The Hamilton Tiger-Cats (11-7) hosted the Ottawa Redblacks (4-14) on Friday night in the season finale. Tyrie Adams was the starting quarterback for Ottawa, and Hamilton played their starters. Their goal tonight was to take care of business and win the East Division.
First Quarter:
Both teams went two-and-out to start the first quarter. Hamilton’s offense had the ball on the 53-yard line. Running back Greg Bell started the drive with two carries for 13 yards, and Jake Dolegala rushed for four yards.
Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell threw a 12-yard pass to Kiondre Smith, and Greg Bell rushed for another five yards to the 21-yard line. On the next play, Mitchell found a wide-open Tim White for the touchdown. Hamilton took a 7-0 lead with 9:08 left to cap off a six-play drive for 53 yards.
Ottawa quarterback Tyrie Adams threw a 19-yard pass to Bralon Addison to the 52-yard line. Then, Adams faked a handoff to Daniel Adeboboye before throwing the ball intended for Bralon Addison. Instead, Hamilton defensive back DaShaun Amos made the interception. He returned it for 12 yards to the 51-yard line.
Hamilton wide receiver Tim White ran for 17 yards before Bo Levi Mitchell completed two passes for 26 yards to the 16-yard line. Kicker Marc Liegghio made a 24-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead with 5:49 left.
After Ottawa went two-and-out, Hamilton had the ball on the 55-yard line. Running back Greg Bell rushed for 23 yards to the 32-yard line, and Bo Levi Mitchell threw a four-yard pass to Kenny Lawler. The drive stalled, and kicker Marc Liegghio made a 36-yard field goal for a 13-0 lead with 2:57 left.
Ottawa quarterback Tyrie Adams threw two passes for 16 yards to the 54-yard line. On the next play, Adams attempted to complete a pass to Bralon Addison, but Hamilton linebacker Reggie Stubblefield saw the play coming and made the interception. He returned it for 15 yards to the 41-yard line.
Hamilton running back Greg Bell rushed for nine yards, Jake Dolegala rushed for two yards, and Bo Levi Mitchell threw a five-yard pass to Kiondre Smith to the 25-yard line as the first quarter came to an end. The Tiger-Cats led the Redblacks 13-0.
Hamilton’s offense had 143 yards (72 yards passing, 71 yards rushing), and Ottawa’s offense had 41 yards (35 yards passing, 6 yards rushing).
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Hamilton quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell threw a 14-yard pass to Shemar Bridges, and Greg Bell rushed for one yard to the 10-yard line. On the next play, Hamilton center Coulter Woodmansey snapped the ball high to Mitchell, causing a fumble. Mitchell tried to get the ball, but Cleyon Laing was there to recover the ball on the 14-yard line.
The turnover gave a spark to Ottawa’s offense. They marched to the 5-yard line. Then, quarterback Tyrie Adams threw a short pass to William Stanback, who had an opening to score the touchdown. The Redblacks trailed the Tiger-Cats 13-7 with 8:22 left to cap off an eight-play drive for 96 yards.
Bo Levi Mitchell began the next drive by throwing two passes to Kiondre Smith for nine yards to the 43-yard line. They moved the ball to the 32-yard line, where kicker Marc Liegghio made a 40-yard field goal for a 16-7 lead with 4:23 left.
Late in the second quarter, Hamilton’s offense moved the ball to the 21-yard line. Then, Bo Levi Mitchell threw a touchdown pass to Tim White for a 23-7 lead with 1:08 left to cap off an eight-play drive for 79 yards. It was Mitchell’s 36th touchdown pass of the season, which set a new career-high record.
Ottawa would go two-and-out again, and Hamilton got the ball back on the 54-yard line. Bo Levi Mitchell threw two passes to Kiondre Smith for 36 yards to the 20-yard line. Kicker Marc Liegghio made a 28-yard field goal for a 26-7 lead at halftime.
First Half Stats:
Hamilton’s offense had 303 yards (228 yards passing, 79 yards rushing, 4 yards lost), 15 first downs, 0 and 3 from the red zone, and the team had no penalties. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed 18 of 25 passes (72%) for 228 yards and two touchdowns.
Running back Greg Bell had seven carries for 56 yards and three catches for 11 yards. Wide receiver Tim White made two catches for 42 yards and two touchdowns, while Kiondre Smith had seven catches for 90 yards. The defense made one tackle for loss, one sack, and two interceptions.
Ottawa’s offense had 134 yards (119 yards passing, 25 yards rushing, 10 yards lost), 7 first downs, 1 for 1 in the red zone, and the team was penalized two times for 25 yards. Quarterback Tyrie Adams completed 9 of 14 passes (64.2%) for 119 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, and two carries for nine yards.
Running back William Stanback had four carries for 16 yards, two catches for 16 yards, and one touchdown. Wide receiver Justin Hardy made three catches for 51 yards, while Bralon Addison made two catches for 24 yards. The defense made one tackle for loss and one fumble recovery.
Third Quarter:
Matthew Shiltz was the new quarterback for Ottawa to begin the second half. Ottawa’s offense started on the 25-yard line. Three plays in, Shiltz’s pass was intercepted by Jamal Peters. He returned it for five yards to the 27-yard line.
Hamilton running back Greg Bell rushed for five yards to the 22-yard line. The drive stalled, and kicker Marc Liegghio made a 30-yard field goal for a 29-7 lead with 12:29 left.
Matthew Shiltz began the next drive by throwing a pass to Kalil Pimpleton for 21 yards. The offense moved the ball to the 26-yard line. Hamilton defensive lineman Julian Howsare sacked Shiltz for a five-yard loss. Kicker Lewis Ward attempted a 30-yard field goal. He missed it wide right, but Hamilton returner Isaiah Wooden Sr. conceded the single point. It was now 29-8 with 6:26 left.
Late in the third quarter, Ottawa had the ball on the 29-yard line. Matthew Shiltz threw a 15-yard pass to Kalil Pimpleton, while William Stanback had two carries for 21 yards, Daniel Adeboboye had a carry for one yard, and Shiltz rushed for 14 yards to the 35-yard line. The third quarter came to an end with the Tiger-Cats leading the Redblacks 29-8.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Ottawa’s offense continued to move the ball to the one-yard line. On the next play, Shiltz scored the touchdown with a quarterback sneak. The Redblacks trailed the Tiger-Cats 29-15 with 10:13 left to cap off a 13-play drive for 86 yards.
Hamilton had the ball on the 55-yard line after Isaiah Wooden Sr. returned the kickoff for 34 yards. Bo Levi Mitchell threw a nine-yard pass to Kiondre Smith, followed by Jake Dolegala’s two-yard run, and Greg Bell rushed for five yards to the 39-yard line. Kicker Marc Liegghio made a 47-yard field goal for a 32-15 lead with 7:38 left.
Hamilton defensive lineman Philip Ossai sacked Shiltz for a five-yard loss. Two plays later, Shiltz attempted a pass to Bralon Addison, but Hamilton linebacker Braxton Hill tipped the ball in the air before making the interception. He returned it for 19 yards to the 30-yard line.
Hamilton running back Greg Bell rushed for four yards, and that was all they got. Kicker Marc Liegghio made a 34-yard field goal for a 35-15 lead with 4:50 left. Ottawa quarterback Matthew Shiltz completed a 12-yard pass to Eugene Lewis to the 52-yard line. On the next play, Shiltz’s pass was intercepted by DaShaun Amos. He returned it for 34 yards to the 31-yard line.
Hamilton running back Greg Bell rushed for 12 yards, and Bo Levi Mitchell completed a nine-yard pass to Tim White. However, that play was wiped away after Hamilton was called for a holding penalty, backing them up 10 yards to the 29-yard line.
Three plays later, Hamilton center Coulter Woodmansey snapped the ball high to Mitchell, causing a fumble. Mitchell ran to get on the ball, losing 18 yards to the 28-yard line. Instead of adding more points, Hamilton decided to chew up more clock with Greg Bell rushing for a two-yard loss.
Hamilton’s defense would seal the game after linebacker Braxton Hill picked off Shiltz for a 17-yard return. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats defeated the Ottawa Redblacks 35-15 to win the East Division and will host the Eastern Final.
Final Stats:
Hamilton’s offense had 358 yards (264 yards passing, 118 yards rushing, 24 yards lost), 19 first downs, 0 and 4 from the red zone, and the team was penalized two times for 15 yards. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed 21 of 31 passes (67.7%) for 264 yards and two touchdowns.
Running back Greg Bell had 15 carries for 94 yards and three catches for 11 yards. Wide receiver Tim White made four catches for 69 yards and two touchdowns, while Kiondre Smith had eight catches for 99 yards. The defense made 41 tackles, four tackles for loss, four sacks, and six interceptions.
Ottawa’s offense had 283 yards (197 yards passing, 109 yards rushing, 23 yards lost), 20 first downs, 2 for 2 in the red zone, and the team was penalized five times for 45 yards. Quarterback Matthew Shiltz completed 7 of 15 passes (46%) for 78 yards, four interceptions, six carries for 25 yards, and one rushing touchdown.
Running back William Stanback had 11 carries for 58 yards, three catches for 23 yards, and one touchdown. Wide receiver Justin Hardy made three catches for 51 yards, while Kalil Pimpleton made three catches for 60 yards. The defense made 47 tackles, four tackles for loss, one turnover on downs, and one fumble recovery.
