Ab SchIt seems like a very long time ago that the Bears football team was 2-0, in a tie for top spot in Canada West.
Thanks to a slew of injuries and tough losses however, they found themselves in a do or die game against the undefeated Calgary Dinos on Saturday, one that they would ultimately lose by a final score of 64-28.
Due to the Saskatchewan Huskies’ last minute heroics over the Regina Rams, the Bears faced a must win game against a very tough opponent, and in the end, the Dinos simply proved too much for the Bears.
The Bears looked to start the game with a bang, as Steven McCaffrey picked off Dinos quarterback Andrew Buckley on the Dinos first possession, Buckley’s first interception of the entire season. Unfortunately, the Bears gave the ball back on the very next play, as running back Ed Ilnicki fumbled on the Bears’ very first play after the interception.
The Dinos would take advantage, as running back Mercer Timmis rushed for a four-yard score to give the away side a 7-0 lead.
The Bears would look to answer, but could not convert on a fake field goal, coming up short and turning the ball over on downs. It only took the Dinos one play to double their lead, as Buckley fired a strike down the sideline to Rashuan Simonese, who ran into the end zone untouched for a 99-yard score. The Dinos would add one more touchdown before the first quarter ended, and led 21-0 going into the second.
The Bears answered quickly however, as Ilnicki converted on a one-yard touchdown run to cut the deficit to 14. After the Dinos added a field goal and Simonese scored his second touchdown of the game, the Bears looked to be poised to answer again, but Ilnicki fumbled for the second time in the game at the Dinos’ 22-yard line, handing the ball back. The Dinos were able to add another field goal before the end of the half, and entered the third quarter up 34-7.
It was more of the same in the second half, as Buckley once again found his Simonese, this time for a 49-yard score, to put the Dinos up 41-7. After another Dinos touchdown and a rouge, the Bears were able to strike again, as quarterback Brad Baker found Nathan Filipek for a 24-yard score.
The game was well in hand by this point however, as even though the Bears were able to outscore the Dinos in the fourth quarter, it wasn’t nearly enough to pull them back into the game. Jimmy Ralph and Zach Wilkie added touchdowns in the fourth, but the Dinos still cruised to the easy victory.
Despite the loss, head coach Chris Morris was proud of how his team played.
“I was very proud of their effort, I don’t think they stepped back at all,” Morris said.
“That’s the best team in the country, and we fought them hard.”
The Bears were able to rack up 648 yards of offence in the loss, but Calgary still outgained them by over 200 yards, capitalizing on the Bears’ young defence, that has been stretched very thin this year due to injuries.
“We were struck by injuries this year,” Morris said.
“Sometimes you’re not quite ready for the stage, and we had some guys out there that were trying to play at a very young age, and they did their very best and gave us everything we had.”
Rookie quarterback Brad Baker performed very well in his first career CIS start, completing 25-39 passes for 449 yards, while throwing three touchdowns and two interceptions.
Morris was very complementary of Baker’s play.
“He’s an outstanding player, an outstanding kid, and an outstanding prospect,” Morris said.
“I can’t be upset with him because he’s only played one CIS game, I’m proud of him.”
At the end of the day, the Bears were still competing for a playoff spot on the last day of the season, something that has been absent in recent years. Baker talked about the excitement that the team was feeling before the game.
“Our energy was high, and we were excited and ready to go,” Baker said.
Jimmy Ralph had a massive game, leading the Bears receivers with 220 yards on eight catches, to go along with a touchdown. Tylor Henry also added 73 receiving yards, and had 262 all-purpose yards on the game, mostly from kick returns.
On the Dinos side of things, quarterback Andrew Buckley had a massive game, completing 20 of 27 passes for 463 yards and three touchdowns, setting a single season CIS passing record in the process, as he finished the year with 3162 passing yards. Buckley’s 49-yard touchdown pass to Simonese in the third quarter pushed him past Ottawa’s Derek Wendel, who set the record last year.
Simonese gave the Bears fits all day, finishing the game with 272 yards on nine catches, to go along with three touchdowns. Hunter Karl and Brett Blaszko also chipped in 94 yards apiece for the Dinos.
For the Bears lone fifth year player, the game was a bittersweet one. Linebacker Connor Ralph played his last CIS game on Saturday, and talked about the experience.
“I was pretty sad after (the game), but I think I’ve come to terms with it,” Ralph said.
“Once it got to the third quarter I kind of knew it was over, but it’s been a good ride for sure.”
The Bears will now head into the offseason hopeful for next year. They’re a young team with a lot of potential; something that Morris said makes him excited for the future.
“We’ve got a very good group of kids here, and we’ve just got to keep getting older together,” Morris said.
“I’m excited for the next few years, but that being said, excitement alone doesn’t get you anything, we need to keep working to get bigger, stronger, and faster, and make that our mandate for the offseason and moving forward.”
