The St. Mary defence brings down a Carlton ball carrier en route to their 32-28 semi-final win in the NSFL playoffs on Oct. 19, 2023. (Logan Lehmann/paNOW Staff)

By Logan Lehmann

instant classic

St. Mary upsets Carlton in instant classic to advance to NSFL Finals

Oct 20, 2023 | 4:14 AM

Two words: instant classic.

That’s how many of the spectators at Max Clunie Field on Thursday night will remember Carlton and St. Mary’s semi-final clash in the North Saskatchewan Football League (NSFL) playoffs.

The Battle of Prince Albert came down right to the final play but unfortunately for Carlton, the end of the road came sooner than they expected as St. Mary pulled off the major upset, winning 32-28.

“It’s a tough one for us,” said Carlton Head Coach Lindsay Strachan. “We didn’t make enough plays at key times. I thought we battled – [St. Mary] played excellent, they made a couple more plays than we did.”

Carlton came into the game as the #1-seeded team after finishing the regular season undefeated against league opponents, going 4-0. St. Mary on the other hand, entered as the #4-seed where they narrowly clinched the fourth and final playoff spot last Friday with their season on the line.

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Although the contest ended with the Marauders on top, things didn’t look like they were going that way at the start of the game.

After Carlton jumped to an early 14-0 lead after the first quarter, St. Mary would begin to gain back some ground by forcing a Crusader safety for two points before scoring a touchdown later in the frame to make it 14-9 going into the half.

St. Mary would gain the lead early in the third when Cameron Neudorf ran the ball in from a yard out. The Marauders would convert on the two-point conversion to make the game 17-14. Late in the quarter, St. Mary would concede a safety before Zane Litzenberger scored on the very next play to retake the lead for Carlton heading into the fourth.

With the score 22-17 with 6:11 to go in the game, St. Mary quarterback Lukas Robin cashed in for a touchdown to put the Marauders up by one. They would again attempt a two-point conversion which was successful to go up 25-22.

St. Mary would go on to add another touchdown to make it a two-possession game and now with 1:18 remaining on the clock, Carlton cut into the lead with Gage Prodaehl scoring for six. However, on the point after attempt, Carlton would go for a single but were blocked by the St. Mary defense, which was one of many big defensive blocks that they had in the game.

With the score now 32-28 on the ensuing kickoff, Carlton went for the onside kick and were successful with their effort getting the ball around midfield. The opportunity would go to waste though as St. Mary managed to intercept the ball on a deep passing attempt.

With less than a minute to go, St. Mary was unable to secure a first down and were forced to punt. The ball went straight up and not very far, leading to great field position for Carlton for one last Hail Mary pass. Facing pressure, Crusader quarterback Sullivan Smith-Windsor quickly threw the ball after receiving the snap only for it to fall into no man’s land as St. Mary pulled off the upset against Carlton.

“I can’t say enough about these guys and the heart they showed here today,” said St. Mary Head Coach Curt Hundeby. “Hats off to Carlton, they’re a fantastic team and they’re loaded with talent and the boys battled so well – I’m so proud of them. We were down, we picked our heads up, and we clawed back one yard at a time. That last minute killed my heart, probably have to go to the doctors now but I’m so happy for them. It was such a fun battle to be in it right down to the last second.”

The Marauders now advance to the finals where they will travel to North Battleford on Saturday, Oct. 28 to take on the Vikings for the inaugural NSFL championship. North Battleford defeated Martensville 22-0 in their semi-final matchup which also happened on Thursday.

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logan.lehmann@pattisonmedia.com