Instant Replay: Buchanan Bowl history

Clash of the titans - Larry Donohoe, above between head coaches John Buchanan of Carson Graham and Jay Prepchuk of Handsworth, has been involved in 35 of the 45 senior grid games between the two schools, including all the Buchanan Bowl games leading to this Saturday’s 25th edition.

LEN CORBEN PHOTO

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It’s Game On! this Saturday when Carson Graham Eagles and Handsworth Royals meet at Confederation Park at 1:30 in their 25th annual clash for the Buchanan Bowl trophy.

Actually the history of gridiron battles between the two rivals goes back even further than that, all the way back 45 games to 1969.

So which game is the most memorable ever played?

Who better to ask than Larry Donohoe who has been involved in every game since 1977, first as a player with Carson Graham, then as a fixture as an Eagles coach and ultimately as Buchanan Bowl organizer. He can’t remember if he also saw the 1975 and 1976 games when he was at Sutherland – then a junior high – as a Grades 9 and 10 student, chomping at the bit to get to play for the Eagles. But he does remember working on the stick crew for some Carson Graham games those years.

His pick as the most memorable? The 2007 encounter.

During the first half, Carson Graham led 12-0 on a field goal by Steve Shott, a safety touch conceded by Handsworth and a pass from Terrell Longley to Mike Nichol for a touchdown that Shott converted.

Handsworth engineered a second quarter TD on a pass from Jon Roney to Anthony Allardyce and another on a quarterback sneak by Roney early in the fourth period, but both majors went unconverted and the score remained 12-12 as the final minutes ticked away.

With two minutes left, a field goal try by Handsworth was blocked and Carson Graham marched 70 yards to the 10-yard line with just seconds remaining. That’s when a last-play-of- the-game field goal attempt by Shott from the 17 split the uprights – which were set back 10 yards in the end zone – for a 27-yarder and a 15-12 victory.

It was the last game of the season for Carson Graham who were playing in the large-school “AAA” league but missed the playoffs. Handsworth, however, won their next three games to capture the B.C. “AA” championship.

Shott went on to play for the Okanagan Sun in the B.C. junior league where he’s connected on 45 field goals in the past two years, including ones from 50 and 51 yards and another for the Canadian junior record of 57 yards on Oct. 3, 2010, against Victoria.

So who will win on Saturday?  Take a look at the stats shown here and maybe figure it out based on recent results, location of the game, day of the week, time of the year and the records of the current  head coaches. Or just go and watch the game.

Me? I have my hunches but, since it’s never happened before, I’m predicting a tie game. (See, that’s me over there, sitting on the fence.)

This is episode 433 from Len Corben’s treasure chest of stories – the great events and the quirky – that bring to life the North Shore’s rich sports history.

BUCHANAN BOWL STATS

Game         Date        Winner    Loser    Park

1.           1969, Oct. 17    CG 22    Hand 12    Carson Graham

2.           1970, Oct. 15    CG 18    Hand 12    Empire Stadium

3.           #1970, Nov. 6    CG 32    Hand 0    Empire Stadium

4.        1971, Oct.  1    Hand 38    CG 14    Empire Stadium

5.        1972, Oct. 11    Hand 26    CG 0    Empire Stadium

6.        1973, Oct. 25    *Hand 22     CG 20    Kinsmen Stadium

7.        1974, Oct.  3    Hand 16    CG 8    Handsworth

8.        1975, Oct. 10    CG 8    Hand 0    Empire Stadium

9.        #1975, Oct. 31    CG 6    Hand 0    Empire Stadium

10.        1976, Sept. 24    Hand 20    CG 18    Carson Graham

11.        1977, Sept. 30    CG 8    Hand 0    Empire Stadium

12.        1978, Oct. 19    Hand 20    CG 0    Handsworth

13.        1979, Oct. 12    *Hand 14    CG 8    Empire Stadium

14.        1980, Sept. 26    Hand 20    CG 6    Kinsmen Stadium

15.        1981, Oct. 23    CG 12    Hand 7    Delbrook Park

16.        1982, Oct. 15    Hand 31    CG 8    Empire Stadium

17.        1983, Sept. 20    Hand 20    CG 8    Handsworth

18.        1983, Oct. 14    Hand 27    CG 18    Carson Graham

19.        1984, Sept. 20    Hand 2    CG 0    Empire Stadium

20.        1985, Oct. 25    Hand 7    CG 6    Empire Stadium

21.        1986, Oct. 10    CG 19    Hand 0    Handsworth

Start of Buchanan Bowl

22.    I    1987, Oct. 23    CG 12    Hand 7    Kinsmen Stadium

23.    II    1988, Oct.  7    Hand 21    CG 15    Handsworth

24.    III    1989, Oct.  6    Hand 27    CG 10    Carson Graham

25.    IV    1990, Nov. 3    Hand 28    CG 16    Kinsmen Stadium

26.    V    1991, Oct. 12    CG 38    Hand 15    Kinsmen Stadium

27.     VI    1992, Sept. 19    CG 28    Hand 0    Kinsmen Stadium

28.    VII    1993, Sept. 25    *CG 9    Hand 0    Kinsmen Stadium

29.    VIII    1994, Sept. 17    CG 8    Hand 6    Kinsmen Stadium

30.    IX    1995, Oct.  7    CG 27    Hand 6    Kinsmen Stadium

31.     X    1996, Sept. 14    *Hand 20    CG 6    Kinsmen Stadium

32.    XI    1997, Sept. 13    CG 34    Hand 6    Kinsmen Stadium

33.    XII    1998, Sept. 19    Hand 38    CG 12    Kinsmen Stadium

34.    XIII    1999, Oct. 16    Hand 28    CG 14    Kinsmen Stadium

35.    XIV    2000, Oct. 28    CG 47    Hand 0    Kinsmen Stadium

36.    XV    2001, Oct. 13    *CG 38    Hand 12    Kinsmen Stadium

37.    XVI    2002, Sept. 14    Hand 33    CG 14    Confederation Park

38.    XVII    2003, Sept. 13    Hand 32    CG 14    Confederation Park

39.    XVIII    2004, Nov. 5    Hand 28    CG 25    Confederation Park

40.    XIX    2005, Oct. 29    CG 20    Hand 7    Confederation Park

41.    XX    2006, Nov. 4    CG 21    Hand 14    Confederation Park

42.    XXI    2007, Nov. 3    CG 15    *Hand 12    Confederation Park

43.    XXII    2008, Sept. 6    CG 35    Hand 7    Confederation Park

44.    XXIII    2009, Sept. 12    CG 34    Hand 7    Confederation Park

45.    XXIV    2010, Sept. 11    Hand 35    CG 34    Confederation Park

46.    XXV    2011, Sept. 17    1:30 at Confederation Park (beside Carson Graham)

Total wins:   Hand 23, CG 22    Buchanan Bowl: CG 14, Hand 10.

#Playoff game      *B.C. championship team

Team       Overall    For/Against    BBowl     For/Against

CG         22-23        765-683        14-10    526-409

Hand         23-22        683-765        10-14    409-526

Best and Worst

Highest winning score: 47 (CG in 2000)

Highest losing score: 34 (CG in 2010)

Lowest winning score: 2 (Hand in 1984)

Closest margin: 1 (Hand 7 CG 6 in 1985; Hand 35 CG 34 in 2010)

Widest margin: 47 (CG 47 Hand 0 in 2000)

Highest total score: 69 (CG 35 Hand 34 in 2010)

Lowest total score: 2 (Hand 2 CG 0 in 1984)

Longest win streak: 5 (Hand 1982-85; CG 1991-95 and 2006-10)

Most shutouts: 8 (CG)

Wins by:         CG    Hand

Location

Kinsmen Stadium    9    6

Empire Stadium        5    6

Handsworth        1    4

Carson Graham         1    3

Confederation Park    5    4

Delbrook Park        1    0

Day of Week

Tuesday        0    1

Wednesday        0    1

Thursday        1    4

Friday            8    10

Saturday        13    7

Month

September        7    9

October        12    12

November        3    2

Head Coaches (Won-Lost) Years

Carson Graham:

Earl Henderson (11-16) 1969-92

Larry Donohoe Grad ’80 & Ray Marshall Grad ’71 (1-0) 1993

John Buchanan Grad ’85 (10-7) 1994-present

Handsworth:

Graham Leask (0-3) 1969-70

Jack Tasaka (8-5) 1971-76; 1987-92

Dave Pearce (6-2) 1977-83

Michel Leveille (2-1) 1984-86

**Joe Bell (6-7) 1993-2005

**Jay Prepchuk Grad ’79 (3-5) 2003-present

**Co-head coaches 2003-05

Pro Players, Grad Year, Teams

Carson Graham:

Loren Sherbina ’70, Calgary; John Blain ’73, B.C.; Phil Luke ’73, Montreal; Joe Kuklo ’77, B.C. and Hamilton; Gerald Roper ’77, B.C.; Kurt Chapman ’80, Edmonton; Glen Suitor ’80, Saskatchewan; Dave Cechini ’81, B.C.; Jeff Thomas ’85, Edmonton; Sean Millington ’86, B.C. and Toronto; Jerome Pathon ’93, Indianapolis, New Orleans and Atlanta; Farwan Zubedi ’95 (Grade 11), Calgary, B.C. and Hamilton; Paris Jackson ’98, B.C.

Handsworth:

Jerome Erdman ’79, Winnipeg, Edmonton and Ottawa; Mike Bellefontaine ’80, B.C.; Bruce Barnett ’81, B.C.; Andrew English ’93, B.C., Toronto and Hamilton.