Stingers Triumph Over X-Men On Homecoming Weekend

Concordia Improves to 2-2 Record Despite Miller’s Three Interceptions

SportsMichael Boriero — Published September 25, 2016

The Stingers triumphed over the X-Men but narrowly escaped defeat as the St. Francis Xavier failed to reach the endzone in the dying seconds of the game.

Concordia came out flying in the first quarter when quarterback Trenton Miller found wide-receiver James Tyrell open in the endzone for an early touchdown. That would be the extent of Concordia’s offense, the Stingers struggled to find their stride throughout the majority of the game.

“I feel like I played pretty well today but there’s always things to improve on,” said Tyrell. “At the end of the day it’s not just me, as a team I think we can do better with consistency.”

Tyrell finished the game with a team high 119 receiving yards to go along with his touchdown. While Vince Alessandrini continued to be one of Miller’s most reliable targets, hauling in ten catches for 86 yards.

The receivers were the only bright spot on an afternoon where Miller threw three interceptions. Even though the team managed to win over the resilient X-Men from Nova Scotia it left head coach Mickey Donovan with a bitter taste in his mouth.

“It’s been the same story for four weeks, you know, offensively we can move the ball and you can see it but we get into that red zone and it’s done,” said Donovan. “Realistically, the offense needs to play better, we need to be able to make those throws.”

Despite their lackluster performance, the Stingers managed to pull themselves back to a .500 rating in the standings after two disappointing losses to Laval and Montreal. Donovan was quick to note that this was at least a step in the right direction.

“As a coach you’re disappointed [with the performance], at the same time we need to get some momentum going our way,” said Donovan. “With a win, that’s one positive we can take with us.”

An Uninspired Performance

Meanwhile, the X-Men were disappointed by their performance and faced their own offensive woes. The Stingers defense smothered their receivers and pressured quarterback Tivon Cook, who also threw for three interceptions.

Similar to the Stingers, St. Francis Xavier couldn’t sustain any momentum. X-Men head coach Gary Waterman was visibly disheartened following his team’s loss.

“It’s tough to lose, you know, as a competitor you hate losing so hopefully we can learn from this and keep moving forward,” said Waterman.

The X-Men seemed to have turned the tide of the game after an incredible 99-yard catch and run by wide receiver Kaion Grant to open the third quarter. But in the end, it was the only big play the team was able to muster up.

After the game, Grant found himself surrounded by family and friends who congratulated him on his efforts on offense and with the special teams. He wanted to see more effort from his team.

“I think I played alright. I just tried to do the best for the team both on special teams and offense, whatever I can do,” said Grant. “Obviously we just want to be more consistent at the jump, that’s all we have to do.”

The Stingers and Miller will have a week to fix their offensive deficiencies as they try to improve to a 3-2 record next week. The Maroon and Gold will play the Bishop’s Gaiters at Concordia Stadium on Oct. 1.