Okanagan Sun @ St. Clair Saints – Saturday November 9, 7:00pm EST – Acumen Stadium | WATCH HERE

Tickets will be available at the gate of Acumen Stadium as of 5:00pm today.

The 116th Canadian Bowl presented by the Government of Ontario kicks off today in Windsor as the Ontario Conference champion St. Clair Saints host the BC Conference champion Okanagan Sun.

This is the first time these two storied franchises meet in the Canadian Bowl since 1999 when the then AKO Fratmen beat the Sun 32-29 in an incredible game.  This year’s contest has the opportunity to be just as good with both teams extremely talented. 

This is a rematch of the 2022 National Semi-Final game in which the Sun won 42-24.  After that victory they went onto win the Canadian Bowl in Regina, their third all time.

For the Saints, this is their first appearance in the national championship game since 2017 when they hosted the Saskatoon Hilltops.  They are the hosts after an incredible regular season and playoff run here in 2024.  They finished 8-0 during the regular campaign and breezed through their two Ontario Conference playoff games to win the right to host the Canadian Bowl.  They outscored their opposition, averaging 60.1 points per game and only gave up 7.9. 

They feature nine All-Canadians including quarterback Maurice Sodja who had an amazing season with his arm and his legs.  He averaged almost 300 yards in each game with the combination of throwing and rushing yards.  He has some dangerous weapons to throw to in All-Canadian receiver Darius France and Cameron St. Kitts-Park.  

It will be interesting to see how this offence adjusts to the Sun defence, arguably the best they’ve seen this year.  The Sun don’t give up much, allowing just over 13 points a game during the regular season.  They are fast, swarm to the ball and they can hit hard, which could wear down the Saints during the first night game in recent Canadian Bowl history.  The Sun secondary features a pair of All-Canadian defensive backs in Ahmed Borhot and Kenley Williams that can shut down the opposition’s receivers and have a natural nose for the ball.  Not to mention David Lewis who had a very important pick-six in the CJFL National Semi-Final victory. 

On the offensive side the Sun running attack will need to have a big game and find a way to chew up yards against a very strong Saints defence led by All-Canadian Jaylin Burnett.  CJFL Outstanding Offensive Player of the Year Elelyon Noa of the Sun has found yards all season long and will no doubt be a major part of their offensive push in the national championship game on Saturday night.  

This will no doubt be a very competitive game with players and coaches leaving everything on the field to win that “natty.”

Head-to-Head (regular season stats)

Records: Sun 10-0 – Saints 8-0
Average Points For: Sun 39.2 – Saints 61.5
Average Points Allowed: Sun 13.7 – Saints 4.2

Passing Leaders: Liam Kroeger – 51 of 80 for 739 yards, 3 touchdowns, and a pass completion percentage of 64% (Sun) – Maurice Sodja – 85 of 124 for 1499 yards, 20 touchdowns and a pass completion percentage of 68.5%

Rushing Leaders: Elelyon Noa – 216 carries for 1612 yards and 22 touchdowns (Sun) – MJ Marshall-Doyle – 76 carries for 732 yards and 11 touchdowns (Saints) 

Receiving Leaders: Jordayne Falconer – 19 receptions for 428 yards and 4 touchdowns (Sun) – Cameron St. Kitts-Park - 29 receptions for 468 yards and 9 touchdowns (Saints)

Leading Tacklers: Jacob Bond – 49 tackles (Sun) – Gaddy Kazadi – 13 tackles (Saints)