Guelph, Ont. – The Guelph Gryphons (2-0) continued their winning record after a 24-23 victory at home in Alumni Stadium over the Windsor Lancers (1-1) this afternoon (Sept. 2).
Guelph’s Daniel Ferraro (Mississauga, Ont.) kicked a 17-yard field goal with only eight seconds left in the contest to hand the Gryphons a one-point victory.
Quarterback, Jazz Lindsey was 15-for-29 on 195 yards for the day. Saxon Lindsey led all Gryphons receivers with six catches on 77 yards and played a crucial role in the Gryphons charge down the field in their last possession to set up the winning field goal.
John Rush (Niagara, Ont.) led the defence with four unassisted tackles and eight assisted tackles. The Gryphons put consistent pressure on quarterback Austin Kennedy, with Cameron Walker as his biggest threat with two and a half sacks, and Jeffrey Finley close behind with one and a half sacks. Curtis Newton (London, Ont.) and Mackenzie Myers (Guelph, Ont.) both had a sack as well, totaling to five sacks for the Gryphon defence.
The Gryphon defence came out strong in the first quarter with a pass knocked down by Michael Carney (Burnaby, BC), and a sack by Jeffrey Finley (St. Catherines, Ont.) and Cameron Walker (London, Ont.) in the first Lancer possession. Unfortunately, after a clipping call against the Gryphons on a punt, Guelph had to start their offensive drive from their own 1-yard line eventually leading to a safety being conceded, bringing the score to 2-0 for Windsor early on in the game. Guelph was able to make it onto the scoreboard later in the first quarter after a fumble recovery by James Ingram (Guelph, Ont.). After a field goal by Daniel Ferraro (Mississauga, Ont.), the score was 7-2 for the Gryphons.
It stayed close for the rest of the first half, with both defences holding strong and keeping the opponent’s offence at bay making the game a battle for extra points. Daniel Ferraro scored another field goal for the Gryphons and Windsor conceded a safety making it 12-2 for Guelph at the end of the first quarter. The Lancers started the second quarter with a 6-yard touchdown pass from Austin Kennedy (Windsor, Ont.) to Evan Pszczonak (Amherstburg, Ont.), and continued on for two rouge points by kicker Dan Cerino (Stoney Creek, Ont.), with Guelph conceding another safety. The score was 13-12 for the Lancers at the end of the first half.
The Gryphon defense exploded onto the field in the second half of the game, forcing Windsor to start on their own 6-yard line. Guelph pulled ahead after a big 15-yard interception return by Taylor Palmer (Niagara Falls, Ont.), scoring a touchdown in the opening minute of the third quarter. The Gryphons were unable to make the two-point conversion after a sack on quarterback Jazz Lindsey (Brampton, Ont.), making the score 18-13.
The Gryphons continued to put points on the board with a 20-yard field goal from Ferraro, but Windsor cut the lead after a 4-yard pass slipped by the Gryphon defense, making the score a close 21-20 for Guelph.
In the fourth quarter, Windsor pulled ahead after a 32-yard field goal by Dan Cerino, making it 23-21. With a 1:01 left in the game, Guelph began their final drive, starting on their own 9-yard line. After a run up the middle by Johnny Augustine (Welland, Ont.) and a big run by Alex Charette (St. Catherine, Ont.), Guelph made it up to the 52-yard line. After a huge pass to Saxon Lindsey (Markham, Ont.), Guelph was in Windsor’s territory, on the 16-yard line. Two consecutive 3-yard runs from Jazz Lindsey and Johnny Augustine brought the Gryphons to the Lancer’s 10-yard line. With 3.0 seconds left in the game, Daniel Ferraro scored a field goal that would give the Guelph Gryphons a 24-23 win over the Windsor Lancers.
The Gryphons Football team has a bye week coming up, but will hit the field September 14th against the University of Toronto in Toronto at 1:00 p.m.
SOURCE: Guelph sports info
The loss drops the Lancers to 1-1 on the year, while the current CIS No. 7 ranked Gryphons move to 2-0.
After Lancers kicker Dan Cerino put Windsor ahead with a 32 yard field goal midway through the final quarter, the men looked to be in fine shape, pinning the Gryphons on their own nine yard line with just over a minute to play in the contest. However, two long pass completions set up Gryphons kicker Daniel Ferraro for a 17 yard chipshot to give the home team a one point lead with seconds remaining. A last gasp Hail Mary by Austin Kennedy was to no avail, and the Lancers are left facing the formidable Queen’s Gaels on Saturday afternoon in order to get back above the .500 mark.
Kennedy finished the game with 371 yards in the air, including two touchdowns and one interception. Evan Pszczonak led all receivers with an outstanding 172 yards receiving, including one touchdown reception. However, one week after the Lancers totalled more rushing yards than passing yards, Windsor managed just 87 yards on the ground Monday. The Gryphons fared worse, tallying just 47 rushing yards over the course of the contest.
Windsor’s defence held the fort, allowing just 223 yards of total offence for the Gryphons, compared to 414 for the Lancers. However, two Lancer turnovers led directly to 14 Gryphons points, making a significant difference in Monday’s result.
The Gryphons jumped out to a 7-2 lead after a Lancers fumble occurred in the endzone, leading to a Guelph recovery and ensuing seven points.
Windsor jumped back into the game after a a 97-yard drive was orchestrated from Kennedy, who found Pszczonak for a seven yard touchdown pass to begin the second quarter. Two Rouge scores by Cerino gave the Lancers a slight edge at halftime, as they went into the locker rooms with a 13-12 lead.
Kennedy made up for an interception touchdown return early in the second half by marching the Lancers 57 yards down the field for a late third quarter touchdown to bring Windsor within one heading into the final quarter of play.
Both teams clamped down their respective defences in the fourth, each conceding a single field goal in the last 15 minutes, including Ferraro’s game-winner.
The Lancers will look to get back in the win column this Saturday when they visit Queen’s in Kingston, Ont. Windsor is back at home on Saturday, September 14 when they host the Carleton Ravens on Alumni Field.
Source: Windsor sports info
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