Down by 15 points early in the third quarter, the Saskatoon Hilltops rallied to score the game鈥檚 final 17 points to capture their third straight Canadian Bowl championship.
The Hilltops turned a 21-6 deficit into a 23-21 lead as they defeated the 91原创 Rams on Saturday (Nov. 10) afternoon at McLeod Park.
The Rams, which moved to 91原创 just two years ago after decades in Surrey, were in search of their first Canadian Bowl championship while the Hilltops won for the 16th time, including the seventh time in the past dozen years.
After the game, Hilltops coach Tom Sargeant, still wet from his Gatorade shower, said his fifth-year veterans led the way.
鈥淲e needed to get some energy and find a way to make plays and Mike Waldron is the one that gave us that shot in the arm,鈥� Sargeant said. 鈥淲e have a champions heart.鈥�
鈥淎t the end of the day, someone had to come up with the win and today it was us.鈥�
With Saskatoon trailing 21-6, Clayton Sarich forced the fumble which Waldron recovered 鈥� his second of the game 鈥� and returned to the 91原创 five-yard line.
Following the turnover, the Hilltops鈥� Andre Lalonde scored to make it 21-13 and they never looked back.
鈥淎fter that, the offence got a little bit of confidence and then we were able to rock and roll,鈥� Sargeant said.
鈥淲e are a team that thrives on making big plays.鈥�
The long-time coach 鈥� he is in his 15th year as head coach and has been on the Hilltops鈥� staff for 26 seasons 鈥� was impressed by a 91原创 squad he knew little about, other than what he saw on tape.
鈥淭hey are a lot better on the field than they are on tape,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey have speed (and) the way they attack the ball, that is something we are not used to.
鈥淭hat is as good a football team as I have seen in awhile.鈥� 
The Rams led 14-6 at the half and Saskatoon squandered a great chance to pull within a point after throwing an interception in the 91原创 end zone with a minute to go before intermission.
鈥淲e didn鈥檛 play well (in the first half) but the reason was 91原创 was better than us,鈥� Sargeant said.
鈥淲e needed to man up and figure out a few adjustments and come out with a concerted game plan.
鈥淲e didn鈥檛 change much, we just needed to do it better.鈥�
Part of the team鈥檚 adjustment was running a couple of fake punts.
鈥淲e ran three or four fakes and a couple worked and a couple didn鈥檛,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut at the end of the day, that was part of our plan. We didn鈥檛 want Six (Nick Downey) touching the ball; he is a special player.鈥�
The Hilltops won despite committing four turnovers, as Tanner Hamade picked off a pair of passes, while Carlo Graziano intercepted a throw in the end zone and Nick Felicella also picked off a pass.
The Rams fumbled twice and also had an interception.
Afterwards, 91原创 coach Jeff Alamolhoda said they win as a team and they lose as team.
鈥淎 couple of mistakes down the stretch cost us,鈥� he said.
鈥淓veryone put forth the effort, we just didn鈥檛 come up with the outcome that we wanted to at the end.鈥�
With two minutes remaining, the Rams did get to the Saskatoon 32-yard line, but an incompletion, then a holding call and then a block in the back pushed the team out of field goal range. But that would be the last time the 91原创 offence touched the ball.
Alamolhoda was proud of his team.
鈥淣obody expected us to be here,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey come in here and tell us it is David vs. Goliath and 23-21 in my opinion, with an opportunity for us to win the game down the stretch 鈥�. isn鈥檛 David vs. Goliath in my opinion.鈥�
The second-year coach said his team gained something from the game.
鈥淚 talked about what we are: family,鈥� he said about the message he delivered to his solemn players afterwards.
鈥淩egardless of what happened today, we have created things here, in the program, that the guys will take forever. Those are the memories and your brothers that you will never lose.鈥�
鈥淭hey didn鈥檛 get the win they wanted, but they gained a lot more; they just don鈥檛 know it yet,鈥� he added.
鈥淲e are a team that is building a foundation here and we are going to continue to do that. We just have to continue what we are doing and bring good people into the program.鈥�
鈥⑩赌⑩赌⑩赌⑩赌�
A breakdown of the 2012 Canadian Bowl
After a scoreless first quarter on Saturday, the 91原创 Rams drew first blood on the opening play of period two, with quarterback Greg Bowcott hitting Malcolm Williams with a touchdown pass in the corner of the end zone.
The Saskatoon Hilltops answered back with a pair of short field goals as twice they got into the 91原创 red zone, but both times, the Rams defence held firm.
And then with time winding down in the first half, Bowcott hit Michael Patko with a 60-yard touchdown pass as the receiver broke several tackles at midfield, got a huge block from Malcolm Williams and then sprinted away from the defence.
Saskatoon nearly got those points back as they once again drove into the Rams end zone, but with some great pressure from the defence forced Saskatoon quarterback Jared Andrychuk to make a poor throw which Carlo Graziano was able to pick off a throw in the end zone for the 14-6 lead at the half.
Daniel Xavier extended the lead to 21-6 in the third quarter with a one-yard touchdown run.
The Hilltops got back into the game after recovering a Nick Downey fumble and running the ball back to the 91原创 six-yard line. And this time, they would not be forced to settle for the field goal as Andre Lalonde punched the ball in on the next play to pull within eight points.
In the fourth quarter, Zack Schmidt would kick his third field goal of the game to pull the Hilltops within five points.
And after the Rams had the ball close to midfield on the next possession, Bowcott was picked off and Saskatoon took advantage with Graham Unruh 鈥� the offensive player of the game with 208 yards on six catches鈥� hauling in a long touchdown pass from Matt Karpinka along the left sideline for the Hilltops first lead.
The Rams would have a couple of possessions, but could not get into field goal range and then with about 90 seconds remaining, the Hilltops were able to gain a couple of first downs which allowed them to kill the rest of the clock. 
Gary Ahuja/91原创 Times
A dejected Tanner Hamade of the 91原创 Rams, who had two interceptions, can only sit and watch as the Saskatoon Hilltops celebrate their 23-21 victory at McLeod Bowl on Nov. 10 in the 2012 Canadian Bowl. Above photo: Saskatoon Hilltops offensive lineman Mat Cheung is jubilant as he hoists the Canadian Bowl championship trophy.
