Peter McCabe/CFL.ca
MONTREAL — The season might not have ended the way Matthew Shiltz and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats envisioned, but the pivot is still proud of the way his team battled adversity all year.
Shiltz played three and a half quarters of the 27-12 loss to the Montreal Alouettes in the Eastern Semi-Final and was part of a quarterback rotation with veteran Bo Levi Mitchell to end the season for the Ticats.
Injuries ravaged the position in 2023 in Hamilton with both Shiltz and Mitchell going down at one point and rookie Taylor Powell keeping the team afloat before the return of both veterans.
“Next man up mentality,” said the signal-caller after the game when asked to summarize his team’s season. “I’m proud of the way the guys fought this whole season. It was looking pretty dark but we kept the faith. Not one person waivered, everybody still believed until the very last whistle.”
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The veteran was under heavy pressure all afternoon against a stout Montreal defensive front, finishing with 144 yards on 13-of-23 while also throwing a pick. Mitchell replaced him with a little over six minutes left in the game and went 1-of-4 for six yards and an interception. The bright side for Hamilton offensively was a running game led by James Butler (83 yards on 13 carries) and Shiltz himself (34 yards on four carries).
Head coach Orlondo Steinauer knows that the ultimate goal is always to win a championship, but like his quarterback, he’s proud of the way his team was able to turn around what seemed like a season that could have derailed due to injuries.
“At the end of the day, it’s not good enough,” said the coach. “That doesn’t mean I’m not proud. I’m thankful to be in this position, but ultimately, there’s one champion, and that’s always the goal.”
Hamilton started the season 3-6 before winning five of the last nine games to secure third place and a post-season spot in the East Division.
The Alouettes meanwhile advance to face the Toronto Argonauts on November 11 in the Eastern Final.
