For the first time in 15 years, the resurrected Carleton Ravens football program took the field in a Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) game.
The Ravens’ first football game since 1998 was on the road against the powerhouse Western Mustangs who gave Carleton a rude welcome back to the CIS in a 71-4 thrashing.
“We competed for the most part, but it’s not necessarily a kind of game you can say that you played very well in when you lose by that much,” Ravens head coach Steve Sumarah said.
Carleton threatened to score on their first possession, driving the ball all the way down to Western’s one-yard line, before turning the ball, and the early momentum, over to the Mustangs.
Sumarah said scoring on that opening drive would not have changed the outcome of the game, but it would have given his team the confidence that they could compete with Western, who are fourth in the national pre-season rankings.
Carleton kicker and punter Andrew Banerjee will go down in history as the first Raven to score a point in the 21st century, as his single point through the Mustangs’ end zone cut the Western lead to only 14-1 after the first quarter.
“It feels great to contribute to Carleton Ravens history, but I couldn’t do it without my coaches and teammates behind me giving me that chance,” Banerjee said.
However, the Mustangs ramped up their game in the second quarter, scoring 32 unanswered points to take a commanding 46-1 lead at the half.
Ravens defensive co-ordinator Ryan Bechmanis said they need to learn to play better defensively going forward.
“We need to tackle a lot better and the conditioning for our guys wasn’t where it needed to be,” he said.
A third quarter field goal from Banerjee was all Carleton could muster offensively in the second half, as Western added a few more scores in the last two quarters to make it a 71-4 final.
Sumarah said he is glad Western did not let up and continued to play hard for the entire game.
“It’s the only way you’re going to know where you are, where you stand, and what you need to do to get better, so I say kudos to them for playing a great game,” he said.
The game held special significance for Ravens receiver Nate Behar, a London, Ont. native who chose to play for Carleton over his hometown Mustangs.
“Being able to see my family and friends out there supporting me was a great experience for my first ever CIS game,” Behar said.
As for the game itself, he said despite receiving some on-field trash talk from his friends playing on Western telling him he made the wrong university choice, he said he knows he made the right one.
“I’ve got three or four more years to change the outcome of that game, and I’ve got no worries that we’ll eventually get there,” he said.
The Ravens’ next game will be held Sept. 7 at Keith Harris Stadium against the University of Waterloo.
