Official Site of the Calgary Gators

2008 SEASON

GRANDE PRAIRIE DRILLERS 47, CALGARY GATORS 28

The Calgary Gators were hoping for a repeat of their last trip up to Grande Prairie, when they came away with a 11-7 hard fought victory.

Despite having to play a rare Sunday game during the late afternoon, the Gators gave it their best effort but had problems with pass coverage as the Drillers won 47-28.

The game started with both teams trading TD, and then the Drillers managed an interception as the hot receiver was not on the same page as the QB. This gave the Drillers the lead that they would not relinquish.

There were several bright spots, despite the defeat. The Gators pass defense struggled, but the other aspects of the defense were much more solid. The Gators never gave up, despite falling behind early, they put up several scores to put the game within 14.

Bruce Hopwood scored his first 3 TD of his career in this game, pulling down 3 TD receptions in the loss.

CALGARY WOLFPACK 23, CALGARY GATORS 15

The Calgary Gators lost to their crosstown rivals, a 23-15 decision to the Calgary Wolfpack. This ended the Gators' two game winning streak against the Pack. The loss means the Gators will end the season having to travel on the road for the playoffs, making the long trip to Grande Prairie.

The game was a close affair, which came down to the final play of the game. The first half was dominated by the offenses, as the score was 23-12 at half time. The second half was dominated by the defenses as the Gators could only manage a FG.

There were several turning points in this game. The Gators, playing without a backup QB, suddenly found themselves in need of one as QB Dan Strikaitis was injured on a play action pass that moved the Gators 1st and goal on the 5 yard line. Any momentum the Gators had was ruined, as the Gators had to settle for a FG.

The Gators also had several FG and extra points blocked, which could also be the turning point, as it was the margin of victory.

One of the blocked FG during Saturday's game against the Wolfpack

The Gators run defense played very close to the vest, holding Leason to 263 yards and 2 TD. Unfortunately, a 60 yard run by TB Jeff Williams on a substitution problem left the Gators in a hole at the half, down 23-12.

The Gators were able to get an early FG in the second half, but the game soon turned into a war of attrition, with neither side yielding any points.

CALGARY GATORS 11, GRANDE PRAIRIE DRILLERS 7

The Calgary Gators came together as a team in Grande Prairie, overcoming the odds to win a close 11-7 on the road in Grande Prairie.

The Gators defense played spectacular red zone defense, getting the Drillers to turn the ball over several times by way of interception and downs in order to preserve the win.

The Gators offense, despite moving the ball very well on the ground, was not able to score as the Driller defense loaded up against the run in the red zone. The ability to move the ball on the ground was best personified by the Gators' QB sneak for a 20 yard gain on 3rd and short in the 3rd quarter.

The Gators were helped by several Driller decisions, including the decision to take a safety and to take a FG off the board when the Gators were penalized during a FG attempt. The Drillers turned the ball over, but those two decisions were more than the margin of victory.

Devron Brown and Ryan O'Donnell had excellent days on defense, with the critical turnover by Grande Prairie caused by Brown and recovered by O'Donnell. This stopped Grande Prairie's momentum.

The Calgary Gators relied on clutch defense and kicking, including a 51 yard goal from Ian Hewitt, to come up with an 11-7 victory over the Grande Prairie Drillers. The Calgary red zone defense was stingy, coming up with 5 interceptions, including 2 from Mitch Duggan and 1 each from Kyle Heier, Corey Bump and Leigh Casey. The Gators have clinched a playoff spot with the win in Grande Prairie.

PARKLAND PANTHERS 42, CALGARY GATORS 35

QB Dan Strikaitis played an excellent game, punishing the Panthers' secondary and almost pulling off the comeback against the expansion Panthers.

The Gators were missing several defensive linemen and had problems with the Panthers rushing atttack.

Boyd Barrett's interception turned the momentum against the Panthers and helped the Gators surprise the Panthers.

The Gators had trouble with the Panthers' pass rush, but that did not stop Dan Strikaitis from having an excellent day, finding targets Kudjo Fiakpui and Brad Black for several touchdowns. Strikaitis also ran into the endzone to give the Gators a chance to grab the onside kick in the final minute.

CALGARY GATORS 12, EDMONTON STALLIONS 11

The Gators won their second straight game, beating both Edmonton teams in back to back games as the Gators achieved a modicum of revenge against their rivals from Edmonton. The Stallions previous game against the Gators saw them slip by the Gators in a close affair in the AFL Championship, so the Gators were anxious for revenge.

It was a showdown of two determined defenses on the McMahon turf as both teams traded blows all afternoon with the Gators coming out on top by a single point.

The roster overhaul netted Scott Coe, Mike Juhasz, Frantz Clarkson this week with more announcements coming next week before the Parkland Panthers game. Former Stampeder Scott Coe bolstered the Gator linebacking core leading all defenders with 9 solo tackles and 6 assists as well as a knockdown. The entire Gator Defense played exceptional in containing rookie QB McBryan and RB Carr all day.

On offense the return of Tim Johnson made an immediate impact on the passing game, netting 8 catches for 63 yards. The potent rushing attack of Jake Swainson was stymied this week by a ferocious Stallion defense, netting only 28 yards on 10 carries. Ian Hewitt came through in the clutch all day long scoring all the Gators points with 4 field goals including a game winner from 44 yards out.

CALGARY GATORS 35, EDMONTON SEAHAWKS 0

The Calgary Gators played host to the visiting Edmonton Seahawks Saturday night with the Gators coming out victorious 35-0. Rookie sensation Jake Swainson was outstanding once again rushing for 164 yards on 19 carries. Leigh Casey was showing his former AFL defensive MVP by picking off another pass and returning 3 punts for 119 yards, and on defense having 3 solo tackles and 4 assists. The score was not a true indication of the game as the Gators worked in every player on the roster for a look see. New acquisition Jeff Maltais who was acquired in a trade with the Calgary Wolfpack for the rights to Evan Kaluta earlier in the week, made his presence felt hauling in a 22 yard TD catch from Ryan Zahara to go with 3 catches in limited action.

After the victory, team president Tom Luzzi announced that long time veterans Brian Harrison and Dwayne Krywulak had been officially released from the ball club.

On July 5th, Calgary Gators play host to the Edmonton Stallions. Both teams have had an intense rivalry over the past few years with each sending the other home with unexpected losses in the playoffs. The Gators will be making major player announcements later this week as they prepare for a battle against the reigning AFL champs Edmonton Stallions.

LLOYDMINSTER VANDALS 14, CALGARY GATORS 13

The Calgary Gators turned the ball over 5 times which allowed the Lloydminster Vandals to leave Calgary as victors, beating the Gators 14-13 in a tight contest.

The Gators moved the ball, but struggled to score, as the Gators suffered through several interceptions and fumbles and also managed to be stopped on 3rd and goal from the 1 yard line.

The Vandals stayed in the ball game with their opportunistic defense, and then managed to come from behind in the last minutes with a last minute FG to come away with the 14-13 victory.

RED DEER BUCCANEERS 23, CALGARY GATORS 16

The Buccaneers shocked the Gators, winning a close game in a very muddy field at Great Chief Park in Red Deer on Saturday.

The Buccaneers took advantage of Gators special teams early, returning a punt for a TD to put the Bucs up 7-0. The snap had gone over Hewitt's head, who recovered the loose ball and managed to punt the ball, but the Gators coverage teams could not prevent this from being a big play against them.

The Gators then counterattacked with a Hewitt FG and then on a Dan Strikaitis TD pass to Sooney Cohen, giving the Gators a 10-7 lead in the 1st quarter.

The skies over Red Deer then opened up. The Gators turned the ball over in the red zone by interception and on downs. The Bucs responded with a long running TD, making the score 13-10 Red Deer as the extra point was blocked.

The Gators responded with a FG to tie it, but the Bucs were bailed out by a low snap on a field goal attempt to end the first half, as a roughing penalty was called. This allowed the Bucs to hit the second-chance FG for a 16-13 half time lead.

The weather conditions made conditions very muddy for the second half. The scoreless 3rd quarter was followed by a Gators FG to tie the game at 16-16 with 12:09 to play.

The Bucs quickly responded with a quick drive, leading to a TD, giving the Bucs a 22-16 lead with 10:41 left as the extra point was wide left.

The Bucs managed an important single point to make the margin of victory a converted TD, but the Gators were unable to score another TD, as they lost their first game of the year, 23-16.