Bishop’s offence stalls as Sherbrooke wins 2006 Mayor’s Cup
SHERBROOKE (CIS) — The Bishop’s Gaiters suffered their first loss of the 2006 season on Saturday evening, falling to cross-town rivals Sherbrooke 38-18. In front of an enthusiastic crowd of 6,000, the Vert & Or won their first game of the season and captured the first ever Mayor’s Cup, awarded each year to the winner of Sherbrooke vs. Bishop’s.
The Gaiters offence struggled throughout the evening, managing only 132 yards of total offence and 10 first downs. Quarterback Dusty Whyte completed 9 of 23 passes for 146 yards while running back Jamall Lee gained 43 yards on 11 carries.
For the Vert & Or, quarterback Jean-Philippe Shoiry replaced Charles St-Martin and finished the evening 15 for 27 pass for 223 yards and three touchdowns.
On the defensive side of the ball, linebacker Bentley Cross had a busy evening with 9.5 tackles while teammate Dusty Burke had 7.5 tackles. Pierre-Luc Labbe (6.5 tackles) and Charles Beaubien (five tackles) were the top defenders for the Vert & Or.
Despite their offensive struggles, the Gaiters led the Vert et Or 15-9 at the half due largely in part to several Sherbrooke turnovers and miscues.
Bishop’s was the first team to score after Sherbrooke conceeded a safety midway through the first quarter. Sherbrooke countered with a 59-yard drive to give themselves a 7-2 lead before a 28-yard Bishop’s field goal made the score 7-5.
Sherbrooke’s lead increased to 9-5 in the second quarter after a botched long-snap forced the Gaiters to conceed a safety. Bishop’s went on to make it a one-point game when Justin Conn converted his second field goal of the game with less than five minutes remaining.
Bishop’s ended the half on a high-note when Gaiter DB Cole Ghering intercepted a pass by Sherbrooke quarterback Phillipe Soury and returned it 50 yards for a touchdown to give the Gaiters a 15-9 lead at the break.
The Gaiters lead quickly dissapeared however, as the Vert & Or took control in the second half, outscoring Bishop’s 29-3 in the second half.
Kicker Justin Conn made all three of his field goal attempts and was named the Gaiters offensive player of the game while Cole Gehring was named Bishop’s top defensive player. Sherbrooke running back Jean-Christophe Auclair Poirier (three touchdowns) was named the top offensive player for the Vert & Or while Francis Desjardins was named the top defensive player.
Bishop’s (1-1) next game is schedule for next Sunday when they will travel to Quebec to face the Laval Rouge et Or (2-0). Sherbrooke (1-1) will travel to Wolfville, Nova Scotia to face the Acadia Axemen.
