Dunsmore Cup

With under 2 minutes left in the game, I couldn't help but feel that the game was ours.  We had battled back in the fourth quarter from being down 20-3, and closed the score to 20-17. We had all of the momentum; while I was on the sideline watching our offense make plays, I could sense the crowd getting nervous. Though it wasn't the biggest Laval crowd we've played in front of, it definitely seemed like the loudest, as they were doing their best to force us to take offsides and delay-of-game penalties, trying desperately to give an advantage to Laval's defense.

After Mike Donnelly caught a short pass and ran for another 40 yards down to the Laval 15 yard line, I remember thinking to myself that we had to go for the touchdown. Yes, we were in field goal range, and could have played to go to overtime, but we had them on the ropes, and I felt like we needed to go for the knockout punch. We had to capitalize on our opportunity while we had the chance, and that's exactly what our coaches decided to do. Unfortunately, things didn't turn out the way we had hoped, and Laval's defense came up with a big turn-over in the endzone. The crowd roared; a demoralizing sound that I've heard many times before, except this time, it was as much an expression of relief as it was exuberance.  

This is the closest I've ever come to winning the Dunsmore Cup. It's unfortunate, because as a team we knew we had an opportunity to do something special, and it was not for lack of effort that we came up short. Afterwards, some of my teammates apologized for not getting myself and the other fifth-year guys to the Vanier Cup. I have to say that no one person could be held accountable for the way things turned out, and that we lost as a team. Instead of dwelling on the loss, I would prefer to thank my teammates and coaches for contributing to one of greatest experiences of my life: representing the University as a Concordia Stinger.