July 17, 2017
FCC2017: Last minute touchdown gives Quebec third consecutive gold medal
Football Canada – Wolfville, NS (July 15, 2017) – Under Friday Night Lights, Saskatchewan was only less than minute away from pulling off a major upset at the 2017 Football Canada Cup in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.
With 19.2 seconds, their fate changed as Quebec’s Jashia Lewis-Pennicooke scored a touchdown to dash their hopes of winning the gold medal.
Quebec defeated Saskatchewan 10-7 in a very low scoring offensive game. Saskatchewan’s consolation was the silver medal.
The scoring began in the first half as quarterback Josh Donnelly connected with Adam Labrash for a four yard touchdown to give Saskatchewan the lead.
With less than a minute before the half, Antoine Couture, who was the hero from Quebec’s semi-final game against Alberta, added a field goal.
At halftime, Saskatchewan held a 7-3 lead over Quebec.
In the second half, great defensive stands kept both teams scoreless right up until those last 19.2 seconds of the game.
For Quebec, it was the third consecutive gold medal at this tournament.
Running game powers Ontario to bronze medal
Ontario’s explosive run game came to life when they needed it the most at the 2017 Football Canada Cup in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.
On Friday, the team defeated Alberta 34-29 to win the bronze medal.
In the first half, both squads added a pair of field goals to their points total on the scoreboard.
Justin Pope tallied a 75 yard major to give Ontario the lead.
However, Alberta kept pace with Ontario when Segun Adeseye sprinted into the end zone for a touchdown.
At halftime, Ontario held a slim 13-12 lead over Alberta.
Halfway through the third quarter, pivot Ethan Martin added a major to extend Ontario’s lead. The team put some distance between them and Alberta when Keon Edwards plunges into the end zone for a touchdown.
The defence got on the board when Max Nixon caught an interception and ran down the field for a score.
Alberta tried to rally late in the game when Dakota McKay tallied a major with over three minutes left in the game. However, the comeback fell just short.
Ontario Players of the Game were REC Pope (offence) and DB Devonte Ballantyne (defence). Players of the Game for Alberta were REC Jake Withrow (offence) and DL Lamar Goods (defence).
British Columbia ends up fifth in Cup return
British Columbia left a great impression in their return to the national championship.
On Friday afternoon, the team finished fifth place at the 2017 Football Canada Cup after earning a 24-10 victory over host Nova Scotia.
Leaving Wolfville, British Columbia amassed a 2-1 record. Meanwhile, Nova Scotia ended up in sixth place with a 1-2 mark.
With less than two minutes left in the first quarter, Jalen Philpot rushed into the end zone for a four yard touchdown to give British Columbia the early lead.
Quarterback Michael Calvert connected with Keelan White for a 65 yard major.
British Columbia went into halftime with a 17-0 advantage over Nova Scotia after Douglas Jameson added a 18 yard field goal.
Clay Pelton-Kelly got Nova Scotia on the scoreboard in the third quarter when he added a 36 yard field goal.
Philpot added his second major of the game in the fourth quarter.
Nova Scotia got their first touchdown in the game with 6:52 left as quarterback Caleb Melanson found Jayden Simmons for the score.
Players of the Game for British Columbia were Philpot (offence) and DT Joe Nickel (defence). Nova Scotia Players of the Game were Melanson (offence) and LB Lourenz Bowers (defence).
Offence steers Manitoba to seventh place finish
On Friday, Manitoba finished seventh at the 2017 Football Canada Cup in Wolfville, Nova Scotia after the team defeated New Brunswick 43-10.
This win was the first for the Manitoba squad during the tournament. New Brunswick ended the tournament winless and in eighth place.
In the first quarter, Riley Vankoughnett connected with Jason Henderson for a 30 yard major to give Manitoba the early lead. With 53 seconds left in the frame, Connor Green added a 20 yard field goal.
Vankoughnett snuck into the end zone for a one yard touchdown in the second quarter. He would then find both Luke McMillan and Tyler Koniuk for majors.
At halftime, Manitoba enjoyed a 36-0 lead over New Brunswick after Green successfully booted his second field goal of the game.
New Brunswick started to get into a groove in the second half. Quarterback William Hicks connected with Will McNally in the end zone to give the team their first touchdown of the tournament.
Soon after, Ben George added a 32 yard field goal for New Brunswick.
However, Manitoba put the game out of reach when Austin Balan tore down the field for a8 yard touchdown.
Players of the Game for Manitoba were QB Vankoughnett (offence) and LB Eric Bujalski (defence). New Brunswick Players of the Game were REC McNally (offence) and LB Zach Lloyd (defence).
Game recaps and stats including game summaries will be available online throughout the tournament at www.footballcanada.com.
Media use photos
Photos, for media use only, are available at the following Dropbox folder:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/tp6dr1217fqmtwf/AAC7D7aAJwYUymCWE0p7ZDhGa?dl=0
Please credit the photographer as detailed in the folder names.
For more about the tournament, please visit www.footballcanada.com. Use the hashtag #FCC2017 to join the conversation on social media.
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About Football Canada
Established in 1884, Football Canada is the national governing body of amateur football in Canada and a proud member of the International Federation of American Football (IFAF). Working closely with the provincial football associations, we develop programs and resources for players, coaches, officials in the three disciplines of Tackle, Flag and Touch Football. Football Canada’s vision statement is “from playground to stadium” where players can participate in the game of football throughout a lifetime recreationally, competitively and internationally.
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