Ottawa Jr Riders repeat as QMJFL champions
Until the half way mark of the 4th quarter it looked like the Chateauguay Jr Raiders could actually win the 2019 Joe Pistilli Cup without scoring an offensive point. They were holding on to a slim 7-6 lead and most of the play was taking place between the 35-yd lines. However, the Jr Riders were finally able to get close enough to the goal for Josh Streng to kick the game winning field goal and they then took advantage of Chateauguay penalties to score a touchdown for some insurance points.
At the start of the game Ottawa went on offense first from their own 49-yd line and they immediately showed the power of their ground attack as they were able to gain a first down at the Chateauguay 13-yd line with only three running plays. However, after gaining only four yards on the 1st down play and then throwing an incomplete pass they settled for a 16-yd field goal by Streng to take the initial 3-0 lead.
After an exchange of punts, Ottawa went back on offense from their own 28-yd line and it looked like they were on their way to score some more points when they moved 60 yards in nine plays. Once again they had to settle for a field goal but this time the 29-yd attempt sailed wide right and Julian McLaren-Thompson was able to field the ball 10 yards deep in his own end zone. He first ran along the left side line to get out of the end zone and then cut across the field where he found some open space to run all the way to the Ottawa end zone for a 120-yd TD that put the Jr Raiders in front 7-6 (Remi Hort convert kick).
While the Chateauguay offense was going two-and-out for most of the first half, the Ottawa offense kept gaining yards but they could not get any closer than the Raiders 33-yd line. The Ottawa Jr Riders did manage to score three more points, however, thanks to a rouge and a Chateauguay safety but they were still trailing 6-7 at the half time break.
In the third quarter, with a steady rain that made handling the ball difficult, neither team was able to mount much offense. Chateauguay had the only good chance to score points when they got the ball at the Ottawa 23-yd line thanks to a 30-yd punt return by McLaren-Thompson. Even though their offense could only gain one yard they settled for a 29-yd field goal attempt, but they came away empty handed when the ball hit the upright and bounced back onto the field to keep the score 7-6.
In the 4th quarter the Chateauguay defense kept their opponents at bay and it looked like they just might be able to pull off a big upset. However, with 9:00 left to play in the game, the Ottawa Jr Riders went on offense starting from their own 45-yd line and with a series of four consecutive running plays by Erick Baptiste they had a first down at the Chateauguay 30-yd line. After losing seven yards on the first down play on a QB sack, they gained 11 on the ensuing catch by Even Yourth, which set up a 33-yd field goal attempt by Streng. The kick was good and the Ottawa Jr Riders were back in front 9-7 with 4:48 left on the game clock. Soon after that they increased their lead to 10-7 with a rouge.
Chateauguay went on offense one last time with 2:09 left on the clock starting from their own 35-yd line but they turned the ball over on downs at the 44-yd line. Ottawa then took advantage of two major penalties called against Chateauguay to get a first down just a yard outside the end zone and Augustine Mande had no trouble scoring a TD that made the final score 17-7 (Streng convert kick).
After the game, the following players received awards for their outstanding performances:
Erick Baptiste from the Ottawa Jr Riders was selected as the offensive player of the game
Rhoan Shaw Campbell from the Chateauguay Jr Raiders was selected as the defensive player of the game
Julian McLaren-Thompson from the Chateauguay Jr Raiders was selected as the game MVP
La traduction du reportage est en cours.
November 2, 2019
