CJFL: Colts now 5-0; beat tough Wildcats at McMahon

The Calgary Colts weren’t perfect Sunday, but they remain perfect where it counts and in first place in the Prairie Football Conference.

The No. 1 ranked team in the Canadian Junior Football League gutted out a 31-23 win over No. 4 Edmonton Wildcats at McMahon Stadium on Sunday to run their record to 5-0.
The Wildcats amassed an ungodly amount of offence (491 total yards), but managed only one touchdown against Calgary’s tough defence.
Calgary’s offence put together an impressive drive late in the fourth quarter to secure the win on Chucks Okafor’s four-yard run. Okafor also scored on a five-yard burst to finish off another key drive for Calgary in the third.
“When we needed them the offence gave us critical drives for touchdowns, like the one in the fourth which was obviously the difference in the game,” Colts head coach John Stevens said.
“And defensively we gave up some yards but we hung tough. The main thing is we battled hard and played til the end and were fortunate to come up with the win.”
Calgary now heads to Winnipeg next Sunday (Sept. 23) to face the Rifles at noon Mountain time.
The Wildcats got the jump on the Colts with a pair of Ideen Samadi field goals in the first quarter from 29 and 38 yards but Jermaine Gabriel woke everyone up with a stunning 99-yard kick off return to give the Colts the lead with 6:15 gone.
After a 28 yarder from Samadi, the Colts scored again. Derek Cooper found Rodreke Joseph in the end zone from 10 yards out. Joseph made a nice leaping catch and Calgary was up 14-9.
A punt single by Wildcats’ David Ness was followed by Marshal Broom’s 12-yard chipshot field goal with 2:12 left in the half.
The Wildcats drove in the final two minutes and the league’s top rusher, Jordan Samoil, ran the ball over from the one to tie the contest at the break.
Among Samedi’s five field goals was a 50-yarder that cut Calgary’s lead to a single point at 24-23 early in the fourth.
“Their kicker has a fantastic leg. He put a few through the uprights and gave them some points. But that’s what we were trying to focus on, making some stops and keeping them out of the end zone,” said linebacker Spencer Cole, who had five tackles, seven assists, a forced fumble and 19 defensive points.
Calgary had only eight yards offence in the first quarter, all on the ground. Which meant they didn’t have a first down in the opening 15 minutes. The Colts offence put up 321 yards when all was said and done.
Cameron Fox had 81 yards on six carries for the Colts, including a big 40 yard run on the decisive fourth quarter drive and another 20-yarder to help set up Okafor’s first score.
“I just concentrated on motoring on, hanging onto the ball and keeping my team going,” Fox said.
Okafor had 57 yards on 12 carries. Ben Hnatiuk had two catches for 71 yards. Joseph and Nik Petros also had two catches each.
Cooper was nine of 19 for 152 yards with a TD and an interception. His counterpart,  Jordan Olson, was 21 of 30 for 237 yards. He was stellar on the ground, also, running for 99 yards on 13 carries. Samoil carried 28 times for 161 yards.
Defensively, Zach McEachern had a huge game for the Colts with five tackles, five assists and a pair of pass knockdowns and two forced fumbles for a team-leading 21 defensive points.

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