The St. Paul Lions completed one of the toughest tasks in all of sports on Saturday, claiming back-to-back Wheatland Football League championships with a 47-17 victory over the Lloydminster Holy Rosary Raiders.
We just dominated, that's the only way to say it. They're a solid football team, and do to what we did against them is a little mind blowing, so that's why it's so sweet. As a coach you always want to see your team perform really well, and when all the chips are down, to see us perform the way we did today is really gratifying," said Lions Coach Todd Tanasichuk.
“It's so hard to repeat, and we needed to get hungry. That loss that we had (to Cold Lake in Week 2), that was probably the biggest thing that happened to us this year . . . that loss was either going to destroy us, or we were going to rally and change this season, and we did."
Lions Coach John Lumby said he has a great deal of respect for the Raiders, and was thrilled to see his team perform so well against such a formidable opponent.
“We've got a great group of guys, we really do. They do know how to win and they bring it when it counts. We were playing a tough team, they're a really strong team with skillful players and they're very well coached," said Lumby. “I really had no idea what the outcome of this game would be before we started. I was nervous, but I suppose I should have known that our boys would pull through."
While the final buzzer brought jubilation to the Jungle in St. Paul, the road isn't over yet for the Lions, as they will now look to host Sylvan Lake in the northern provincial semifinal on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
“They're going to have a group of really solid players and we're going to be tested again," said Tanasichuk. “I know that they'll be a good football team . . . no easy steps, that's for sure."
It was all Lions from the start of the game. While the team didn't generate any scoring on the opening drive, they quickly forced the Raiders to return the ball, and broke the game open with some solid running play.
After moving the ball into the red zone, Taylor Joly broke the game open with a short touchdown run.
“It's just the best feeling you could ever have to know that you've accomplished what you wanted and helped out your team to get the biggest team of the entire season. It's remarkable," said Joly, who had four touchdowns in the game. “(Holy Rosary) played an excellent game, we just had a lot of momentum throughout the game, and momentum wins."
Down 7-0, the Raiders made their strongest push of the game. As the first quarter drew to a close, the Raiders managed to push the ball all the way up to the Lions one-yard line on first and goal. Down after down, the Lions refused to let the Raiders reach the end zone, and recovered the ball on their own four-yard line.
The goal line stop was undoubtedly a catalyst in Saturday's outcome, as Joly shattered the spirits of the Lloydminster bench and crowd with the ensuing play, moving the ball from the Lions four-yard line all the way down to the Raiders 25.
A face masking call to the Raiders later move the ball up to the one-yard line, and Dylon Machura punched the ball into the end zone to complete the 14-point swing.
“It was tremendous. It's one thing to stop them like we did which is huge, and then our offense took the ball and we didn't run many plays. We had a big one that went for a long ways, and then to score, that's great for us, but it's so deflating for them," said Tanasichuk. “You're down at the one, you don't score, and the other team goes all the way fairly quickly and does score. That's a 14-point swing, and that was the ball game. I think at that point it really took a lot of wind out of their sails."
The Raiders rallied back for a field goal, but the Lions continued to press offensively on the ensuing drive. Quarterback Brenden McKay called his own number from the 55-yard line and moved the ball all the way up to the two. On the next play the quarterback put the ball in the hands of Joly, who punched it straight into the end zone to bring the score to 21-3.
“The running backs were hitting those holes hard . . . I don't think we could have performed any better than we did," said offensive tackle Brady Coutts. “It was just clicking perfectly, and I'm so proud of how our team played today."
The Raiders' connected on a big passing play late in the second half to narrow the gap to 21-10, but the Lions refused to give up the momentum as the game moved into the third quarter.
Despite the Raiders' best efforts, the second half was no different, as St. Paul took control from the kickoff and refused to relinquish the hold. After forcing a punt from the Raiders, the Lions moved the ball back into the Lions red zone, and once again McKay put the ball in the hands of his running back, Joly, who found the hole for his third touchdown of the game, pushing the gap to 27-10.
The Raiders continued to struggle offensively, and once again had to punt the ball back into the hands of the Lions. Looking to put the game out of reach, the Lions looked to the pass, and McKay found wide receiver Darrell Stranger from 35 yards out for a touchdown.
“I told coach I would get three touchdowns, so after the game I told him I only got him one but he said that was good enough," Stranger said of his touchdown catch, which brought the score to 34-10 for the Lions. “It just feels good, to get a touchdown in a championship game . . . and back-to-back championships are hard to come by."
Once again, the Lions forced a punt and marched with the ball all the way back into the Raiders red zone. From the one yard line, McKay followed behind his offensive line into the end zone on a quarterback sneak, putting the Raiders on the brink, 41-10.
The Raiders finally managed to get the better of the Lions defence with a touchdown drive, bringing the score to 41-17, but it was far too late to mount a comeback, and the Lions re-established the gap on the ensuing drive with a 29-yard touchdown run from Joly, bringing the final score to 47-17.
“I think we just came out with the right attitude and did our job, and it shows," said McKay, adding that while it's a great achievement, the mentality remains the same moving forward. “It's what I say after every game, we did a good job but we have to focus on the next one. Whatever happened in the last game doesn't matter anymore."
