a single point. 

Following the rouge, Nova Scotia recovered a Saskatchewan fumble to give them great field position at their own 42-yard line. On the next play, NS returned the favour as Saskatchewan recovered a fumble at their opponent’s 18-yard line. Saskatchewan capitalized on the turnover with a second Lenius field goal to make the score 13-1 heading into halftime. 

Early in the 2nd half, Nova Scotia capitalized on their second fumble recovery at midfield with a 2-yard (Cameron) Valardo keeper to make the score 13-8. 

Saskatchewan responded to the NS score with a long kickoff return to give the home province great field position at their opponent’s 39-yard line. Following a 3rd down pass interference penalty set-up 1st and goal at the 1-yard line, Paul Frabacher punched the ball in to widen the Saskatchewan lead to 20-8.  

Following a 3rd and 14 conversion at the Saskatchewan 48-yard line, Valardo found receiver Greg Hutchins on a 24-yard pass to set-up first and goal at the 1-yard line. Valardo called his own number to make the final score 26-14.

MVPs
Saskatchewan White offense: RB Josh Ewanchyna - 17 carries for 109 yards, two receptions for 16 yards.
Saskatchewan White defense:  DL Tristan Hering - Two solo tackles, 1 quarterback sack.

Nova Scotia offense: QB Cameron Valardo - 6 of 17 passing, for 116 yards, four carries for 23 yards and a score.
Nova Scotia defense: LB Brad Bevan - Five tackles, three assists and one fumble recovery.

Football Canada Cup, Day 2: Manitoba 54, New Brunswick 00

Along the lines of what I stated about the Canada/France U19 World Championship game, finding coverage of the second day of the Football Canada Cup if proving problematic and, frankly, irritating.  I know hockey rules in this country but a National tournament should gather a bit more love, in my opinion.  Ah well.

From Football Canada:

New Brunswick’s offense struggled to find its offensive rhythm throughout most the contest while Manitoba’s rhythm came early. 

Following a NB 2-and-out, Manitoba scored on their two opening possessions. A 7-yard Brandon Sitch touchdown run put Manitoba on the board. 

Quarterback Will Reimer connected on four opening half touchdown passes. First he found Sam Blakely on an 11-yard strike followed by touchdown passes to Bradon Sitch, Kai Madsen and Liam Grace. 

A Trevor Wright rushing touchdown opened the second half scoring to give Manitoba a comfortable 44-0 lead.

MVPs
Manitoba offense: QB Will Reimer - 9 of 10 passing, 153 yards, four touchdowns
Manitoba defense: DE Tristan Bredin - Three solo tackles

New Brunswick offense: WR Joshua Hicks - Five receptions, 26 yards
New Brunswick defense: DB Travis Branscombe - Four tackles, one forced fumble, one INT returned 35 yards.

Football Canada Cup, Day 1, Game 4: Saskatchewan Green 20, Manitoba 02

Even though this is the 4th game in the tournament, it took place minutes after the event's ceremonial kick off.  Go figure.  But being that there's probably a little regional rivalry there, ending the day's activities with the top Saskatchewan squad versus Manitoba makes sense.  Recap from Football Canada.

Saskatchewan-green scored a pair of first half touchdown en route to a 20-2 win in game four of the 2014 Football Canada Cup at Griffiths Stadium on the campus of the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon.

To open the scoring, Saskatchewan capitalized on great field position following a botched Manitoba punt as quarterback Sawyer Buettner found Dryden Kalesnikoff in the end zone to make the score 6-0. Manitoba blocked the point after attempt to minimize the damage.

Later in the half, Buettner struck again finding receiver Kade Belyk on a 55-yard touchdown pass to widen the host’s lead 13-0.

After Manitoba punter Jonathan Bennett recovered his own punt to give Manitoba possession near mid-field both teams traded turnovers. Saskatchewan struck first as defensive back Payton Hall blocked and recovered a Manitoba field goal attempt near the 25. Next Saskatchewan quarterback Sawyer Buettner was hit as he threw and the fumble was recovered by Manitoba at the Sask 40-yard line.

Manitoba got on the board as Sask conceded the safety at 6:19 remaining in the 3rd quarter.

Saskatchewan widened their lead 20-2 following a touchdown run by running back Jamal Hooker.

MVPs
Saskatchewan Green offense: WR Kade Belyk - Five receptions for 190 yards and a score.
Saskatchewan Green defense: LB Davin Williamson - Two solo tackles and four assists.

Manitoba offense: WR Kai Madsen - Four receptions for 63 yards.
Manitoba defense: LB Maxx Toutant - Two solo tackles, one assist, one quarterback sack and two forced fumbles.

Football Canada Cup, Day 1, Game 3, Ontario 36, Nova Scotia 00

The recap below is copied in part from the newish Football Team Ontario site.

Special teams scored...9 of Ontario’s 24 opening half points on route to a 36-0 final against Nova Scotia in game 3 of the 2014 Football Canada Cup at Griffiths Stadium at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon. 

Ontario opened the scoring as a Gabriel Siemieniec field goal attempt missed wide right but sailed through the end zone for a single. 

 

Later in the first half, Ontario blocked a field goal attempt off the foot of Greg Hunchak. Ontario’s Elijah Walter picked up the ball and ran it in for the score, widening Ontario’s lead 8-0.

Quarterback Kyle Gouveia hooked up with receiver John Wotherspoon to give Ontario a first and goal at the 6-yard line. Running back Austin Whetton punched the ball on the following play to make the score 16-0.

Running back Jevante Stanley supplied an 89-yard touchdown run to widen Ontario’s lead 23-0 with 1:20 seconds to play in the opening half. Siemieniec hooked a 31-yard field goal attempt wide right, bouncing through the end zone for a single.

In the second half, Ontario added a field goal, safety and touchdown run to make the final score 36-0.

MVPs
Ontario offense:  RB Javante Stanley - 11 carries for 211 and a score.
Ontario defense:  DL Carter Wilson - 1 solo tackle and a pass knock down.

Nova Scotia offense: PK/WR Greg Hutchins - One 18-yard reception (kicking stats unavailable).
Nova Scotia defense: LB Kyle Gorden - Six solo tackles plus a special teams tackle.

Football Canada Cup Day 1, Game 2: Québec 27, Saskatchewan White 07

Ontario has, in the past, separated its talent over two teams, but regionally (east/west, if I recall correctly).  Saskatchewan apparently considers its "green" team to be its top representative, while the "white" squad is its b-team.  This was made clear to me in reading this article from the Moose Jaw Times Herald by Matthew Gourlie.

They were the underdogs of their own province, but Saskatchewan White gave the favourites a scare at the Football Canada Cup Sunday. 

Sask. White, the province's "second team", battled hard before losing 27-7 to Quebec who are the four-time defending champions in the quarter-finals of the national football tournament which is being held in Saskatoon.

We turn to The Star Pheonix (Daniel Nugent-Bowman, specifically) for a recap.

Saskatchewan White held their own in the first half of the penalty-filled affair. 

They trailed 8-0 after the opening quarter, but scored late in the second thanks to some help from their opponents. 

Quebec was flagged for two unnecessary roughing penalties, including one while Saskatchewan was attempting a field goal. 

That prolonged the Saskatchewan drive, leading to a one-yard touchdown from St. Joseph’s Paul Farbacher. 

... 

Quebec would regain its eight-point advantage before the half on a 16-yard touchdown grab by Francois Rocheleau. 

Rocheleau then added another major with a 70-yard score early in the third quarter. 

The visitors then really came unglued as someone on their sideline was called for objectionable conduct. 

The rest of the game was a filled with penalties for taunting and late hits by Quebec. 

... 

Quebec was whistled for 21 penalties for 217 yards and helped Saskatchewan secure 16 first downs. 

“There was some good stuff, but a lot of the time we were killing ourselves with stupid penalties,” Quebec head coach Pat Boies said. “That’s not a character trait we want to portray. We have to look at ourselves in the mirror. 

“A lot of kids are young and they think you’ve won three in a row and the fourth is going to come just like that. They got a reality shot today. They were expecting to stomp on the second Saskatchewan team and they got a shock that those kids came out to play as well. Games are not won by doing math before. I think that’s a good lesson for them.” 

It was a good lesson for Saskatchewan too. 

Although Quebec pulled away in the second half thanks to 233 net yards of offence, (Saskatchewan White Head Coach Dan) Houle said his players have reason to hold their heads high.

Québec's first touchdown came as a result of a failed fake punt attempt by Sask White on their first possession. That allowed Québec to scrimmage for the host's 44 yard line.  Québec QB Maxime Bouffard would later run it in for the score.

MVPs
Québec offense:  QB Maxime Bouffard - 11 of 20 passing, for 177 and two scores, 7 runs for 47 yards and another score.
Québec defense: DL Adam Andrews - Credited with one solo tackle

Saskatchewan White offense: RB Adam Marchat - 17 carries, 61 yards, one reception for seven yards
Saskatchewan White defense: LB Tanner Smith - Five solo tackles and an assist.

Football Canada Cup, Day 1, Game 1: Alberta 76, New Brunswick 00

The following recap is copied from Football Alberta's website.

Different year, same result as Alberta scored on every possesion of the game and held the New Brunswick offense in check to the point where they never crossed mid-field, which was very reminicent of last years 79-6 thrashing of New Brunswick in the same game. 

Quarterback Alex Basilis (St. Mary's, Calgary) started things off rushing for the first two TD's of the game from 1 and 7 yards respectively which was followed by three more Alberta rushing TD's in the first quarter from Myles Browne (Notre Dame, Calgary), Jacob Janke (Harry Ainlay, Edmonton) and Landon Rosene (H.J. Cody, Sylvan Lake) to make it 34-0. New Brunswick's lone bright spot was a blocked convert on the second Alberta TD. 

The second quarter saw more Alberta firepower but this time through the air as Des Catellier (St. Francis, Calgary) hooked up with Tristan Getzinger (Medicine Hat) and Sam Clayton (Bev Facey, Sherwood Park) for TD passes of 15 and 32 yards respectively. That was followed by TD run from Browne of 42 yards and to make it 55-0 at the half. 

The second half saw a running clock and TD's from Rosene of 2 yards, Cam St. Amand (Bishop Carroll, Calgary) with a 10 yard fumble recovery, and finally Kelton Bailey (Peace River) with a 58 yard pass and run from Basilis.

New Brunswick's Head Coach took the best attitude possible.

Despite the win New Brunswick head coach, Chris Hopkins was happy with his team’s improvement over the course of its first 2014 Canada Cup contest. 

“I’m happy the guys battled hard non-stop. We can in with the goal of getting better every rep with maximum effort and that’s exactly what we did.” 

We played four quarters of football, got better every rep. Every rep throughout with week is going to make us better and that’s what this tournament is about – changing the culture of Football New Brunswick...”

MVPs
Alberta offense: WR Jacob Janke - I gather that Janke must have done some spectacular things in the return game because he is not credited with any receptions.  He is, however, credited with two carries for 58 yards and a score.
Alberta defense: DL Bobby Sugai - Two tackles, two assists and a sack.

New Brunswick offense: QB Gordon Brown - six completions on nine attempts, for 67 yards.
New Brunswick defense: DB Kyle Baxter - Three solo tackles