Football Makes History by Winning CJFL National Championship

Windsor, ON – In front of 2,500+ in attendance at Acumen Stadium, fans were able to witness history when the St. Clair Saints Football team became the first ever College to win the CJFL National Championship. Extra seats were brought in as a hope to create a National Championship atmosphere and Saints Nation did not disappoint. With 1,000 rally towels being waved and an anxious crowd that was ready to explode at any moment, got the chance in the 2^nd half when the Saints erased a 22-9 deficit to score 28 unanswered points to beat the Okanagan Sun 37-22 to win the Canadian Bowl.

The pre-game ceremonies started with the National Anthem being sung by Jody Raffoul, Jeff Burrows and Kelly Hoppe who are members of the S'Aints band. They were accompanied at mid-field by the Windsor Police Services Honour Guard along with Canadian Forces Veteran Captain Eric Willson. The ceremonial coin flip guests were MPP Andrew Dowie, CJFL President Jim Pankovich, OFC President Darren Cocchetto and BCFC President Tyler McLaren.

The first score in the Canadian Bowl was a passing touchdown by the Sun on their first drive quickly quieting the rowdy Saints crowd and taking a 7-0 lead. The Saints got on the board with a single, a safety and a 24-yard field goal by Kicker Jack Lewis (London, England) cutting the Okanagan lead 7-6. A late 1^st half touchdown and a single by the Sun saw them take a 15-6 lead into the half.

After the Herc's Halftime Show and a performance by NorthStar Cheer, Jack Lewis opened the 2^nd half scoring with another field goal. Okanagan quickly answered with a passing touchdown extending the lead to 22-9 with 7 minutes left in the 3^rd quarter. A shift of momentum towards the end of the 3^rd quarter saw the Saints completely takeover the game and the comeback was on. All-Canadian Quarterback Maurice Sodja (Louisville, Kentucky) rushed for 2 short yardage touchdown runs within 2 minutes of each other giving the Saints a 23-22 lead after three quarters. The go-ahead touchdown was set up by the defense thanks to Nick Carter (Sault Ste. Marie, ON) deflecting a throw, allowing Billy Patterson Jr. (Windsor, ON) to get the interception and give the Saints offense great field position. Just 2 minutes into the 4^th quarter Defensive End Anthony Adams (Pickering, ON) recovered a fumble on Okanagan's 5-yard line which led to Sodja running in his 3^rd rushing touchdown of the game and extending the Saints lead to an 8-point game 30-22. With 7 minutes to go in the 4^th quarter the game sealing touchdown was caught on a slant throw from Sodja by Wide Receiver Tai Colquhoun (Windsor, ON) putting the Saints up 37-22.

Something that Saints fans were used to seeing all season was the same story on Saturday night. The defense took over the game when it mattered most, forcing the Sun into 5 turnovers and made all the big plays when needed. Adams led the defense registering 4 total tackles, a sack and recovered 2 fumbles. While Defensive Backs Nathaniel Tyszkiewicz (Mississauga, ON) and Nick Baeini (Leamington, ON) totaled 7 tackles between the two of them and recovered the other 2 Okanagan fumbles. DB Gamy Kazadi (London, ON) had a big game against his former team forcing a fumble and accumulating 4 total tackles. Defensive Tackle Kendy Montoban (Paris, France) played a huge role in slowing the Sun's rushing attack. Montoban added a sack and a tackle for loss as well.

For his efforts Maurice Sodja was named Offensive Player of the Game tallying 4 total touchdowns and over 350 total yards. Wide Receiver Cameron St. Kitts-Park (Oshawa, ON) was also named Special Teams Player of the Game for his exceptional punting and kick-off returns. Because of the small 40-man roster St. Kitts-Park was named punter the week leading up to the National Championship game and it was his first time punting since his high school days. Showing why he was one of the most valuable players in the CJFL, St. Kitts-Park also led the game in receptions and receiving yards where he finished the game with 137-yards on 6 receptions.

A special congratulations goes out to St. Clair Football General Manager/Defensive Co-Ordinator Mike Morencie who was named a CJFL Life Member for all his hard work and dedication over many years of service. This award was presented to him at the CJFL National Championship banquet on Friday night.

Thank you, Saints Nation, for all your support throughout the 2024 season.