Coming into the game all the hype was around Manitoba receiver/returners Nic Demski and Anthony Coombs – but it was the Dinos’ Jake Harty that stole the show.
On the offence, Harty was the only player on either team with more than 100 yards on the day, finishing with eight catches for 106 yards and a touchdown – a career-best receiving performance – as the Dinos punched their ticket to the 76th Hardy Cup with a 57-18 win over the Bisons Saturday night.
And on special teams, he was dominant. He returned seven punts a total of 53 yards, but his biggest impact came late in the third quarter. After the Bisons had put their first points of the game on the board, Harty went back to return the ensuing kickoff. Catching the ball on his own goal line, he found a seam and blew through it, returning the kick 110 yards to the end zone. It was the longest kickoff return in Canada West history, and it restored a 40-plus point lead for Calgary heading into the fourth quarter.
He finished with 269 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns in the game.
Harty and the Dinos look to win an unprecedented fifth straight Canada West championship Saturday when they face the Regina Rams at McMahon Stadium, live on TSN beginning at 2 p.m. MT.
