Wolfville, NS (July 9, 2017) – Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Quebec were all winners on the opening day of the 2017 Football Canada Cup at Raymond Field at Acadia University. On Tuesday July 11, Alberta will face Quebec in the first semi-final while Ontario will face Saskatchewan in the other semi-final.
Following opening day losses, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Manitoba and British Columbia will look to regroup on day two. Manitoba will battle British Columbia on Tuesday action while host Nova Scotia tangles with New Brunswick on that same day.
GAME 1:
#FCC2017: Defence guides Alberta to opening day victoryhttps://t.co/DdjIGYksue pic.twitter.com/vsWJ0xGoGk
— Football Canada (@FootballCanada) July 9, 2017
Alberta kicked off the 2017 Football Canada Cup in Wolfville, Nova Scotia with a 36-10 win over Manitoba.
Quarterback Jonathan Ericson connected with Segun Adeseye for a 10 yard touchdown reception to open the scoring in the first quarter. Matthew Peterson would tally two consecutive majors for Alberta. His first was a seven yard rushing touchdown and the other was a 17 yard rushing major. Defence came up with a major play in the second quarter when Zayden Velasco caught an interception and converted it into a 43 yard touchdown.
At halftime, Alberta enjoyed a 28-0 lead over Manitoba.
Only 13 seconds into the second half, Jacob Biggs returned a kickoff all the way down to the end zone for an 85 yard major for Alberta. Pivot Reid Vankoughnett found Michael O’Shea for a five yard touchdown reception for Manitoba in the fourth quarter. Then, Eric Adams scored the two point conversion for Manitoba.
Overall, Alberta’s defence had five interceptions in the game.
GAME 2:
#FCC2017: Run game steers Saskatchewan to opening day winhttps://t.co/WZgXoJdNu5 pic.twitter.com/QMGlLGEDl6
— Football Canada (@FootballCanada) July 9, 2017
By establishing a successful run game early, Saskatchewan won their opening day game against New Brunswick 37-1.
New Brunswick got on the scoreboard first as Saskatchewan’s Bennett Stusek was taken down in the end zone to earn a single.
Quarterback Josh Donnelly had a two yard rushing touchdown to give Saskatchewan the lead in the first quarter. Only 40 seconds into the second quarter, Donnelly connected with Adam LaBrash for a five yard touchdown pass. Later in the frame, Matthew Wilson snuck into the end zone for a one yard major. Additionally, Dominique Dheilly grabbed the pass for a two point conversion. With less than two minutes before the half, Donnelly found Emmett Steadman for a four yard touchdown pass.
At halftime, Saskatchewan enjoyed a 30-1 lead over New Brunswick.
Saskatchewan had the only scoring play of the second half as Tanner Szakacs had a three yard touchdown reception.
Player of the Game for Saskatchewan were Donnelly (offence) and Daniel Okpoko (defence). New Brunswick Players of the Game were Matthew Lafleur (offence) and Lucas Cormier (defence).
GAME 3:
#FCC2017: Timely execution catapults Ontario to victory over host Nova Scotiahttps://t.co/HdwrU4zw0i pic.twitter.com/mbxkAnldax
— Football Canada (@FootballCanada) July 9, 2017
Jayden Thompson’s 11 yard touchdown reception with less than three minutes left in the game was the difference as Ontario edged host Nova Scotia 17-16 in opening day action at the 2017 Football Canada Cup.
Overall, the game between Ontario and Nova Scotia was a battle of field position, defensive struggles and undisciplined play from both sides.
In the first quarter, Nathan Langley scored a two yard major to put Ontario ahead of Nova Scotia. After Nova Scotia conceded a safety to Ontario, the team scored when Mitchell Tufts connected with Dawson Keirstead for an eight yard touchdown pass.
Both teams were tied at halftime when Ontario conceded a safety to Nova Scotia.
Ontario’s Brian Garrity attempted a 26 yard field goal but it went wide to the left for a rouge. Early in the fourth quarter, Nova Scotia overtook the lead when Tufts snuck into the end zone for a one yard major. However, the lack of discipline costed Nova Scotia their lead late in the game as Thompson helped Ontario regain the lead with less than three minutes left in the game.
Players of the Game for Ontario were Connor Irwin-Lewis (offence) and Josef-Luka Colavito (defence). Nova Scotia Players of the Game were Adre Simmonds (offence) and Kamryn Matheson (defence).
GAME 4:
#FCC2017: Offence powers Quebec to opening day win over British Columbiahttps://t.co/VRCTfUg0bZ pic.twitter.com/DXzj2gCdHB
— Football Canada (@FootballCanada) July 10, 2017
Lukas Boulanger scored three touchdowns as Quebec defeated British Columbia 35-23 in opening day action on Saturday at the 2017 Football Canada Cup in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.
Quebec moves onto the semi-final where the team will battle Alberta on Tuesday July 11th. On that same day, British Columbia meets Manitoba.
In the first quarter, Quebec got out to a quick 14-0 lead when Boulanger displayed his athleticism and speed by scoring two consecutive rushing majors in less than a three minute span. His first touchdown was a 26 yard run into the end zone while the other was a 33 yard rushing major.
However, British Columbia came roaring back with 16 unanswered points in the first half to overtake the lead on Quebec. Jalen Philpot sprinted into the end zone for a eight yard touchdown. Justin Kular scored on a two point conversion and then quarterback Michael Calvert added a 10 yard rushing major and a rouge. Antoine Couture as successful on an 18 yard field goal attempt which enabled Quebec to regain the lead.
At halftime, Quebec led British Columbia 16-14.
Boulanger would score his third major of the game on a one yard quarterback sneak in the third quarter. Nine seconds into the fourth quarter, Calvert connected with Keelan White for a five yard touchdown reception to keep British Columbia within pace of Quebec. However, the defending champions put the game out of reach when Boulanger found Youri Gauthier for a 41 yard touchdown pass.
Players of the Game for Quebec were Boulanger (offence) and Felix-Antoine Desjardins (defence). British Columbia Players of the Game were Jalen Philpot (offence) and Tyler Eckert (defence).
July 8 – Game Day 1 / Jour de match 1 – 8 juillet
| Game / Match | Local Time (AT) / Heure locale (HA) | Home / Domicile | Away / Visiteur | Links / Liens | ||
| 1 | 10 am / 10h | Alberta (4) | 36 | Manitoba (5) | 10 | Stats |
| 2 | 1 pm / 13h | Saskatchewan (2) | 37 | New Brunswick / Nouveau-Brunswick (7) | 1 | Stats |
| 3 | 4 pm / 16h | Ontario (3) | 17 | Nova Scotia / Nouvelle-Écosse(6) | 16 | Stats |
| 4 | 7:30 pm / 19h30 | Québec (1) | 35 | British Columbia / Colombie-Britannique (8) | 23 | Stats |
July 11 – Game Day 2 / Jour de match 2 – 11 juillet
| Game / Match | Local Time (AT) / Heure locale (HA) | Links / Liens | ||||
| 5 | 10 am / 10 h | New Brunswick | Nova Scotia | Stats | ||
| 6 | 1 pm / 13 h | Manitoba | British Columbia | Stats | ||
| 7 | 4 pm / 16 h | Alberta | Quebec | Stats | ||
| 8 | 7 pm / 19 h | Saskatchewan | Ontario | Stats |
July 14 – Game Day 3 / Jour de match 3 – 14 juillet
| Game / Match | Local Time (AT) / Heure locale (HA) | Notes / Links | ||||
| 9 | 10 am / 10h | Loser of game 5 / Perdant match 5 | Loser of game 6 / Perdant match 6 | Seventh place game stats | ||
| 10 | 1 pm / 13h | Winner of game 5 / Gagnant match 5 | Winner of game 6 / Gagnant match 6 | Fifth place game stats | ||
| 11 | 4 pm / 16h | Loser of game 7 / Perdant match 7 | Loser of game 8 / Perdant match 8 | Bronze medal game Stats | ||
| 12 | 7 pm / 19h | Winner of game 7 / Gagnant match 7 | Winner of game 8 / Gagnant match 8 | Gold medal game Stats |
Source: Football Canada (feature photo credit: Scott Kirkpatrick)
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