OUA Recaps: Gryphons hold on, Blues beat Lancers first time since ’01, Western cruises [stats]

Guelph, ON – The No. 6 ranked Guelph Gryphons improved to 2-0 on the season with a 30-19 victory over the Laurier Golden Hawks (1-1) on Labour Day Monday at Alumni Stadium.

Both teams were forced to deal with some extreme conditions as temperatures at field level were hovering around 40 degrees Celsius throughout the game. Early on, nobody was hotter than the Gryphon defence as they dominated the opening half of play. After Laurier received the opening kickoff, the Gryphons would force a turnover on just the second play from scrimmage as Laurier quarterback James Fracas, who was questionable to start the game because of a knee injury, was picked off by Guelph’s OUA All-Star free safety Tristan Doughlin(Toronto, ON). That marked the first of several huge plays that would be made by the Gryphons defence in the game. With Guelph leading 10-3 in the second quarter, the Gryphon offence would come up with their biggest play of the game.

Shortly after quarterback James Roberts (Cambridge, ON) and receiver Jacob Scarfone (London, ON) had connected for a 39-yard completion, those two would hook up once again, this time for a 34-yard touchdown. Scarfone, a third year receiver who was coming off a monster game against Waterloo in Week 1 (8 rec, 201 yds, 2 TD), was the recipient of some great downfield blocking from teammate A’dre Fraser (Halifax, NS) helping the Gryphons lead grow to 17-3. While Scarfone’s 34-yard touchdown was impressive, the celebration might have been even more impressive as the 6-1, 200 pound receiver wowed the crowd with a standing backflip. Before the end of the quarter, Gryphons kicker Gabe Ferraro (Mississauga, ON) would connect on his third field goal of the opening half (25, 42, 13) as Guelph took a 20-3 lead into the locker room at half. In the first half, Guelph had 16 first downs compared to just five for Laurier.

While the Golden Hawks were unable to sustain any long drives against a tough Gryphon defence in the opening half, they would be granted the opportunity to work with a short field to start the third quarter. On the Gryphons first offensive play of the third quarter, a botched exchange on a handoff gave Laurier the ball deep in Guelph territory. Two plays later, Fracas and Daniel Bennett would connect for a 15-yard touchdown to give the Golden Hawks some life as the deficit was trimmed to 20-10.

Guelph’s All-Canadian return specialist Ryan Nieuwesteeg (Niagara Falls, ON) would provide the Gryphons with a spark later in the third quarter. After scooping up a rolling punt at midfield, Nieuwesteeg would take his return from one side of the field to the other, taking it back 37-yards all the way down to the Laurier 11-yard line. On the next play, second year running back Daniel Palmer-Salmon (Brampton, ON) would bounce to the outside and take it in for the 11-yard touchdown to give the Gryphons a 30-10 lead.

The Golden Hawks would chip into that lead thanks to their All-Canadian running back. Dillon Campbell, who was named the OUA’s MVP a season ago, was held to just 79 yards rushing on 17 carries in the game for a modest average of 3.9 yards per carry. While Campbell was not able to get much going on the ground against a tough Guelph front seven, he would make a big play in the receiving game late in the third quarter. The final play of the third quarter was a screen pass to Campbell that was taken 34-yards down to the Guelph two-yard line. After a switch of ends, the Hawks would start the fourth quarter with a Dillon Campbell two-yard touchdown run as the Guelph lead was trimmed to 30-17.

On the ensuing kickoff, Nieuwesteeg would be stripped of the football after a great return to midfield. The ball was touched last by Laurier before going out of bounds giving the Hawks possession and some serious momentum. Laurier would drive the ball down to the Guelph five-yard line and looked poised to make it a one score game. That is when the Gryphon defence came up with arguably the biggest play of the game. On first and goal from the five-yard line, Mack Myers (Guelph, ON) would get into the Laurier backfield with a perfectly timed blitz from the free safety position. His crushing hit on Laurier quarterback James Fracas forced him to get rid of the ball early. Second year standout Nick Parisotto (Guelph, ON) would come down with the interception in the endzone as the momentum suddenly shifted back to the Gryphons.

With the score still 30-17 Guelph and with just over six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, it was déjà vu for the Hawks who once again were on the move and poised to cut into the lead. This time, on a first and 10 from the Guelph 15-yard line, Fracas would have his pass tipped and picked off by Parisotto for a second time. Last season as rookie Parisotto finished tied for second in the conference with four interceptions during the regular season; his two red zone interceptions on Labour Day helped seal the victory for the Gryphons who have now won their last four meetings with Laurier.

On the day, the Gryphons held Laurier to just 69 net rushing yards.

Offensively for the Gryphons, quarterback James Roberts finished the day 22-41, 295 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT. Jacob Scarfone was the leading receiver with 8 receptions for 137 yards and a touchdown. A’dre Fraser made 9 catches for 110 yards. Johnny Augustine, Daniel Palmer-Salmon and Brandon Gordon shared the load in the backfield and combined to rush for 129 yards. Nieuwesteeg finished the day with 6 punt returns for 104 yards.

The No. 6 Gryphons will be in action again on Saturday, September 12 when they travel to York to take on the Lions.

Source: Guelph Gryphons

(Photo: Kyle Rodriguez)

LONDON, Ont. – A touchdown pass from Will Finch to receiver Harry McMaster only 49 seconds into the game got the Western Mustangs started and they never looked back, cruising to a 74-10 win over the York Lions on Monday night at TD Stadium.

“We tried to manage our players and rotate them through,” said Western head coach Greg Marshall, talking about what the team can take from this type of victory. “Keep everyone mentally and physically sharp so that we don’t get any injuries.”

Playing in front of a packed house of 11,832 fans for the team’s annual Orientation Week Game, the Mustangs recorded their second straight big win to start the season after last week’s 76-7 victory over Windsor.

The Mustangs scored on their first four possessions in the first quarter and were up 33-0 after only 15 minutes of play. In only two quarters of play Finch had another stellar performance, finishing a perfect 14 for 14 for 304 yards and three touchdowns, while adding another on the ground before making way for backup Josh Beach for the second half.

Harry McMaster was Finch’s favorite target finishing with seven catches for 142 yards and two touchdowns, the first two of his CIS career.

The dominance of the pass game opened the running game wide open as the four-headed monster of Alex Taylor,Adam Sinclair, Yannick Harou, and rookie Cedric Joseph were given space and time once again courtesy of a dominating offensive line.

The ball was spread evenly throughout the four backs, with none getting more than eight or less than four touches each. Taylor led the group going for 94 yards on only four carries with two touchdowns.

“Our running backs know that there is so much depth right now,” said Marshall, “I can’t tell you who is the best of the four of them. They are unselfish enough to know that if (they’re) going to get ten carries a game then that’s going to be ok.”

“Its all about keeping your mind in the game,” said Taylor, speaking about waiting long stretches between carries, “Watching the progression of the game and knowing you’re going to be called any second.”

Taylor added another touchdown courtesy of a 107-yard kickoff return, the longest kick return in Mustangs history and the first for the purple and white since Andrew Thibaudeau’s 104-yard return in the 2010 OUA Semi-Finals.

The Western offensive unit was virtually unstoppable all night, recording 744 yards of total offence. In fact, the Mustangs finished each of their first five drives with either a touchdown or a field goal, with their first non-scoring drive only coming in the second quarter.

Defensively, the Mustangs capitalized on the small amount of time being allowed the York quarterbacks. Two rushed throws from Lions quarterback Eric Kimmerly were picked off and converted for touchdowns on the ensuing drives.Jesse McNair led the Mustangs defence with 9.5 tackles and one interception that he returned for 21 yards.

After Finch and McMaster connected to open the scoring only 49 seconds in, the duo teamed up once again on the next drive with Finch threading the needle between two defensive backs to hit McMaster and double the Western lead.

Tom Marshall caught Finch’s third touchdown pass of the day a few moments later, extending the Western lead to 21-0 with just over five minutes remaining in the frame.

Taylor rounded things out with the quarter’s last major, as he turned on the jets through the middle, made a defender miss with a hard cut, and took it 42 yards for the touchdown. A safety added another two points to the board for the Mustangs, and a 33-yard field goal from Ben Kelly gave the purple and white a 33-0 lead after the first quarter.

It was more of the same in the second quarter with points coming off of two safeties, a 37-yard field goal from Kelly, a 36-yard run from Taylor, and a six-yard rushing touchdown from Finch. The Lions got on the board as the first half expired with a 45-yard field goal from Nick Naylor making it 54-3 for Western at the half.

Western’s offence slowed down in the second half, with Kelly recording both 34 and 37 yard field goals, while James Sifakis recorded a touchdown to give Western a 67-3 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

York added a touchdown late in the fourth on a catch from Nathaniel Pinto, to record their only major of the day.

Taylor’s 107-yard kickoff return proved to be the highlight of the second half as well as representing the final points of the game. Taylor motored untouched through the middle of the field to make it a 74-10 final for Western.

“Kind of funny,” said Taylor through a wide smile when asked about his big return. “Right before we went out there Sean Jamieson and I were talking and I said we’re going to take this one to the house.”

“The guys up front did a good job of getting a big hole and I came through that hole and it was only the kicker. I was kind of praying to God the kicker wouldn’t get me, but just made a little move, got around, and it was daylight from there.”

Western will face a tougher test as they travel to Laurier on a short week to take on the Golden Hawks on Saturday, September 12, at 7:30 p.m. The Golden Hawks are 1-1 after dropping a spirited contest to the Guelph Gryphons on Monday.

“I think that Laurier will give us a really good game next week,” said Marshall. “They played Guelph tough [on Monday afternoon]. I think that Queen’s after that, that’s a couple of good solid opponents coming up.”

Fans can watch Saturday’s game on OUA.tv and listen on CHRW Radio 94.9 FM or on Newstalk 1290 CJBK with Tom McConnell and legendary Mustangs coach Larry Haylor calling all the action.

(Photo: Martin Bazyl)

The University of Toronto Varsity Blues football defeated the Windsor Lancers 8-7 on Labour Day Monday (Sept. 7) under the lights at Varsity Centre.

The win marks Toronto’s first over Windsor since a 13-11 victory on Oct. 13, 2001. It also brings their head-to-head record versus the Lancers to .500, holding a 21-21-0 standing since their first meeting in 1973.

U of T rookie kicker Anthony Iafrate went 2-for-2, kicking 18- and 29-yard field goals in the victory.

First-year defensive back Nick Hallet of London, Ont., was named the Varsity Blues player of the game after leading all players with seven tackles. Veteran Jaiden McBride added 5.5 tackles, while linebackerAdrian Bernard totalled five tackles and two sacks in the win.

Fifth-year Blues quarterback Simon Nassar was 22-of-39 for 243 yards on the night. His favourite target was Rahul Madan, who made six catches for 65 yards. Sophomore running back Divante Smith rushed 16 times for 71 yards, while also making three receptions for 48 yards.

Windsor’s Hugh Paulin went 2-for-3, kicking 20 and 23-yard field goals on back-to-back drives in the second quarter. Defensive back Devon Woods was named the Lancers player of the game, leading his team with 6.5 tackles, one sack and one forced fumble.

Third-year quarterback Casey Wright was 15-for-27 for 126 yards, with Tarrence Crawford rushing 15 times for 98 yards.

The Varsity Blues head into a bye week and return to the field on Saturday, September 19, when they travel to Ottawa to take on the Carleton Ravens.

Toronto returns to Varsity Centre on Saturday, September 26 as they host their annual Hall of Fame Game versus the Queen’s Gaels. Kick off is set for 1 p.m.

Source: Toronto Varsity Blues

Laurier Goldenhawks vs. Guelph Gryphons at Guelph 9/7/2015 at 1:00 pm
Laurier 19	Guelph 30

Windsor vs. Toronto at Toronto 9/7/2015 at 7:07pm
Windsor 7	Toronto 8

 

York Lions vs. Western Mustangs at London, Ont. 9/7/2015 at 7:00 PM
York 10	Western 74