Adam Sinagra leads Dinos past Carabins for 1st Vanier Cup title since 1995
Calgary quarterback throws 2 TDs in final U Sports game
Fourth-year quarterback Adam Sinagra led the Calgary Dinos to a 27-13 win over the Montreal Carabins for the Vanier Cup on Saturday.
It was the fifth Vanier Cup win in Dinos history. They had last won in 1995, when they beat the Western Mustangs in Toronto.
"To win this in my home province, to end my career as a champion, and I've never won anything before, at any level, wow," said Sinagra, the game's MVP.
WATCH | Highlights from Calgary's Vanier Cup victory:
Calgary took a 20-10 lead early in the fourth quarter Saturday when Hunter Karl caught a nine-yard pass from Sinagra, completing a 10-play, 87-yard drive.
The Dinos added a late TD in the final minute of the game on a Robinson Rodrigues one-yard run.
"What a sweet win," said Calgary's head coach Wayne Harris. "Those veteran players showed a lot of leadership today and all season long. And Adam [Sinagra] played one heck of a game."
WATCH | Dinos head coach Wayne Harris Jr. reflects on his team's win:
Calgary opened the scoring with a pair of field goals from Nick DiFonte — from 22 and 38 yards — to take a 6-0 lead in the second quarter.
The Carabins briefly pulled ahead, scoring the game's first touchdown on a one-yard run from Reda Maki late in the second quarter. The score was helped by a faked field goal during the drive.
The Dinos responded quickly with a touchdown of their own when Sinagra connected with Jalen Philpot in the end zone on a 13-yard pass, giving Calgary a 13-7 lead at half time.
Karl extended Calgary's lead to 20-7 with his TD in the fourth, before a pair of field goals by Montreal's Louis-Philippe Simoneau from 27 and 16 yards out cut the Carabins' deficit to 20-13.
WATCH | Adam Sinagra discusses his team's Vanier Cup victory:
The Dinos suffered a serious blow on defence when linebacker Charlie Moore was injured on the second offensive play of the game. Moore went down after he tackled running back Ryth-Jean Giraud. Moore got back up after a few minutes but did not return to the game.
Later, it was the Carabins defence that was hit hard when linebacker Jean-Philippe Levesque and defensive back Marc-Antoine Dequoy exited the game with injuries.
"No matter the injuries, the best team won today, " said Montreal head coach Danny Maciocia after the game.
The game was played in front of 8,376 fans at Telus Stadium, on the campus of Laval University.