Gaiters claim overtime thriller over X-Men in Bigg Bowl Homecoming game

ANTIGONISH, NS - It was a sold out, Homecoming 2024 Bigg Bowl overtime thriller at STFX Stadium on Saturday afternoon, with the Bishop's Gaiters dropping the STFX X-Men 42-37 in front of over 2500 fans. 

Bishop's running back and player of the game O'Shae Ho-Sang (Lasalle, QC) capped off the come from behind win for the visitors with an overtime touchdown from six yards out, extending the Bishop's winning streak to six games, and dropping the STFX record to 2-3.  

The teams traded touchdowns on their first drives of overtime, with Bishop's receiver Ryan LeBlanc (Shediac River, NB) finding the end zone for the visitors, and quarterback Silas Fagnan (Bonnyville, AB) scampering in for the STFX major.  

For the Gaiters, quarterback Justin Quirion (Saint-Georges, QC) went 32-46 through the air for three touchdowns, while Ho-Sang picked up 145 yards on the ground with two touchdowns. Kyle Chorney (Winnipeg, MB) had 9 tackles in the game for the Gaiters, with Mathieu Dery (Lac-Beauport, QC) picking up 7.5.  

For STFX, Fagnan went 28-42 for 328 yards and a touchdown, while Caleb Fogarty (Moncton, NB) ran for 108 yards on 18 carries with a touchdown. STFX kicker Ben Hadley (Halifax, NS) made four field goals in the game, along with three extra points and two rouges.  On defense, Owen Watrych (Yorkton, SK) made 11 tackles, while STFX Gabriel Pizza player of the game Naijaun David (Dartmouth, NS) had 9.5.  

STFX forced a punt on the first Bishop's series, then marched downfield with a balanced passing and running attack. From the five-yard-line, Fagnan found an open Justin Letendre-Lampron (Saint-Lucien, QC) in the endzone for six, with Hadley kicking the extra point.  

The Gaiters moved the ball with confidence in the following possession, but STFX defender Owen Watrych forced a fumble near the 10-yard line, giving the home team the ball back. The Gaiters then forced a STFX punt and took over on the visitors' 47-yard line.   

The STFX defense held tight on the drive, forcing a 27-yard field goal from Bishop's kicker Xavier Gervais (Ottawa, ON) to close out the first quarter, with STFX leading 7-3.  

The teams traded possession early in the second quarter, with STFX starting a drive at the 11-minute mark. A 39-yard pass and catch between Fagnan and Tyler Ivany (Moncton, NB) helped bring STFX near the redzone but had to settle for a Hadley field goal from 31 yards out.  

The Gaiters found the endzone on their next drive, with Ho-Sang capping off a strong possession with a two-yard jaunt for the major, with Gervais hitting the extra point to draw the teams even.  

The teams again traded possessions late in the game, with Bishops conceding a safety with under a minute to go. STFX took over from their 30-yard line, and the drive resulted in a 47-yard field goal from Hadley, making it 15-10 going into halftime.  

STFX got on the board first in the second half, with Hadley drilling a 30-yard field goal, and David picking off an errand pass on the next Bishops possession, giving the home team the ball in good field position. Hadley was on target again, this time from 38 yards out, making it a 21-10 STFX lead midway through the third quarter.  

Ho-Sang broke of a 51-yard run on the next Bishops possession, followed by a 28-yard Quirion pass to Charles-Edouard Bizer (Saint-Georges de Beauce, QC) for the major, followed by a pass to Nykolas Pierre-Masse (Laval, QC) for the two-point conversion.  

Bishops again gained big yards on their next possession, but the home defense held them up in the redzone, and the visitors settled for a 15-yard field goal from Gervais and the end of the quarter, making it a 21-21 game heading into the final 15 minutes.  

The X-Men responded with a touchdown on their next possession, with Fogarty punching it in from the one-yard line after a 75-yard drive, with Hadley again on target with the PAT.

STFX defensive back James McGill (Powassan, ON) made a key interception with three minutes to go in the game, leading to a STFX rouge, making it an eight-point game with under two minutes to go.   

Bishop's pushed for points on their final drive of the game, with Marco Briones (Monterrey, Mexico) catching a pass and bringing it to the house with six seconds to go. The Gaiters went for two points to tie, with Briones again making the catch, bringing the game to overtime and setting the stage for the final plays of the game.

Today's game marked the 10th Bigg Bowl game. The Bigg Bowl was established in 2002 by the family of the late Reverend H. R. Canon Bigg, and has been awarded after competition between the StFX X-Men and Bishop's Gaiters in U SPORTS football. The grandson of Bigg, Mr. Brian McA'Nulty, who has ties to both schools, along with his wife Mary Adams, presented the trophy to the Gaiters following the game. It was the third time the Gaiters have claimed the Bigg Bowl trophy.

The Gaiters have next weekend off and will return to AUS play on October 19 when they will visit the Acadia Axemen. STFX is on the road next weekend as well, when they will face off with Acadia on Friday, October 11 at 7 p.m.

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Recap courtesy Matt Draper, STFX Athletics

STFX Alumni class representatives participate in the ceremonial kick-off