The team knew it was lucky to even make the playoffs.
But following its first win of the season, a 21-9 triumph over the Cochrane Lions at Shouldice Park in Calgary on May 18, the Northern Raiders are now ready to make a statement.
Landon Bayda had two rushing touchdowns and Cory Robinson had a 40-yard fumble return touchdown with 1:14 left in the game to lead the Raiders, who will now play the Broncos or the Stampeders for the B final of the Calgary Midget Football League playoffs at Shouldice Park on May 26.
“It was the first night we’ve come out and played a full game,” said Raiders head coach Steve Kemp. “We overcame our mental mistakes and played as family; played as a team. The boys played really hard and gave it everything.”
Cochrane took an early 1-0 lead, two seconds into the game, when the Raiders couldn’t return the team’s opening kickoff out of the end zone. The Lions opened the second quarter with a 35-yard field goal attempt, which was blocked and set up a big momentum swing in the game.
On the ensuing offensive series, Bayda found a gap to the left and ran in a 60-yard touchdown.
“I just came out to the left, found a nice seal on the end there, turned it upfield and the rest of it just kind of set in nicely,” Bayda said. “Our team was crazy in the big play factor, especially that field goal block. Everyone was up off their feet.”
Four minutes later, Bayda found another opening and ran the ball 35 yards to the one-yard line. Two plays later, he punched it in to give his team a 14-1 lead.
“Our O-line came out with a real fire, a real attitude – and our running backs were running the ball real hard,” Kemp said. “We only passed the ball three times.”
“There were huge blocks,” Bayda said. “When the holes get broken, the momentum hits the player and they’re gone. Everybody came out fired up. The lines came out thinking this was going to be a game against Airdrie again, but we came out and gave it our best.”
The Lions made it 14-7 at half, when they completed a 85-yard pass play. The ensuing two-point conversion was unsuccessful.
It was that type of momentum the Raiders haven’t had all season, Kemp said, and his team responded.
“The whole bench is up, the energy is up and the attitude is up,” he said.
Cochrane’s last-ditch effort came late in the fourth quarter, after a questionable measurement with just over two minutes left gave the team a new set of downs. But the Raiders’ defence responded, when it took advantage of a miscue by the Lions quarterback.
“It was a swing pass to the tailback that went backwards, I think one of our DB’s may have deflected it, but since it was a backwards pass, it was a fumble,” Robinson said.
“We’ve been saying all week ‘scoop and score on defence,’ and the opportunity just came up and I ran. It’s a huge confidence booster and it completely changes the momentum of the game.”
The Northern Raiders will now play the Broncos or Stampeders at Shouldice Park’s Hellard Field for the CMFL B Championship on May 26 at 7 p.m.
“We’re taking the weekend off and letting them enjoy their time, but Monday night, this win is over, it’s back to day-to-day business and we get ready for the championship,” Kemp said.
