Stingers 31, Redbirds 3: Concordia football team secures playoff spot with dominant win
The Stingers played their best game of the season on senior day
The Concordia Stingers football team were up against a familiar foe on Saturday; the McGill Redbirds. The Maroon and Gold never seized control of the game, winning 31-3 and finishing their season series against their cross-town rivals 2-0 on senior day. Concordia has one game remaining against the Sherbrooke Vert et Or but have already clinched a playoff spot.
“These are guys that are gonna graduate and get their degrees; that’s what the mission was when they got here,” said Stingers head coach Brad Collinson. “They bought into our culture, hats off to them for gutting it out,” added Collinson about his graduating players.
Concordia started off the scoring early when they marched all the way down to the McGill 6-yard line. On the next play, Olivier Roy found Jacob Salvail in the end zone for his sixth receiving touchdown of the season. After the extra point by Andrew Stevens, the score was 7-0 Stingers with 6:50 minutes remaining in the opening quarter.
The Maroon and Gold were marching to end the first frame, and opened the second with the ball on the goal line. They were stopped on second down and looked to be going for a field goal. The special teams unit came out, but it was a fake play. Salvail caught the snap and stunned the Redbirds as he rushed it into the endzone for his second score of the half. After the extra point by Stevens, The Stingers built up a comfortable 14-0 cushion.
“Coach told us before the game that he wanted to call [the trick play],” said Salvail. “It feels great to contribute to another win.”
Finally after their first positive drive of the half, McGill had the ball on the Concordia 15-yard line and kicked a field goal after missing their previous two attempts. The score was still in the Stingers’ favour, 14-3.
With an opportunity to go into the half-time break comfortably, Concordia had the ball on their own 35-yard line with 2:40 minutes to go in the quarter. This was a case of the Redbirds beating themselves as numerous penalty flags brought the Stingers to their one-yard line where Adrien Guay rushed for his second touchdown of the season. The Stingers made it seem like clockwork at this point, Stevens with the extra point to make it 21-3 for the Maroon and Gold at half.
The second half started slowly with no score after five minutes. A booming punt by Stevens was fumbled by McGill and recovered at their 7-yard line by the Stingers.
Concordia could not capitalize with a touchdown but they kicked a field goal to stretch the lead to 24-3.
“I think our defense balled out today,” said Collinson. “They shut them down, that’s a good football team over there,” he added about the McGill Redbirds.
The third stanza continued with some fireworks when Olivier Roy found deep-ball threat Jaylan Greaves for a 77-yard touchdown reception. This completion pushed Roy to over 2,000 passing yards for the season. “It feels good, like I’ve said multiple times, the receiving corps is on point and I have a [great] offensive line,” said Roy.
The score was 31-3 after the third for the Stingers and it was all but wrapped up. Tempers were flaring in the fourth as frustration was boiling over for McGill.
With this win, The Concordia Stingers football team have secured third place in the RSEQ standings and clinched a playoff spot. They will take on the Sherbrooke Vert et Or on Saturday at 1 p.m. in Sherbrooke.
