Sask. falls to Quebec at Football Canada Cup

It took less than four minutes for a close game to be blown wide open as Quebec rallied in the final minutes of the fourth quarter to defeat Saskatchewan 25-8 in Friday’s gold medal game at the Football Canada Cup in Winnipeg. A 22-yard field goal by Holy Cross’s David Solie with 8:09 left in the game regained Saskatchewan the lead that they lost in the second quarter as the team pulled ahead 8-7. Unfortunately for Saskatchewan, the only points added to the scoreboard after that belonged to Quebec as the defending champions scored 18 unanswered points on their way to victory. With 4:41 left to play in the game, Quebec quarterback Jonathan Senecal found Evens Passee-Coutrin for a 24-yard touchdown pass. Senecal followed the touchdown with a rushing two-point convert to give Quebec a 15-8 lead. Quebec’s defence came out strong on the ensuing series, forcing a Saskatchewan two-and-out, eventually leading to a 31-yard field goal by Quebec’s Antoine Couture on the following series to increase the lead to 18-8. Saskatchewan’s offence had a bright start to their next drive, as Regina LeBoldus’ Josh Donnelly hit Walter Murray’s Adam Labrash to advance the ball to their own 53-yard line from their 35-yard line. That was as much as Quebec was willing to give them, though. After two incomplete Saskatchewan passes, the Quebec defence swarmed Donnelly on a third-down gamble and forced a fumble. Gregoire Martin capped off the Quebec victory, adding the final touchdown of the game on a 13-yard run with just over a minute left in the quarter. Saskatchewan’s first-half points came off a safety in the first quarter and a 15-yard field goal by Solie in the second. Quebec got on the scoreboard early in the second after Senecal hit Carl Chabot in the end zone for a 35-yard touchdown. Solie was named the Saskatchewan offensive player of the game, while Moose Jaw Peacock’s Griffin Barrett took home the honour on defence.