Stinger Kris Bastien delivers in football opener

All-star receiver Kris Bastien put the RSEQ football conference on notice in the Concordia Stingers’ 42-36 victory over the Bishop’s Gaiters at Concordia Stadium in Montreal on Saturday afternoon.

BOX SCORE
The third-year receiver from St. Lambert, Que. caught six passes for 242 yards and two touchdowns to pace the Stingers. Bastien opened the scoring with a 19-yard TD reception at 1:56 of the first quarter. At the start of the second frame, he scored on a 103-yard pass-and run play.
“Kris is an unbelievable player,” said Concordia quarterback Reid Quest of his favorite target. “All I have to do is put it up there and he’s going to get it. He made unbelievable catches today.”
Quest controlled an attack that rolled up 25 first downs and 450 yards of offence. He completed 17 of 31 passes for 339 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
Mike Donnelly was the Stingers’ top rusher with 13 carries for 71 yards and two touchdowns.
While the Stingers were dominant in the first half, taking a 31-11 lead into the locker room at halftime, it was the Gaiters who looked good in the last 30 minutes.
Led by receiver David Haddrall, Bishop’s was relentless. Haddrall scored three touchdowns in the last 30 minutes, keeping his team close. He caught 10 passes for 159 yards and three majors on the day.
While they were knocking on the door, pulling within three points of the Stingers with less than two minutes to play, the Gaiters failed to complete the comeback.
Quarterback Jordan Heather struggled late in the game, throwing three interceptions in the fourth quarter. He threw four in the game. Otherwise he had good numbers, completing 29 of 54 passes for 387 yards and four TDs. He orchestrated an offence that rolled up 36 first downs and 590 yards.
There were some tense moments for the Stingers, especially late in the game, but Quest saw a lot of positives.
“I like the way we stuck together,” he said. “When Bishop’s was driving we had to stand together and come through in the clutch. I’ve said it before, we are a band of brothers and today the band of brothers stuck together and won this game.”
Next week, Concordia will travel across town to play the Montréal Carabins on Friday night, while Bishop’s hosts the Laval Rouge et Or on Saturday.

Bishop’s Sports Info

MONTREAL – The Bishop’s Gaiters football team fell to the Concordia Stingers 42-36 in the season opener on Saturday, Sept. 1 at Concordia Stadium in Montreal. A valiant comeback by the purple and white in the second half was not enough to get past the Stingers.
The game started with Concordia marching the length of the field on the opening possession, finishing up in the end zone for six quick points. The Gaiters answered shortly after when quarterback Jordan Heather (Oromocto, N.B.) connected with his brother Nathan on a nine yard touchdown strike at 6:04 of the opening frame. Concordia responded with another touchdown to regain the lead. After the first quarter the Stingers held a 14-7 advantage.

The second quarter started off with a bang, as Concordia Quarterback Reid Quest (Markham, Ont.) connected with Kristopher Bastien (St. Lambert, Que.) for a 103 yard catch and run to pay dirt. It was Bastien’s second touchdown of the day and part of his 242 receiving yards. The score extended the Stingers lead to 21-7. The Gaiters added a single point after Mathieu Paquette’s (Magog, Que.) punt sailed into the end zone. Another Stingers touchdown followed by a Gaiters 25 yard field goal off the foot of Paquette had the score 28-11 and the Stingers driving late in the first half. Jeff Rogers (Dartmouth, N.S.) broke up a pass and what would have been a dagger and forced the Stingers to settle for three points and a 31-11 halftime lead.

The third quarter was all Gaiters and it excited the strong contingent of purple supporters in the stands. After the Stingers conceded a safety, Heather hooked up with David Haddrall (Kingston, Ont.) on a 4 yard touchdown strike cutting the Concordia lead to 31-20 as the teams switched ends for the final time.

The visitors clearly had the momentum as the sun continued to shine on Concordia Stadium. The Stingers conceded another safety and the Heather-Haddrall connection hooked up again for a 24 yard score shrinking the Stingers lead to 31-29. This time Concordia answered back scoring on a 20 yard run and extending their advantage. Following a missed field goal by the Stingers that resulted in a single, Heather and Haddrall hooked up for a third major of the day, this time from 16 yards out. After a two and out by the Stingers the Gaiters got the ball back and looked to take their first lead of the game. It did not happen as Heather was intercepted for the fourth time which allowed Concordia to kick a field goal with 21 seconds to go and all but seal the victory. Bishop’s managed two first downs as they got the ball back but no more and their comeback came up just short. The Stingers held on for their first win of the season by a final score of 42-36.

“I thought we played poorly in the first half and that’s what cost us the game,” said Gaiters head coach Kevin Mackey after his first league game at the helm. “We played good football in the second half but still took too many penalties and turned the ball over too many times. We did however run the ball very well.”

Game Notes: The Gaiters committed 15 penalties totalling 137 yards, while Concordia was penalized 14 times for 122 yards. Bishop’s ran 84 offensive plays to the Stingers 61. Heather set a school record by attempting 54 passes on the day. His 29 completions mark the third highest total in Bishop’s history and 389 yards is the fourth highest most by a Bishop’s signal caller. Haddrall’s three receiving touchdowns and 10 catches also set new marks in Bishop’s receiving supremacy. The Gaiters running game gave them a balanced attack as they amassed 205 yards on the ground. The Gaiters gained a total of 590 yards from scrimmage, also a new record for the purple and white.

Next up for the Gaiters is their home opener when they host the Laval Rouge et Or on Saturday, Sept. 8. Kick-off is set for 1 p.m. on Coulter Field.