WINNIPEG – Receiver Kenny Stafford banged two cans of beer together and shook them as he stood by the door to the Edmonton Eskimos locker-room.
When Mike Reilly came through to join his teammates to celebrate Edmonton’s 26-20 Grey Cup win over Ottawa on Sunday, Stafford sprayed the beer over the quarterback’s head.
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Reilly laughed and began hugging his beer-soaked teammates, who had been spraying each other and chugging the brew while he was doing a press conference as the game’s most valuable player.
Eskimos defensive lineman Odell Willis found Reilly and they bent down to give each other a low hand slap and some bear hugs.
WATCH: Edmonton Eskimos offensive lineman Tony Washington was excited to show off his Grey Cup Championship ball cap Sunday night. In fact, he was so excited he ran over to Global Edmonton’s Fletcher Kent, who was in the middle of recording a stand up. Watch their funny exchange.
The often-brash Willis then cheekily anointed Reilly with an award that had been given out earlier in the week to Redblacks quarterback Henry Burris.
“You’re looking at the real MOP (most outstanding player),” yelled Willis inside the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ borrowed dressing room at Investors Group Field.
Willis, a former Bomber, also chanted “10-and-0, 10-and-0,” referring to the winning streak Edmonton now has after claiming the franchise’s 14th championship in its CFL-record 25th Grey Cup appearance.
Ottawa had mounted a 13-0 lead by 6:09 of the first quarter, but Edmonton climbed back and went ahead 17-16 at halftime on a two-yard touchdown catch by rookie running back Akeem Shavers, who had five catches for 26 yards and eight carries for 37 yards.
The Texas native was signed as a free agent in August and didn’t make his CFL debut until Week 18. The 103rd championship game was his fourth three-down game.
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After hoisting the Cup on the field as green-and-yellow confetti rained down on he and his teammates, he was asked how he liked the way Canadians celebrated their football championship.
“Just being a part of this all running 103 years, I can’t even put into words,” Shavers said with a big grin on his face.
“This is crazy. I love the experience. This has been a great experience. You guys celebrate nice so I like it!”
Edmonton kicker Sean Whyte, who joined the team in September after almost retiring, missed a 45-yard field goal and hit the upright on a 35-yard attempt. But he was still smiling on the field.
The nine-year veteran and his Ottawa counterpart, Chris Milo, had wondered before the game if a different set of footballs being used by the kickers would affect their performance.
“I’m not going to complain about that,” Whyte said of the balls that seemed a bit slick. “It was just an unlucky night for me. That’s all it was.
“This is a great team to be a part of. Their heads never drop. They always think they’re in every game and they always believe they’re going to win. I’m so happy to be on this team ’cause they have my back. We play for one another and that’s why we came out on top.”
The Redblacks had a 19-18 edge after the third quarter, added another point on a Milo single and then Esks backup QB Jordan Lynch clinched the victory with a one-yard TD plunge. Shavers added a two-point convert catch with 3:17 left in the game.
WATCH: Edmonton Eskimos react to Grey Cup victory
One Eskimo player who was soaking up the beer-laden celebration was fullback Calvin McCarty, who’s spent all his nine CFL seasons with the team.
“We made some mistakes early to keep them in the game, but we came out on top,” said McCarty, who went to school in B.C.
“Nine years, walking by all the traditions, all the Grey Cups hanging (at the Eskimos facility) every day, it all seemed like one long extended season.
“To be able to put something on the end of it and cap it off right, it felt great.”
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