If you’ve followed Canadian and Bushland football over the years, Friday night’s matchup probably felt like a familiar tune with a few new verses. Two programs with proud traditions, both known for tossing the ball all over the field, lined up against each other on a cool early September evening. On paper, it looked like another shootout. But the game reminded everyone that defense still matters—and Canadian showed they could win ugly when they had to, grinding out a 24-14 victory at home.
Canadian coach Andy Cavalier summed it up best afterward: “Nothing in this game surprises me. I’ve been in this game 12 years now and every one of them has been hard-fought with nothing easy. We are both known for high-powered offenses but we’re also known for playing really good defenses.”
The start of the game teased fireworks. Canadian sophomore quarterback Weston Mitchell wasted no time, hitting senior receiver Riggs Pennington for a 49-yard touchdown less than two minutes in. Bushland answered with a scoring drive of their own, capped by a short Bryson Jimenez run. At that point, fans might have settled in for a track meet.
But instead, the game bogged down into a test of patience. Both defenses came up with fourth-down stops, and Canadian coughed up a couple of costly fumbles. Still, Mitchell and Pennington were too much to contain. They hooked up for touchdowns of 29 and 7 yards later in the game, with Pennington finishing with nine catches for 175 yards. His size advantage was obvious. Mitchell admitted afterward, “I see Riggs down there wide open and I get happy. I know I can throw it up to him and he’ll go make a play. When a guy has six inches on everyone else it makes me feel great.”
Mitchell, still just a sophomore, didn’t play like a kid getting his feet wet. He completed 30-of-39 passes for 345 yards and three touchdowns, spreading the ball to four different receivers with at least four catches apiece. But when the Wildcats needed a drive-saver, Pennington was the answer.
Bushland had its moments, especially just before halftime when quarterback Kannon Aven found Colton Strickland for a 19-yard touchdown to trim Canadian’s lead to 17-14. The third quarter, though, was a stalemate, and that’s where Canadian’s ability to control the line of scrimmage made the difference. Running back Slayden Dickinson pounded away in the second half, finishing with 122 yards on 21 carries, helping the Wildcats burn clock and keep Bushland’s offense on the sideline.
Bushland coach Josh Reynolds acknowledged the familiar back-and-forth nature of the rivalry: “We’ve had some wild shootouts and we’ve had some comebacks and low-scoring games. Two of their touchdowns were on fourth down plays and both defenses played well.” His team got a strong night from receiver Jenner King, who hauled in 11 catches for 121 yards, but the Falcons never found balance on the ground, managing just 64 rushing yards.
For Canadian, it’s a statement win early in the season. The Wildcats are now 2-0, and Mitchell looks every bit the next in line of standout Canadian quarterbacks. More importantly, they showed they can win when the pace slows and the game gets gritty. As Pennington put it, “I think it’s a pretty big win, but we made a lot of mistakes and we’ve got to learn from them.”
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