Rouge et Or 48, Stingers 15: The Laval Rouge et Or take home the Shrine Bowl

After an admirable performance, the Stingers fall at home

SportsColin van den Ameele — Published October 9, 2026 0 minutes

The Stingers came into the game with their heads held high after achieving their first win of the season away at Bishop's University last week. Despite their confidence, going against the first-ranked team in the country was ultimately a different kind of challenge for the Stingers. 

“Well, for sure we were trying to win,” interim head coach Paul Eddy Saint-Vilien said. “We changed a couple subs on offence. We tried to disguise a little bit to help the quarterback.”

The Stingers came out of the gate strong, driving all the way to the goal line, where they got smothered before converting a third-down field goal. The Rouge et Or ended the quarter with a field goal of their own, and the game was set to be competitive.

Unfortunately for the Stingers, the competitiveness did not last long, as the Rouge et Or exploded for 28 points in the second quarter, putting the game out of reach.

“Bust coverage, missed assignments, missed execution and bad communication between the DBs [defensive backs],” Saint-Vilien said. “The plan was to keep the score close and kill the clock a little bit to make sure the [Laval] offence doesn't steal the football field. But hey, you give up three plays in eight minutes, and you’re going to pay the price.”

At halftime, the score was 34-9 in favour of Laval. One of Concordia’s captains, long snapper Christopher Liberta, still tried to rally the troops at halftime. 

“It’s really just next play mentality,” Liberta said. “Head up, chin up, telling each other we got each other's backs and we just do it.”

Although the Rouge et Or was as tough an adversary as you can get, the Stingers have not been helped by their injury woes, which put rookie quarterback Charles Boulianne in a difficult position as he needed to lead the offence. 

“Yes, I’m a rookie for sure, but I just have to work on the connection with the guys,” Boulianne said. “It's better and better every week, so I’m building on that with the boys. So, we have a great receiving core, so I just gotta give them the ball, you know.”

Despite the disappointing result, the Stingers remain confident as the season nears its end and continue to aim for a playoff spot.

“[I feel] confident. Confident in us, and we can see that we’re better every week,” Boulianne said. “We’re gonna have a bi-week, so we’re gonna be a different team, and we’re gonna be better. So I believe. 

The Stingers next game will be away at CEPSUM on Oct. 16, where they’ll take on the Université de Montréal Carabins at 7 p.m.