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Mission duo help UBC win Vanier Cup

Defensive back Kevin Wiens and linebacker Evan Horton were both part of the UBC Thunderbirds historic 26-23 Vanier Cup win.

A pair of Mission football products are now national champions.

Defensive back Kevin Wiens and linebacker Evan Horton were both part of the UBC Thunderbirds historic 26-23 Vanier Cup win over the Montreal Carabins in Quebec City on Nov. 28.

UBC won the biggest prize in CIS football with a last-second field goal kick. The last time UBC won the Vanier Cup was 1997.

Wiens is a third-year, and Horton is a first-year and both are graduates of  Mission Secondary School.

Wiens recorded five tackles and broke up one pass in the title game, with Horton picking up one assisted tackle.

“We make it tough on ourselves, but that’s what you expect from a young team. This group of guys was not even picked to make the playoffs in Canada West this year,” said UBC head coach Blake Nill. “What they have done is one of the most amazing things I’ve seen. This team has stood up to the best the country can offer and they have come out in front every time.”

The win completes a Cinderella story, after the club finished last in the Canada West conference with two wins and six losses in 2014.

It’s also less than two years removed from a UBC sports targeting review, where the future of the football program was in doubt.