The reigning QJFL champions the Chateauguay Raiders faced their old rivals the Ottawa Sooners on Saturday July 23, 2016 at the Keith Harris Stadium in Ottawa in the first annual Shrine Bowl.
The Raiders were trailing 21-14 with 2:13 left to play in the game but they managed to get a first down just 5 yards from the end zone. However, a subsequent penalty for delay of game pushed them back 10 yards. Mario Porreca then gained nine of them back on a QB scramble but a second delay of game infraction negated that effort. Faced with a 3rd and goal at the Sooners 16-yd line, the last gasp pass attempt from Porreca to Shakeel D’Aguiar in the end zone went incomplete and all the Sooners then had to do was run out the clock to seal their victory.
The Sooners took a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter with a 55-yd catch-and-run play by S#80 (S#29 convert kick). They increased it to 9-0 with a pair of rouge points In the 2nd quarter before the Raiders were able to reduce the gap to 9-7 with less than three minutes left to play in the 1st half on a 39-yd TD catch by Ryan Forest (Remi Hort convert kick).
The Sooners dominated the 3rd quarter and they increased their lead to 19-7 with a TD by S#35 and a field goal by S#29. However, on the last play of the 3rd quarter Porreca found Forest again, this time on a 90-yd catch-and-run play, to make the score 19-14.
Raiders gave up a safety with barely three minutes left to play in the game to make the score 21-14 but their defense then forced the Sooners to go two-and-out and punt the ball away, which then set up the last minute heroics that came oh so close.
The comments by everyone, from players, to the coaches, to the organizers and the almost 400 fans who came to see the game was that it was a great event and that they are looking to next year’s match up.
