Best original screenplay   

- December 03 2009

Hollywood scriptwriters couldn't put together a better story for a football movie than the upcoming 2009 Uteck Bowl CIS national football semi-final in Halifax, NS between the Western Conference champion Calgary Dinos and the Atlantic champion St. Mary's University Huskies.

The Dinos head coach, Blake Nill, who until 2 seasons ago was the founding father of St. Mary's University's football success in the modern era, will lead his new team back to his former home field to a reception chillier than a February breeze on the plains of Nill's hometown of Hanna, Alberta.

Huskie fans have long memories and are still grouchy after what many see as the defection of Eric Glavic, the 2007 Hec Creighton winner, to the Calgary squad in the "dark of night" in early 2009. Nill also had several past Huskies transfer and sit out to ultimately help their mentor give almost instant credibility to the Dino program. There's no doubt the Nill is a great coach and a master of the game but feelings run deep among the Huskie faithful.

The match up of the Dinos who took out the Saskatchewan Huskies 39-38 with some late 4th quarter heroics by none other than Glavic on a 4 yard quarterback keeper and the Huskies who handled St. Francis Xavier X-men 31-22 in the Loney Bowl has enough drama and interest in the Atlantic region to fill Huskie Stadium to the brim.

Current St. Mary's head coach Steve Sumarah, will feel like Luke Skywalker in a light sabre duel with Darth Vader as he faces off against his one-time mentor.

I can't help but think the lights will be burning late into the night in both team clubhouses as the coaches have strategies that can't escape having similarities given the background and roots in the game shared by both mentors. There's got to be matching pigskin DNA in the mix.

All the above being said, the Calgary Dinos put up 656 yards of offence in their match in Saskatoon but allowed the always tough Green Huskies 587. The Eastern Dogs weren't quite so dynamic in wrestling their win in a tough contest that took until late in the game for a certain outcome. Dinos or Huskies? - the 2009 Uteck Bowl will be a coin flip.

The script is written; the sets are built; the actors are inbound for the big production. Watch for the premiere of this football epic on a screen near you on the 21st of November - "Shootout at the Huskie Corral".

In Sackville, NB, I'm Steve Ridlington

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