1959 Division Semi-Finals
EAST DIVISION SEMI-FINAL
Boston Independents VS. Providence Gold Stars - Richardson Stadium - September 20, 1959 - 1 PM ET - Weather: Clear - 19ºC / 67ºF
1st Q
The game opened up fairly slowly with both teams' defences being able to contain the opposing offence. Boston would be the first to score after a decent drive got them into field goal range and K Johnnie Berg was able to knock down a 36-yarder. A couple of drives later, Providence would return the favour and K Ira Foster would knock down a 34-yarder. Despite the tame opening quarter, Providence would lose DL Stephan Kendall for the game after taking the full impact of RB Kendall Morgan picking up speed out of the backfield.
3-3
2nd Q
Offence became more apparent as the second quarter started. QB Nathaniel Braddock and RB Kendall Morgan marched the Independents down the field early on. Once they got to the Providence 12, Braddock would hit WR Paul Franklin to the outside who was at the 3-yard-line. Franklin would spin getting DB Fredric Belair to fly past and allowing Franklin to dive into the endzone to give Boston a 10-3 lead. Belair would not get up fast after the spin move as he twisted his ankle in the defensive attempt. Momentum seemed to be shifting in Boston’s direction, but QB Connor O’Rourke was not phased. He would get the Gold Stars offence moving on the next drive and get down into the redzone. From there, O’Rourke would take a shot to WR Sammy Moss who caught it at the 5, setting up 1st and goal. O’Rourke would drop back quickly on the next play and hit WR Christian Venegas open in the endzone after he beat DB Clayton Malone off the line. On one of the final plays of the half, the Gold Stars were simply trying to run down the time until the half. RB Bernard Alston would take the ball up the middle, and break through the line only to run into LB Konrad Aust. The hit Aust laid, jarred the ball loose and Boston picked it up. The Independents would get a sneaky field goal to take the lead into the half.
13-10 BOS
3rd Q
Boston came out of the break fired up. On their opening drive, RB Kendall Morgan would take in a touchdown from 8 yards out to extend the Boston lead to 20-10. Boston was in control over the course of the 3rd. Providence still managed to put up a field goal but was struggling now without both RB Bernard Alston and WR Cedric Peterson. Boston would find themselves driving again late in the quarter, but it was Providence’s turn to shake things up. DB Lee Wolfe would jump a pass intended for WR Clyde McIntosh, reeling in a pick to put Providence in Boston territory. QB Connor O’Rourke would not waste any time and would find WR Sammy Moss shortly after for a touchdown to tie the game up heading into the final quarter.
20-20
4th Q
The Boston fans were shocked by the quick turn of events. They were worried that the pick may have shaken Braddock’s confidence. That looked to be the case on the first Boston drive that ended in a 2 and out, but Braddock quickly changed that leading Boston back to the endzone on their next drive. Once again it was RB Kendall Morgan barely breaking through to the endzone to give Boston the 27-20 lead. Boston felt confident again, but that wouldn’t stop the Gold Stars who inched their way down the field. Eventually, O’Rourke would get the Gold Stars down to the 14-yard line where he would toss up a ball to WR Christian Venegas who was one-on-one with DB Carson Scott. Venegas would win the battle and come down with the ball to tie the game once again. With 4 minutes to go, Boston would get the ball back. Braddock would lead the charge down the field. However, this drive was where Boston’s offence took over the game. Play after play, Braddock was able to find a target, or Kendall Morgan would grab a chunk of yards. They were shredding the Gold Star defence. Once the Independents were on the 23-yard line. Braddock would drop back and escape pressure before tossing a shot to WR Clyde McIntosh. McIntosh would take the ball the remaining 6 yards into the endzone. The drive practically broke the Gold Stars, and they were not able to get any more points. The Independents would hold on to win their first playoff game since 1954.
WEST DIVISION SEMI-FINAL
London Tigers VS. Louisville Thunder - Western Fair Stadium - September 20, 1959 - 4 PM ET - Weather: Clear - 21ºC / 70ºF
1st Q
The Tigers and Thunder got off to an exciting start with the Tigers marching the field. QB Riley Kiernan would eventually find WR Max Sutton open in the endzone to go up 7-0 early. The Thunder wouldn’t have the same success on their ensuing drive, but a couple of drives later they would get into range for a field goal and K Theodore Provost would get them on the board. The Tigers would start to march again on their next drive, but it was cut short after DB Oliver Langstrom came out of nowhere to steal the ball from WR Wilbert Benjamin. The Thunder would be in striking range, but the Tigers would stand tall and force the field goal attempt. Unfortunately for the Thunder, K Theodore Provost would miss the attempt and they would escape with only a point.
7-4 LDN
2nd Q
Following the interception on the previous drive, Kiernan got right back on the horse and kept doing his job. He would get the Tigers deep into Thunder territory on a 19-yard pass to WR Max Sutton before giving the ball to RB Clifford Russell, who would find the endzone. The Tigers were now up by 10. Louisville wasn’t backing down and they would get back another field goal following the touchdown to cut the lead to 7. The Tigers would answer back a few minutes later with a field goal of their own to put themselves back up by 10 at the break.
17-7 LDN
3rd Q
It wasn’t looking too good for Louisville as the second half started. They would go 2 and out on their opening drive and would give the Tigers a chance to extend their lead. Luckily the defence showed up and stopped the Tigers after they picked up one first down. The Tigers would punt the ball deep into Thunder territory, but WR Piers Key would show off his return skills and would bring it back to the Thunder 42-yard-line. The offence got fired up over the return and QB Leonidas Dumont would lead the offence down the field. He would hit WR Ben Roland in the endzone on 2nd and 7 from the 15 to cut into the Tigers’ lead. The Thunder defence would keep up their strong play and get the ball back for Louisville, but this drive did not go the same way. DB Jackson Miles would cut the drive short picking off Dumont and setting up the Tigers for a field goal.
20-14 LDN
4th Q
The momentum swing would keep the Tigers rolling into the final quarter. The Thunder would look to get back the field goal, but after taking the handoff, RB Stavros Black would lose the football. DL Olympus Heights would rip the ball out and it would fly forward into the hands of LB Wilson Rockwood-Barnes. The Tigers would take over and Riley Kiernan would lead the Tigers back to the endzone, finding veteran WR Wilbert Benjamin for the touchdown. Dumont and the offence struggled to recover from the turnovers and couldn’t get the offence rolling. He would manage to find WR Ben Roland for a big gain with 6 minutes to go, but they would get stopped on 3rd down and give the ball back. London would control the play for the remainder of the game, even adding another field goal to seal the win and send themselves back to the West Division Semi-Final.
London Tigers VS. Louisville Thunder - Western Fair Stadium - September 20, 1959 - 4 PM ET - Weather: Clear - 21ºC / 70ºF
1st Q
The Tigers and Thunder got off to an exciting start with the Tigers marching the field. QB Riley Kiernan would eventually find WR Max Sutton open in the endzone to go up 7-0 early. The Thunder wouldn’t have the same success on their ensuing drive, but a couple of drives later they would get into range for a field goal and K Theodore Provost would get them on the board. The Tigers would start to march again on their next drive, but it was cut short after DB Oliver Langstrom came out of nowhere to steal the ball from WR Wilbert Benjamin. The Thunder would be in striking range, but the Tigers would stand tall and force the field goal attempt. Unfortunately for the Thunder, K Theodore Provost would miss the attempt and they would escape with only a point.
7-4 LDN
2nd Q
Following the interception on the previous drive, Kiernan got right back on the horse and kept doing his job. He would get the Tigers deep into Thunder territory on a 19-yard pass to WR Max Sutton before giving the ball to RB Clifford Russell, who would find the endzone. The Tigers were now up by 10. Louisville wasn’t backing down and they would get back another field goal following the touchdown to cut the lead to 7. The Tigers would answer back a few minutes later with a field goal of their own to put themselves back up by 10 at the break.
17-7 LDN
3rd Q
It wasn’t looking too good for Louisville as the second half started. They would go 2 and out on their opening drive and would give the Tigers a chance to extend their lead. Luckily the defence showed up and stopped the Tigers after they picked up one first down. The Tigers would punt the ball deep into Thunder territory, but WR Piers Key would show off his return skills and would bring it back to the Thunder 42-yard-line. The offence got fired up over the return and QB Leonidas Dumont would lead the offence down the field. He would hit WR Ben Roland in the endzone on 2nd and 7 from the 15 to cut into the Tigers’ lead. The Thunder defence would keep up their strong play and get the ball back for Louisville, but this drive did not go the same way. DB Jackson Miles would cut the drive short picking off Dumont and setting up the Tigers for a field goal.
20-14 LDN
4th Q
The momentum swing would keep the Tigers rolling into the final quarter. The Thunder would look to get back the field goal, but after taking the handoff, RB Stavros Black would lose the football. DL Olympus Heights would rip the ball out and it would fly forward into the hands of LB Wilson Rockwood-Barnes. The Tigers would take over and Riley Kiernan would lead the Tigers back to the endzone, finding veteran WR Wilbert Benjamin for the touchdown. Dumont and the offence struggled to recover from the turnovers and couldn’t get the offence rolling. He would manage to find WR Ben Roland for a big gain with 6 minutes to go, but they would get stopped on 3rd down and give the ball back. London would control the play for the remainder of the game, even adding another field goal to seal the win and send themselves back to the West Division Semi-Final.
Injury Report
DB Ricardo Salvador LDN - Day-to-Day
DB Bob Ellis LDN - 1 Week
OL Chad Austin - Day-to-Day
DL Dean Hicks LOU - 1 Week
RB Bernard Alston PRO - Day-to-Day
WR Cedric Peterson PRO - Day-to-Day
DB Fredric Belair PRO - Day-to-Day
DL Stephan Kendall PRO - Season
Players of the Week
OFF: QB Connor O’Rourke PRO - 3 Passing Touchdowns, 334 Passing Yards
DEF: DL Olympus Heights LDN - 1 Forced Fumble, 6 Tackles, 2 Sacks
Division Final Preview
EAST DIVISION FINAL
Ottawa Royals VS. Boston Independents - Royals Stadium at Brewer Park - September 27, 1959 - 1 PM ET - Forecast: Clear
Head-to-Head: W3 - OTT 20-10 BOS, W9 BOS 34-22 OTT
The last playoff meeting between these two teams was in the 1954 McCallister Cup. Both teams found a way to get the upper hand on the other in their own stadium earlier this season. The big factor will likely still be WR Ellis Lindholm’s absence, but they showed that they might not need him after the performance this week. It certainly should be a pretty even matchup with both teams having solid offences and defences. I still have a hard time picking against the Royals, so I won’t be doing that and I think the Royals will sneak off to their 6th straight McCallister Cup appearance.
My Pick: Royals
Long Island Raiders VS. London Tigers - Long Island Stadium - September 27, 1959 - 4 PM ET - Forecast: Clear
Head-to-Head: W8 - LI 24-31 LDN, W12 - LDN 24-33 LI
The Raiders and Tigers are likely to have a battle of the ages for a ticket to Montreal, as the league’s top defence takes on the top offence. It was tough to see either team not win this division as they both had such great seasons, but in the end, they are both here in the division final and will both create some intense action. The Tigers will have a slight disadvantage without WR Benedict Spencer and DB Bob Ellis, but they certainly have the ability to make up for their absences. The Raiders should be back to full health and have the experience from last season’s run to the top in their favour. Overall, it's a close battle, but I am going to stick to my guns from the start of the season and say the Tigers find themselves winning this game.
My Pick: Tigers
DB Ricardo Salvador LDN - Day-to-Day
DB Bob Ellis LDN - 1 Week
OL Chad Austin - Day-to-Day
DL Dean Hicks LOU - 1 Week
RB Bernard Alston PRO - Day-to-Day
WR Cedric Peterson PRO - Day-to-Day
DB Fredric Belair PRO - Day-to-Day
DL Stephan Kendall PRO - Season
Players of the Week
Division Final Preview
EAST DIVISION FINAL
Ottawa Royals VS. Boston Independents - Royals Stadium at Brewer Park - September 27, 1959 - 1 PM ET - Forecast: Clear
Head-to-Head: W3 - OTT 20-10 BOS, W9 BOS 34-22 OTT
The last playoff meeting between these two teams was in the 1954 McCallister Cup. Both teams found a way to get the upper hand on the other in their own stadium earlier this season. The big factor will likely still be WR Ellis Lindholm’s absence, but they showed that they might not need him after the performance this week. It certainly should be a pretty even matchup with both teams having solid offences and defences. I still have a hard time picking against the Royals, so I won’t be doing that and I think the Royals will sneak off to their 6th straight McCallister Cup appearance.
My Pick: Royals
Long Island Raiders VS. London Tigers - Long Island Stadium - September 27, 1959 - 4 PM ET - Forecast: Clear
Head-to-Head: W8 - LI 24-31 LDN, W12 - LDN 24-33 LI
The Raiders and Tigers are likely to have a battle of the ages for a ticket to Montreal, as the league’s top defence takes on the top offence. It was tough to see either team not win this division as they both had such great seasons, but in the end, they are both here in the division final and will both create some intense action. The Tigers will have a slight disadvantage without WR Benedict Spencer and DB Bob Ellis, but they certainly have the ability to make up for their absences. The Raiders should be back to full health and have the experience from last season’s run to the top in their favour. Overall, it's a close battle, but I am going to stick to my guns from the start of the season and say the Tigers find themselves winning this game.
My Pick: Tigers
1959 Division Finals
EAST DIVISION FINAL
Ottawa Royals VS. Boston Independents - Royals Stadium at Brewer Park - September 27, 1959 - 1 PM ET - Weather: Clear - 24ºC / 75ºF
1st Q
The 4th playoff meeting between the Royals and Independents got off to an explosive start. The Independents would start with the ball and QB Nathaniel Braddock would drop back to make a quick throw to TE Richard Stewart on 1st down. The ball was right on target, except for LB Douglas MacDougall getting his arm in the way popping the ball up. DB Mingan Oliver was quick to react and got underneath it. The DB was tackled shortly after, but it would only take QB Jean Matieau a couple of plays to then find WR Chester Bennett open for a touchdown to make it 7-0 just over a minute into the game. It only got worse for Boston who would go 2 and out on the next drive. Ottawa would take it back down the field again, and RB Alexei Volkov would break free for a 19-yard touchdown run. The Royals were clearly in control after the first quarter.
14-0 OTT
2nd Q
The Independents looked to stop the bleeding early in the 2nd quarter with a strong drive. QB Nathaniel Braddock had a chance to relax a bit and got the Independents into field goal range. K Johnnie Berg easily got them on the board. The Royals remained unfazed by the Independents’ field goal and were back on the attack quickly. They would be stopped on their first drive, but their second would end with WR Chester Bennett finding the endzone for the second time in the game. Boston would look to get a late score in, but WR Angus Stevenson would get the ball knocked out of his hands by LB Killian Reed after reeling in a catch. The Royals would head into the break up 21-3.
21-3 OTT
3rd Q
The Independents’ defence starting to pick things up out of the break and were actually making some strong plays against the Royals attack. Their offence would respond as well with a strong drive. RB Kendall Morgan stepped up and led Boston all the way to the endzone to get them back into the game. 21-10 Ottawa. On a later Ottawa drive, the Independents defence would come up big with LB Brent Harper forcing a fumble on RB Alexei Volkov to give Boston good field position. However, the Independents could only get a field goal out of the venture. As the quarter came to a close, the Royals were starting to pick things up on offence again.
21-13 OTT
4th Q
The Royals would continue to drive down the field as the teams swapped sides. QB Jean Matieau would eventually find WR Mackenzie Jones to grab his third touchdown pass of the game and put the Royals up by 15. QB Nathaniel Braddock was trying everything to get Boston back into the game, but he, unfortunately, felt a lot of pressure feeling like he had to win the game for the team. The mindset resulted in Braddock holding onto the ball a little too long and Ottawa would be able to rack up 3 sacks in the 4th; 2 from DL Olaf Viktorsson. They would start moving down the field, but they were faced with a 3rd and 8 on the Ottawa 39. Braddock would look to pass to WR Angus Stevenson for a pick up of 6, but Stevenson looked away too early and bobbled the ball. The hit from LB Killian Reed would eliminate any chance Stevenson had to bring it in resulting in a turnover. On their next attempt, Braddock would just let the ball fly downfield, but the pass was picked off by DB Uzzia Hayes which pretty much killed any hope. Boston fell hard as the Royals secure their 6th straight McCallister Cup appearance.
WEST DIVISION FINAL
Long Island Raiders VS. London Tigers - Long Island Stadium - September 27, 1959 - 4 PM ET - Weather: Clear - 22ºC / 72ºF
1st Q
It took some time for either team to get on the scoreboard, but every moment leading up to that was tense, as the crowd waited for the first team to make a play. It would be the Raiders that would break the silence on a 17-yard run from RB Dareion Fields to get into field goal range. K Henderson Schumacher would nail the kick to put the Raiders up 3-0. The Raider defence was hungry in the opening quarter, constantly getting pressure on QB Riley Kiernan. The pressure would eventually turn into a fumble as DL Vernon Spears got his arm on the QB. The Tigers would recover but would have to punt. RB Connor Riley returned the kick right back into Tigers territory, however, the Tiger defence stood strong and forced another field goal. The Tigers’ offence seemed to click after the second field goal and got moving down the field. QB Riley Kiernan would eventually find WR Wilbert Benjamin open to score a touchdown and give the Tigers the lead after 1.
6-7 LDN
2nd Q
The Raiders answered the surging Tigers’ drive with a strong one of their own. QB Lyle Painter would hit WR Robert Lang for a 36-yard play to set up RB Dareion Fields for a touchdown to regain the lead, 13-7. The defence would continue to flex their strength and would get a turnover off of RB Clifford Russell. LB Gene Benson was able to knock the ball loose and LB Rusty McVee was able to grab it for the Raiders. The offence couldn’t get to the endzone, but they were still able to get a field goal out of the drive and extend their lead to 9 heading into the break.
16-7 LI
3rd Q
The 3rd quarter was about the Tigers trying to get back into the game. Kiernan and the offence struggled to break through the Raiders' brick wall, but they slowly chipped away shifting the field position in their favour. Eventually, the Tigers would get a break with Kiernan finding WR Wilbert Benjamin for a 23-yard gain, which would set up RB Clifford Russell to punch it in several plays later and cut the lead to just 2. The remainder of the third would have each team slowly making up ground, but wouldn’t get too far before the opposing defence stopped them.
16-14 LI
4th Q
The final quarter was intense with the Raiders finally making a march down the field. QB Lyle Painter was able to extend the drive on a beautiful throw to Darryl Duke on 2nd and 12. The drive would continue until the Tigers stopped them at the 22-yard-line. K Henderson Schumacher would knock it through to give the Raiders a 5 point lead. Following the field goal, the Tigers went all out on their next couple of drives. While the Raider stopped the first, the Tigers were able to find a groove on the second. Kiernan would hit pass after pass to get the Tigers into Raider territory. The Raiders would tighten up and force the Tigers to a 3rd and 7. They would go for it, and Kiernan would drop back to pass. Pressure was coming from DL Vernon Spears, but OL Magnus Gunnersson was able to ward him off which opened up a hole for Kiernan. The QB would dart through and would dive for a first down to save the game, even taking on a LB Rusty McVee hit at the end. Kiernan would bounce back up and would get the Tigers back down to the 10. From there he would drop back and roll out to the right. He took his time, but eventually, a mistake from S Johan Eckhart would interfere with DB Slay Mitchell and allow for WR Max Sutton to get just a little open. Kiernan would hit his man for the go-ahead touchdown. They would tack on the 2-point convert with Kiernan lopping it over 3 Raiders to WR Wilbert Benjamin. QB Lyle Painter would now need to do what he did in the McCallister Cup last year to win this game. He would lead the offence for a pair of first downs to get to the brink of field goal range. On 1st and 10, things would go wrong. The Tigers brought the pressure and Painter was looking to escape, but DL Olympus Heights was able to get to Painter. Lyle couldn’t bring the ball back in and Heights was able to force it loose. RB Dareion Fields would recover for the Raiders but was tackled after only a few steps by LB Aengus Lynch. The Raiders were now stuck on 2nd and 22. They would fail to complete a pass on 2nd, which led to 3rd and 22. Painter would launch the ball down the field looking for WR Darryl Duke, but DB Ricardo Salvador was able to break it up and get the ball back. The Tigers would hold on and would send themselves to the McCallister Cup for the first time.
Injury Report
DL Robin Hill BOS - Season
OL Shawn Lawrence - 1 Week
DB Clinton Gates LI - Season
DL Matis Baril LI - Season
Players of the Week
OFF: QB Riley Kiernan LDN - 2 Passing Touchdowns, 312 Passing Yards, 24 Rushing Yards
DEF: DL Olaf Viktorsson OTT - 2 Sacks, 1 Play Defended, 7 Tackles
41st McCallister Cup Preview
Ottawa Royals VS. London Tigers - Mount Royal Stadium - October 4, 1959 - 6 PM ET - Forecast: Partly Cloudy
Head-to-Head: None
The 41st McCallister Cup will be a true All-Canadian affair with the Ottawa Royals and London Tigers playing in Montreal for the title. The game will be a story of redemption for both the Ottawa Royals and QB Riley Kiernan. The Royals had a historic unbeaten season last season spoiled by a loss in the McCallister Cup, and they hope to redeem themselves and get back on top of the NAAF. On the other side, it’s the huge redemption arc of Riley Kiernan who had led the Worcester Athletics to the McCallister Cup in 1956 and lost in OT to these very Royals. The season following that game was Kiernan’s worst and ultimately got him moved to London. However, since then, he has been electrifying and is determined to finally prove everyone wrong and top the legendary Royals. The game is expected to be an offensive shootout between the top two offences in the league. It will be hard to predict since this is a rare occasion where the teams have not met at all this season. I think the Tigers will put up a big fight, but I don’t think the Royals can lose 3 Cups in a row, so I’m sticking with Matieau and the Royals.
My Pick: Royals
EAST DIVISION FINAL
Ottawa Royals VS. Boston Independents - Royals Stadium at Brewer Park - September 27, 1959 - 1 PM ET - Weather: Clear - 24ºC / 75ºF
1st Q
The 4th playoff meeting between the Royals and Independents got off to an explosive start. The Independents would start with the ball and QB Nathaniel Braddock would drop back to make a quick throw to TE Richard Stewart on 1st down. The ball was right on target, except for LB Douglas MacDougall getting his arm in the way popping the ball up. DB Mingan Oliver was quick to react and got underneath it. The DB was tackled shortly after, but it would only take QB Jean Matieau a couple of plays to then find WR Chester Bennett open for a touchdown to make it 7-0 just over a minute into the game. It only got worse for Boston who would go 2 and out on the next drive. Ottawa would take it back down the field again, and RB Alexei Volkov would break free for a 19-yard touchdown run. The Royals were clearly in control after the first quarter.
14-0 OTT
2nd Q
The Independents looked to stop the bleeding early in the 2nd quarter with a strong drive. QB Nathaniel Braddock had a chance to relax a bit and got the Independents into field goal range. K Johnnie Berg easily got them on the board. The Royals remained unfazed by the Independents’ field goal and were back on the attack quickly. They would be stopped on their first drive, but their second would end with WR Chester Bennett finding the endzone for the second time in the game. Boston would look to get a late score in, but WR Angus Stevenson would get the ball knocked out of his hands by LB Killian Reed after reeling in a catch. The Royals would head into the break up 21-3.
21-3 OTT
3rd Q
The Independents’ defence starting to pick things up out of the break and were actually making some strong plays against the Royals attack. Their offence would respond as well with a strong drive. RB Kendall Morgan stepped up and led Boston all the way to the endzone to get them back into the game. 21-10 Ottawa. On a later Ottawa drive, the Independents defence would come up big with LB Brent Harper forcing a fumble on RB Alexei Volkov to give Boston good field position. However, the Independents could only get a field goal out of the venture. As the quarter came to a close, the Royals were starting to pick things up on offence again.
21-13 OTT
4th Q
The Royals would continue to drive down the field as the teams swapped sides. QB Jean Matieau would eventually find WR Mackenzie Jones to grab his third touchdown pass of the game and put the Royals up by 15. QB Nathaniel Braddock was trying everything to get Boston back into the game, but he, unfortunately, felt a lot of pressure feeling like he had to win the game for the team. The mindset resulted in Braddock holding onto the ball a little too long and Ottawa would be able to rack up 3 sacks in the 4th; 2 from DL Olaf Viktorsson. They would start moving down the field, but they were faced with a 3rd and 8 on the Ottawa 39. Braddock would look to pass to WR Angus Stevenson for a pick up of 6, but Stevenson looked away too early and bobbled the ball. The hit from LB Killian Reed would eliminate any chance Stevenson had to bring it in resulting in a turnover. On their next attempt, Braddock would just let the ball fly downfield, but the pass was picked off by DB Uzzia Hayes which pretty much killed any hope. Boston fell hard as the Royals secure their 6th straight McCallister Cup appearance.
Long Island Raiders VS. London Tigers - Long Island Stadium - September 27, 1959 - 4 PM ET - Weather: Clear - 22ºC / 72ºF
1st Q
It took some time for either team to get on the scoreboard, but every moment leading up to that was tense, as the crowd waited for the first team to make a play. It would be the Raiders that would break the silence on a 17-yard run from RB Dareion Fields to get into field goal range. K Henderson Schumacher would nail the kick to put the Raiders up 3-0. The Raider defence was hungry in the opening quarter, constantly getting pressure on QB Riley Kiernan. The pressure would eventually turn into a fumble as DL Vernon Spears got his arm on the QB. The Tigers would recover but would have to punt. RB Connor Riley returned the kick right back into Tigers territory, however, the Tiger defence stood strong and forced another field goal. The Tigers’ offence seemed to click after the second field goal and got moving down the field. QB Riley Kiernan would eventually find WR Wilbert Benjamin open to score a touchdown and give the Tigers the lead after 1.
6-7 LDN
2nd Q
The Raiders answered the surging Tigers’ drive with a strong one of their own. QB Lyle Painter would hit WR Robert Lang for a 36-yard play to set up RB Dareion Fields for a touchdown to regain the lead, 13-7. The defence would continue to flex their strength and would get a turnover off of RB Clifford Russell. LB Gene Benson was able to knock the ball loose and LB Rusty McVee was able to grab it for the Raiders. The offence couldn’t get to the endzone, but they were still able to get a field goal out of the drive and extend their lead to 9 heading into the break.
16-7 LI
3rd Q
The 3rd quarter was about the Tigers trying to get back into the game. Kiernan and the offence struggled to break through the Raiders' brick wall, but they slowly chipped away shifting the field position in their favour. Eventually, the Tigers would get a break with Kiernan finding WR Wilbert Benjamin for a 23-yard gain, which would set up RB Clifford Russell to punch it in several plays later and cut the lead to just 2. The remainder of the third would have each team slowly making up ground, but wouldn’t get too far before the opposing defence stopped them.
16-14 LI
4th Q
The final quarter was intense with the Raiders finally making a march down the field. QB Lyle Painter was able to extend the drive on a beautiful throw to Darryl Duke on 2nd and 12. The drive would continue until the Tigers stopped them at the 22-yard-line. K Henderson Schumacher would knock it through to give the Raiders a 5 point lead. Following the field goal, the Tigers went all out on their next couple of drives. While the Raider stopped the first, the Tigers were able to find a groove on the second. Kiernan would hit pass after pass to get the Tigers into Raider territory. The Raiders would tighten up and force the Tigers to a 3rd and 7. They would go for it, and Kiernan would drop back to pass. Pressure was coming from DL Vernon Spears, but OL Magnus Gunnersson was able to ward him off which opened up a hole for Kiernan. The QB would dart through and would dive for a first down to save the game, even taking on a LB Rusty McVee hit at the end. Kiernan would bounce back up and would get the Tigers back down to the 10. From there he would drop back and roll out to the right. He took his time, but eventually, a mistake from S Johan Eckhart would interfere with DB Slay Mitchell and allow for WR Max Sutton to get just a little open. Kiernan would hit his man for the go-ahead touchdown. They would tack on the 2-point convert with Kiernan lopping it over 3 Raiders to WR Wilbert Benjamin. QB Lyle Painter would now need to do what he did in the McCallister Cup last year to win this game. He would lead the offence for a pair of first downs to get to the brink of field goal range. On 1st and 10, things would go wrong. The Tigers brought the pressure and Painter was looking to escape, but DL Olympus Heights was able to get to Painter. Lyle couldn’t bring the ball back in and Heights was able to force it loose. RB Dareion Fields would recover for the Raiders but was tackled after only a few steps by LB Aengus Lynch. The Raiders were now stuck on 2nd and 22. They would fail to complete a pass on 2nd, which led to 3rd and 22. Painter would launch the ball down the field looking for WR Darryl Duke, but DB Ricardo Salvador was able to break it up and get the ball back. The Tigers would hold on and would send themselves to the McCallister Cup for the first time.
DL Robin Hill BOS - Season
OL Shawn Lawrence - 1 Week
DB Clinton Gates LI - Season
DL Matis Baril LI - Season
Players of the Week
Ottawa Royals VS. London Tigers - Mount Royal Stadium - October 4, 1959 - 6 PM ET - Forecast: Partly Cloudy
Head-to-Head: None
The 41st McCallister Cup will be a true All-Canadian affair with the Ottawa Royals and London Tigers playing in Montreal for the title. The game will be a story of redemption for both the Ottawa Royals and QB Riley Kiernan. The Royals had a historic unbeaten season last season spoiled by a loss in the McCallister Cup, and they hope to redeem themselves and get back on top of the NAAF. On the other side, it’s the huge redemption arc of Riley Kiernan who had led the Worcester Athletics to the McCallister Cup in 1956 and lost in OT to these very Royals. The season following that game was Kiernan’s worst and ultimately got him moved to London. However, since then, he has been electrifying and is determined to finally prove everyone wrong and top the legendary Royals. The game is expected to be an offensive shootout between the top two offences in the league. It will be hard to predict since this is a rare occasion where the teams have not met at all this season. I think the Tigers will put up a big fight, but I don’t think the Royals can lose 3 Cups in a row, so I’m sticking with Matieau and the Royals.
My Pick: Royals
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