CIS Football Report (Semi-Finals Week)
The CIS Playoffs were in full swing this week as every conference would hold their semi-final matchups. It was time for the teams to play games that were more important than any games they had played. With a loss the season was over and with a win the season moved on for at least one more week. It was a chance for teams to take one more step towards the National Playoffs and the Vanier Cup. For four teams in particular it was a chance to continue to dominate the league although many had less of a chance than others. The Big Four were all playing this week as all had made the playoffs once again but some would see it from a different end. It has been the major theme of the season in the CIS as four teams were all looking for another championship after the same four teams won championships in the last two years. The pressure was on ever team as they were seen as the great teams in the CIS and were looked at closely to see if they could all get back to the championships again. Throughout the season it was clear that two of the teams seemed on their way to another championship while the other two teams seemed to be ready to fall. In the RSEQ and CanWest conferences the Laval Rouge et Or and Calgary Dinos seemed to be ready to dominate again. Meanwhile in the AUS and OUA conferences the McMaster Marauders and Acadia Axemen seemed to be poised to fall short of their previous performances. As Calgary and Laval rose to the top of their conference Acadia and McMaster struggled and fell behind improved teams. The Dinos and Rouge et OR would finish the season undefeated and ready to make another run at the conference titles. In the AUS the Acadia Axemen would barely get into the playoffs finishing just above the StFX X-Men to earn the third place spot. In the OUA the Marauders would finish in fourth place forcing them to play in the quarterfinals for the first time in two years. The Marauders and Axemen went into the playoffs with a lot of uncertainty and this week they would get their big tests. The Marauders would start a week earlier in the quarterfinals but they would easily walk through the Ottawa Gee Gees. That would set up a big game against the Western Mustangs in the semifinals in what was the toughest matchup for the defending champions. The Mustangs would show who was the champion now as they would easily get by the Marauders 32-3. It was the end of the era for the Marauders as they would become one of the big four to fall on the day. They were not the only ones though as the Acadia Axemen would not get by their semifinals either. After a tough season marred by losing streaks the Axemen were given a second life by making the playoffs. They would have to get through a very improved Mount Allison team that was hoping to make their mark on the season through the defending champions. The Mounties would do just that as they would force a changing of the guard in the AUS beating the Axemen 19-10. As the AUS and OUA found out that they will crown new champions this year the CanWest and RSEQ beasts are still alive and looking to continue their dominance. The Dinos and Rouge et Or are the two most dominant teams in the CIS with Calgary winning 5 straight Hardy Trophies and Laval winning 10 straight Dunsmore Cups. Both would stay alive in the semifinals as they would take on some big challenges but would still win their games. Two of the Big Four teams would move on with a chance to continue their winning ways while two other teams would lose their chances to repeat. The season moves on with conference finals next week as teams look to earn a championship and more importantly a berth in the National Playoffs. With one game left for the remaining of the big four to win their conferences there is still a chance for four new champions but at the very least there will be two.
CIS Top 10:
1. Western Mustangs (1)
2. Laval Rouge et Or (2)
3. Calgary Dinos (3)
4. Guelph Gryphons (4)
5. Queen’s Golden Gaels (5)
6. Bishop’s Gaiters (7)
7. Montreal Carabins (6)
8. Bishop’s Gaiters (8)
9. McMaster Marauders (9)
10. Windsor Lancers (10)
-To Be Updated-
Scores
AUS:
Mount Allison Mounties 19 – 10 Acadia Axemen
– The Acadia Axemen have not had the best season so far this year as they struggled to even make the playoffs and their struggles would continue in the semifinals as a very improved Mount Allison team would lead from the start and win a berth in the Loney Bowl
CanWest:
Manitoba Bisons 37 – 36 Saskatchewan Huskies
– The Huskies and Bisons fought all season long for second place in the CanWest conference so it was no surprise that they would play one of the toughest games all week with the Bisons coming out on top after a last second field goal put them into the Hardy Cup
Calgary Dinos 42 – 28 UBC Thunderbirds
– The Dinos survived an early scare against the Thunderbirds who got out to an early lead but would blow the lead to a much better Dinos team that would finish the game with a score they are used to while moving on to the another Hardy Cup
OUA:
Queen’s Golden Gaels 34 – 17 Guelph Gryphons
– The game between the Gryphons and Gaels played out almost exactly like their first matchup near the end of the regular season as both teams would stay close in the first half until the Gaels opened things up in the second for a dominant win
Western Mustangs 32 – 3 McMaster Marauders
– The Mustangs are the beasts of the CIS this year with the best offence in the country but that offence was not entirely on their game which is saying a lot after putting up 32 points and eliminating the defending champions from the Yates Cup
RSEQ:
Montreal Carabins 51 – 8 Bishop’s Gaiters
– The Gaiters were expected to put up a good fight with a powerful passing offence led by Jordan Heather but it was not to be as the Gaiters would be shut down by the Carabins who would put up 51 points for the most lopsided win of the weekend
Laval Rouge et Or 32 – 11 Sherbrooke Vert et Or
– It was not the performance that we are used to seeing from the Rouge et Or as they would struggle to pull ahead from the Vert et Or but they would still get there in the end with another win and another berth in the Dunsmore Cup
Conference Championships
Loney Bowl:
Mount Allison Mounties vs. Saint Mary’s Huskies (Saturday November 9th; 2:00 pm AST)
– The Mounties are looking to change things in the AUS as the Huskies and Axemen have taken plenty of championships and the Mounties are hoping they can change that while the Huskies are hoping that their bye week came in handy for the Loney Bowl
Hardy Cup:
Manitoba Bisons vs. Calgary Dinos (Saturday November 9th; 2:00 pm MST)
– The Dinos have won the last 5 Hardy Cups and are one of the most dominant teams in the CIS but that won’t phase the Bisons who are hoping to go to Calgary and change the trend by becoming the first team in six years to beat the Dinos
Yates Cup:
Queen’s Golden Gaels vs. Western Mustangs (Saturday November 9th; 1:00 pm EST)
– The Mustangs are a powerhouse with an offence that puts up more points than any other team in the CIS but the Gaels are hoping that their great defence will shut down Will Finch and the high-powered Mustangs
Dunsmore Cup:
Montreal Carabins vs. Laval Rouge et Or (Saturday November 9th; 1:00 pm EST)
– The matchup has become all too familiar in the RSEQ as the Montreal Carabins once again will get a shot at the Rouge et Or to try to end the 10 year reign of the most dominant team in CIS history
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