The very first game of the semi-final, however, suggested that the match would be difficult for the Jonquiérois. On the kickoff, the locals conceded a very long return, of more than 100 yards. The Champlain Saint-Lambert College Cavaliers, nestled at the goal gate, easily scored the major. After just a few seconds, the Gaillards were already seven points behind.
The Jonquière response was rapid, powerful and unequivocal. Immediately back on offense, the crowd favorites scored a touchdown, but failed to convert. This little misstep was quickly forgotten. Philippe Leduc’s men took advantage of two escapes from the opposing quarterback, Emerson Peterkin, to score and take a serious option in the duel. After a quarter and a few more minutes of arguing, the script had completely flipped. Jonquière led 28-7.
Tristan Tremblay’s legs were used several times on Sunday, but his arm was also used in his team’s victory. (Tom Core/The Daily)
In the three phases of play, Jonquière continued to assert its domination until the half-time mark. Tristan Tremblay, the Gaillards’ quarterback, was dynamic with the ball, but it was more thanks to his legs that he found the end zone, three times in the first half hour of play The offensive playmaker also connected with his favorite target, Lyam Bedaride, for seven more points. It was 37-14 in favor of the defending champions before the mid-match break.
“We played some good complementary football in the first half. The offense took care of the defense, the defense took care of the offense and our special teams, except on the first play of the game, did the job. Tristan was solid. We took advantage of his abilities on the ground. Running with our quarterback had been thought out in advance. With our ball carrier on the field, it gave us one more player to block and it forced them to put one more player in the tertiary,” immediately noted the head coach of the Gaillards, Philippe. Leduc, in a post-match interview given to Daily.
The turnovers proved costly for the Collège Champlain Saint-Lambert Cavaliers. (Tom Core/The Daily)
A little scare
After the half, one would have thought that the Jonquiérois had put the last nail in the coffin on the first offensive sequence of the Lambertois. The ball actually slipped from the hands of receiver Phillip Junior Frederick after contact. Gaillards marauder Romain Bernier-Baribeau sped to the end zone with the precious one in his hands. He thus brought the score to 44-14. Everything then seemed to point towards an easy victory for the locals. However, quite the opposite happened.
The Cavaliers began a comeback. From touchdown to touchdown, and after two short kicks recovered, the visitors thrilled the Jonquière supporters who, suddenly, found the scenario much less pleasant. Saint-Lambert rose until it had only two points separating them from Jonquière. With a few minutes left, the scoreboard read 44-42.
“The two short punts recovered hurt us. It is certain that we will have to review this in practice. “It’s the kind of game that we can’t give away like that, especially twice in a row,” assured Phillipe Leduc after the game.
Philippe Leduc took a time out in the third quarter to stop the bleeding. (Tom Core/The Daily)
The Gaillards woke up and put an end to the nightmare that was taking shape on the pitch. An excellent kick return from Lyam Bedaride galvanized the crowd, in addition to placing the locals in excellent position on the field. This time, the sequence did not end in a clearing or a turnover. The crowd favorites scored the middle finger to gain a little more confidence, 51-42. The faces that had become worried on the sidelines took on a happier look.
The visitors tried everything to come back, but, trailing by ten, the lead had become too big, with so little time remaining on the clock. The hosts thus avoided disaster by beating Saint-Lambert 52 to 42.
The Jonquière defense which had been solid in the first half faltered somewhat in the third quarter. (Tom Core/The Daily)
“We didn’t play 60 minutes of football. It’s that simple. On the other hand, at the end of the timer, to win, you just need one point more than the opponent and that’s what we managed to do. At the end of the day, we are one of two teams still alive. We are going to compete against Outaouais. It’s a solid team, like ours. There will be a lot of preparation work that will be done this week beforehand,” concluded the Gaillards pilot.
