Offensive lineman Rhett Maclean hung his head in dejection on the Saskatchewan Huskies’ bench as the game clock expired. The dream was over for the westerners, who have been considered underdogs throughout this year’s CIS playoff drive.
Across the field, there was jubilation on the faces of the St. Mary’s Huskies—who became the second team to win back-to-back Vanier cups since the Western Mustangs did it in 1975—with a 33-21 victory against Saskatchewan Saturday afternoon at SkyDome. Even though the prairie-pack found itself the underdog once again, they certainly didn’t let it show, putting up a strong fight.
“I told [the team], don’t hang your heads and be proud of your effort,” said disappointed Saskatchewan head coach Brian Towriss. “We’re a very resilient bunch. The guys always believed in themselves and they came back and they fought right until the end.”
And what a fight it was, with St. Mary’s taking a commanding 14-0 lead in the opening quarter fueled by the strong arm of quarterback Steven Panella and the quickness of running back Dean Jones, who ran 110 yards on Saturday.
At the 8:51 mark of the first quarter, Panella connected a pass to Jones, who beautifully danced his way through the defence and into the end zone. A few minutes later, Jones grabbed the ball at the 50-yard line and pounded his way through the defence, bringing his team within two yards of scoring. Quarterback Bill Robinson ran it in to stretch the lead to 14.
But Saskatchewan showed their resiliency and started to move the ball with more efficiency by the late stages of the quarter. Quarterback Sheldon Ball completed a 10-yard pass to wide receiver Chad Rempel, who took it in for the major, trimming St. Mary’s lead to just seven.
Saskatchewan then made a key defensive play early in the second quarter that spurred the team’s second touchdown. Linebacker Lyndon Rush blocked Dave Stala’s punt and ran it into the end zone, where a scrambling Stala knocked the ball out of his hands. Fortunately for Saskatchewan, defensive back Brett Lambden picked up the ball for the touchdown before it went out of bounds.
The play shifted momentum in Saskatchewan’s favour, and the team took the lead midway through the second half when a three-yard touchdown play by running back David Stevens made it 21-16. But before long, St. Mary’s showed why it has made it to the CIS finals three times in four years.
As the first half wound down, Panella threw another impressive 31-yard touchdown pass to Stala to recapture the lead (23-21). In a scoreless third quarter, St. Mary’s defense made a key play which proved to be the turning point in the close game.
A strong Saskatchewan rush brought the team within mere yards of scoring before quarterback Ball had his attempted touchdown pass intercepted. This was the last straw.
“Credit St. Mary’s…they made huge plays when they had to,” said Towriss. “We drive it all the way down the field and they make the biggest play of the game getting the interception.”
St. Mary’s sealed the deal in the fourth quarter, scoring a field goal and then adding a two-yard touchdown by Gabe Harvey. But the night belonged to Panella, who went 18 for 26 on pass attempts and threw two touchdown passes. After the game, he was named most valuable player.
“We just needed to stay composed and minimize our mistakes because Saskatchewan is a really good team and they capitalize on mistakes,” said Panella of the team’s strategy. “The team really came together especially in the second quarter after we went down,” he said of his team’s effort.
A sizable and boisterous crowd of 17,179 came out for the game. Attendance however, was down from last year’s crowd of 20,000.
Photographs by Simon Turnbull
