VAN: DB Christian Allen | Injured Reserve -> Active Roster
VAN: DB Kaden Newsbury | Active Roster -> Reserve List
(4) Vancouver Wolves VS. (2) Long Island Raiders - Mount Royal Stadium - Montreal, QC - October 4, 1970 - 7:00 PM ET - Weather: Cloudy 8ºC | 47ºF - Attendance: 46,468
1st Q
A cooler evening in Montreal proved to be a bitter battleground for the 52nd McCallister Cup. Defence became the central focus of another McCallister Cup as both teams were held silent in the early stages of the opening quarter. The Wolves almost had the first major break with RB Jeremiah Morrow nearly getting through a huge hole, only to be met by LB William Washington II. It would be the Raiders that would strike first after their run-game found the gas pedal, leading to a 0-3 lead after the opening quarter.
VAN 0-3 LI
2nd Q
The tempo of the game did not change much into the 2nd quarter. Both teams took the hardnosed slant for the game plan and it wasn’t getting them very far. Eventually, Vancouver would start to spread the ball out more. QB Kevin Westwood found WR Keshawn Johnston for a big pickup midway through the 2nd to set up a field goal to tie the game at 3. The Raiders would follow suit with the Wolves and sprinkle in more passing plays. The plan would not pay off immediately, going 2 and out, but after a strong defensive stop, the Raiders were marching down the field. QB Ivan Sanchez made some great passes which eventually led to a touchdown from WR Larry Mossholder who made a nice cut to get open. The Wolves tried to counter but ran out of time.
VAN 3-10 LI
3rd Q
The 3rd quarter would see the game have a dramatic change. To start, the Wolves would come out of the break rejuvenated. After the defence stopped the Raiders quickly, Westwood would lead a drive to get the Wolves into the endzone. The Wolves moved down the field with ease before RB Jeremiah Morrow would punch in a touchdown to tie the game again, 10-10. After the Wolves scored, their defence would continue to ride the momentum. DL Qian Zhou would get into the backfield and knock the ball out of the arms of QB Ivan Sanchez. The ball hit the ground and all the players around dove onto it including Sanchez and Zhou. Once the dust had settled, the Raiders still came up with the ball, but there were a couple of casualties on the play. Zhou would leave the game after getting hit in the pile, while Ivan Sanchez was shaking his hand in pain after. In the pile, Sanchez’s hand was crushed by a helmet and he would not be able to grip a ball, forcing QB David Simmons into the game. With their starting QB out of the game, the Raiders’ defence knew they had to step up. They came with some tenacity and some heat. DL Dallas Breaker powered through the line going after QB Kevin Westwood. Westwood would turn to escape only to be hammered from the other side by DL Pionk Bjorkkstrand. Bjorkkstrand would catch Westwood on the chin with his helmet appearing to knock the star QB unconscious. It was a scary hit that lead to Westwood being carted off the field. QB Stanley Evans stepped in to replace him in the tie game that was now relying on a pair of backup QBs to decide a winner.
VAN 10-10 LI
4th Q
While the Wolves were certainly quite concerned about their QB, they still remained focused early in the 4th with QB Stanley Evans leading a field goal drive to give the Wolves their first lead of the game. Evans’ playstyle was similar to Kevin Westwood, so the Wolves could keep their game plan intact, however, the Raiders had to adjust to a more mobile style that QB David Simmons had. It seemed to work as Simmons was finding ways to move the football. Some delayed options to RB Scott Norton, a couple of solid throws, and a run or two himself kept the Raiders moving the ball. They would eventually tie the game again at 13 a piece with the clock starting to get low. In the final 3 minutes, the Wolves were starting to make way on a drive. QB Stanley Evans was making quick passes to get them into Raiders’ territory. The Raiders would force a 2nd and 10 after LB Callum Owen was able to break up one of the quick plays. The Raiders brought more coverage closer to the line with the two safeties holding their position at the first down marker. Evans noted the move and looked for an opportunity to get it over them. Evans dropped back and saw his fastest WR Akira Sakamoto, breaking past DB Ross Conroy right off the line. Evans didn’t hesitate more than a couple of seconds and threw the ball up the sideline. However, after the pass, the trap was sprung. DB Rutherford Winters had drifted slowly into the safety spot from the other side. As soon as Evans turned to Sakamoto, Winters bolted across. Evans’ pass was a little off-target and it gave Winters the ability to get under it. The ball landed in Winters' arms and the Raiders were taking the ball back the other way. After a solid return from Winters, the Raiders’ offence took over and were able to pick up yardage while killing as much time as they could. RB Scott Norton would break off a 14-yard play before QB David Simmons would scramble for a 1st down on the very next play. At this point, they were well in field goal range and K Henderson Schumacher would come onto the field and nail a 24-yard kick to give the Raiders the lead. The Wolves had little time to work with and they wouldn’t get far turning it over on downs to allow the Raiders to kneel out the game and capture their 3rd McCallister Cup in Long Island.
Injury Report
LI: QB Ivan Sanchez - 4 Weeks
LI: OL Alan Mitchell - Day-to-Day
VAN: DL Qian Zhou - Day-to-Day
VAN: TE Daniel Whitford - 2 Weeks
VAN: QB Kevin Westwood - 8 Weeks
McCallister Cup MVP
1970 McCallister Cup Champions
1970 Season Recap
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