The Cornwall Collegiate Raiders were victorious on October 10th, hoisting the Barry Smith Cup after defeating the St. Lawrence Saints 13-11 in the inaugural Kinsmen Club of Cornwall Upper Canada Bowl.
The Thursday night matchup between the Raiders and Saints may not have been an offensive showdown, but it was undoubtedly exciting down to the game’s final moment.
“What a fantastic night. What an atmosphere. It was a lot of fun,” said CCVS coach Chris Sullivan
“I think they’ll remember this for a long time.” He added.
For much of the game, it was all about the defenses as the score remained 3-0 at halftime, for the Saints at the half (courtesy of a Brendan Crockett field goal). It stayed that way until late in the third quarter. St. Lawrence quarterback Robert Mulley carried the ball in himself from the one-yard line; after the extra-point attempt was blocked, it was 9-0 for St. Lawrence.
It remained that way for only a matter of seconds. On the ensuing kickoff, Rhyland Taylor ran the ball back 85 yards for a TD, giving the Raiders some much needed momentum. The Saints special team then responded by blocking the PAT, keeping it a 9-6 game.
“A couple of missed assignments, and they got that big return. Just when you get things going your way, next play they put it in the end zone. That was tough,” said St. Lawrence coach Shawn Lauzon.
It was still a three-point lead for the Saints late in the fourth quarter, when Taylor struck again. His rushing touchdown gave the Raiders their first lead of the game, 13-9, with 1:48 left on the clock. That’s when things got really interesting.
After a weak punt gave The Saints good field position they marched their way down field arriving on the CCVS seven-yard line with 47 seconds to go. After a 6 yard run, It was first and goal from the one. On the next play though, the Saints fumbled off the snap, and the Raiders took advantage.
“We were inches away. All you have to do is fall forward. Or, fall on the ball after the fumble,” Lauzon added.
In what seemed like the game ending stop was all but that as on the very next play the Raiders fumbled the ball in their end zone. They managed to dive on the ball , allowing just a safety. This made it 13-11, with the Saints also getting the ball back.
Like they had all game the Raiders’ defence held strong, and CCVS got the ball back on downs. They ran out the clock earning their second victory of the season.
“Our defence was real strong. It was the story of the game as far as I’m concerned,” said Sullivan.
Leading the way defensively was Dakota Thompson, who seemed to be in on every tackle for the Raiders.
“He was a standout for us tonight,” Sullivan added of Thompson.
It was Taylor who led the way offensively gaining 240 total yards and 2 touchdowns for the Raiders.
“He’s our go-to guy. As he goes, we go,” said Sullivan. “He just had an incredible game.”
When asked about the inaugural bowl game Saints coach Lauzon added “I think the fans enjoyed it. The coaches, probably not so much, CCVS more than us I guess. As far as developing, or renewing that rivalry between the two schools though, that (game) was a good thing. It could have gone either way, right until the last 30 or 40 seconds. The fans can’t ask for anymore.”
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