For the first time in 25 years, the St. Clair Saints men's football team won the Canadian Junior Football League National Championships at the 115th edition of the Canadian Bowl.
In front of more than 2,500 in attendance at Acumen Stadium, fans were able to witness history on Nov. 9, 2024, when the Saints Football team became the first ever College team to win the CJFL National Championship.
Extra seats were brought to create a National Championship atmosphere and Saints Nation did not disappoint.
The Saints went into halftime down 15-6 to the visiting Okanagan Sun. But after allowing one more touchdown by the Sun in the second half, they exploded in the third quarter, scoring 28 unanswered points to beat the Sun 37 to 22 to secure the Canadian Bowl title.
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 first-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 second half scoring with another field goal. Okanagan quickly answered with a passing touchdown extending the lead to 22-9 with seven minutes left in the third quarter.
A shift of momentum towards the end of the third quarter saw the Saints completely take over the game, and the comeback was on.
All-Canadian Quarterback Maurice Sodja (Louisville, Kentucky) rushed for two short yardage touchdown runs within two minutes, giving the Saints a 23-22 lead after three quarters.
The go-ahead touchdown was set up by the defence 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 offence great field position.
Just two minutes into the fourth quarter, Defensive End Anthony Adams (Pickering, ON) recovered a fumble on Okanagan's five-yard line which led to Sodja running in his third rushing touchdown of the game and extending the Saints lead to 30-22.
With seven minutes to go in the fourth 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.
The Saints' defence took over the game when it mattered most, forcing the Sun into five turnovers, and making all the big plays when they were needed.
Adams led the defence, registering four total tackles, one sack and recovering two fumbles. Defensive Backs Nathaniel Tyszkiewicz (Mississauga, ON) and Nick Baeini (Leamington, ON) combined for seven tackles and recovered the other two Okanagan fumbles.
DB Gamy Kazadi (London, ON) had a big game against his former team, forcing a fumble and accumulating four total tackles. Defensive Tackle Kendy Montoban (Paris, France) played a huge role in slowing the Sun's rushing attack, adding a sack and a tackle for loss as well.
For his efforts, Maurice Sodja was named Offensive Player of the Game, tallying four total touchdowns and was just shy of 350 total yards in the game.
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 remarkably, 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 167-yards on five receptions.
The Saints last won the Canadian Bowl in 1999, in a close 32-29 victory over the Sun.
Formerly the AKO Fratmen, the franchise has been to the dance many times before. The storied franchise has made eight trips to the Canadian Bowl, most recently against the Saskatoon Hilltops at Alumni Field in Windsor in 2017 but were on the losing end. The Saints/AKO Fratmen have now won the junior football Holy Grail four times, with appearances dating back to 1952.
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.
A special congratulations goes out to St. Clair Football General Manager/Defensive Co-Ordinator Mike Morencie, who was named a CJFL Life Member for 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.
