The final four in the 2014 edition of the CFL has been determined and the two semi-final games were quite different affairs but still some exciting football down the stretch in both.
In the east semi it was tough to watch the Cats and Als battle the weather more than each other but in the last few minutes of the fourth all the drama which was missing showed up as Henry Burris drove his team to victory with the help of Dan LeFevour’s legs.
He doesn’t get the chance to pull off the two big runs in overtime unless Smilin’ Hank allows the good Burris to appear in a final drive against the wind but Hamilton pulls it off and all the garbage in the first three quarters plus was forgotten at that moment.
In the west final, the Lions and Riders gave the fans some big catches, runs and hits but it was again the legs of a quarterback which powered the win as Darian Durant piled up 76 yards in the final quarter for a Saskatchewan victory.
So now we have Toronto hosting Hamilton in the east final and the Riders travel to Calgary for the west title.
Both games have the potential to be real battles as each of these teams really don’t like each other but relish the chance to play these games.
In the east I am going to give the edge to Toronto simply because of Ricky Ray. Even if the good Henry Burris shows up for Hamilton it still only gives the Cats a fighting chance to stay with the Argos but it will likely not be enough.
The only asterisk beside this one is if Kent Austin gets a running game going early then Hamilton could pull this one out.
In the west final I have to lean towards Calgary as they seem to have all things football working well these days and the home field advantage comes into play.
If it comes down to running, then the Stamps have the edge in Jon Cornish over Kory Sheets but it’s just by a whisker. Both these guys run downhill and if it’s crappy weather then running will be the focus.
If the weather holds out, I still like the Stamps’ chances because it seems the Riders have not found a pass rush even with Foley and Hall so given time to throw, all three Calgary quarterbacks get the job done.
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