TURNOVERS DOOM AKO
Fratmen lose in title game
Things started badly for the Windsor AKO Fratmen and only got worse as the game went on.
The Fratmen turned the ball over 10 times on Saturday and the Saskatoon Hilltops rolled to a 56-11 win over AKO in the 110th Canadian Bowl at Alumni Field.
“We made too many mistakes and when two teams are going against each other, the team that makes more mistakes is going to lose the game and they capitalized on them,” Fratmen quarterback Brandon Reaume said.
It was AKO’s first appearance in the Canadian Bowl since 1999 while the Hilltops became the first Canadian Junior Football League team to win four-straight national titles with Saturday’s win.
“I don’t mind losing to them, they’re a juggernaut,” AKO head coach Mike LaChance said of the Hilltops. “It’s the way we lost. We imploded.”
Things quickly unravelled for the Fratmen, who struggled to pick up the opening kickoff. After an AKO receiver was flagged for being offside on the first play, the next snap went over Reaume’s head and Saskatoon recovered the ball at the Windsor one-yard line.
“We came out, we had that one bad snap, right over my head, I tried to jump on it, the ball rolled away from me and for us that was the story of the game,” Reaume said.
By then end of the first quarter, the Hilltops were rolling with a 16-0 lead.
“It was rough,” AKO linebacker Adam Chin said. “They got off to a hot start. It could have been nerves. It could have been one mental lapse. This was the biggest game I think any of us have ever played in. It could have been the nerves, but who knows.”
Down 23-0, AKO finally found some offence when Reaume found Devon Woods at the back of the end zone for an eight-yard touchdown.
After AKO’s defence forced a two-and-out series, the Fratmen looked ready to go, but Reaume was picked off and the Hilltops scored two plays later. A fumbled punt by the Fratmen led to another Saskatoon touchdown as the Hilltops built a 37-7 lead at the half.
“I thought we did a good job, at times, kind of getting our composure back and scoring and then we would give it back up,” LaChance said. “Kudos to them, they did a great job, but I don’t know if their defence did anything that we didn’t do to ourselves.”
AKO had over 300 yards in offence, but lost four fumbles, gave up three interceptions and turned the ball over three times on downs.
“If the mistakes happen, good teams will capitalize on them and they did,” Reaume said. “They executed.”
AKO had chances to get back in the game in the second half. Reaume was picked off inside the Saskatoon five-yard line. The defence would force a safety to make it 37-9 for Saskatoon.
Needing a yard for a first down, Windsor could not secure a first down on back-to-back plays to turn the ball over on downs and Saskatoon used the short field to make it 44-9.
AKO’s final points came on a conceded safety after the team again turned it over on downs inside the Saskatoon 10-yard line.
“There’s no play that’s going to give you 30 points on one play, so you just take it one drive at a time, you try and win the quarter and fight your way back inch by inch,” Reaume said. “We’ll look back and be upset with the mistakes we made, but I trust all my guys gave 100 per cent.”
While there is disappointment in the loss, the Fratmen can look to the past for hope for the future.
In 1996, AKO lost in the Canadian Bowl final, but came back to take the title in 1999.
“It was a successful season for us,” Reaume said. “It would have been nice to finish it off with the Canadian Bowl, but overall, as a franchise, we made a big step.
“We got back to the national championship for the first time since 1999. I do take pride in it. Ultimately, the goal is to get to here. Maybe we paved the way a little bit for some guys that are still going to be on the team in years to come and maybe it will help recruiting knowing we can make it to this game.”