Comeback effort punches Gryphons ticket to 105th Yates Cup with win over Queens

The win for Guelph marks their first trip to the provincial finals since hosting in 2007 where they eventually lost to Western. This will be the Gryphons seventh overall appearance in the OUA final and they will be searching for their fourth OUA banner. The last time Guelph won the Yates was in 1996.

The Yates Cup is scheduled to take place next Saturday (Nov 10). Guelph’s opponent will be decided following the semi-final match-up between the McMaster Marauders and the Western Mustangs. If Western comes out on top, kick off will be at Alumni Stadium, but if the Marauders triumph, the game will take place at the Ron Joyce Stadium in Hamilton, Ont.

“I can’t say enough about these kids, they just never give up, this is unbelievable,” said an emotional head coach Stu Lang following the game surrounded by his many supporters. “The kids played so well. At the half we told them that this is no surprise, we’ve been here before it’s just one of those games. And we came back, fought hard and never gave up. I’m so proud of them.”

Leading the Gryphon charge today was second-year quarterback Jazz Lindsey (Markham, Ont) who threw for 198 yards and two majors on 14-38 attempts. He also tallied 99 yards on the ground with an 80-yard long for a touchdown.

“This feels unbelievable,” commented Lindsey following the game. “At halftime we talked about being in similar situations, we knew what we had to do to come back and win and we did. We simply executed better in the second half.”

Michael Fortino (Niagara Falls, Ont) was Lindsey’s favourite receiver as he came down with four catches for 86 yards and the game-winning score.

The Gaels were led by Billy McPhee (Burlington, Ont) who connected on 22 of 33 attempts for 226 yards and a touchdown. Jesse Andrews (Arnprior, Ont) led the rushing game with 117 yards and two touchdowns.

The outcome of the game was largely decided by the dominant Gryphon defence who were able to combine for seven forced turnovers and 63 total tackles. The defence were led by Jake Reinhart (Guelph, Ont) with 12.5 tackles and a forced fumble and a fumble return. John Rush (Niagara Falls, Ont) added another 11.5 tackles to the total with two forced fumbles and a recovery of his own. Mark Durigon (Rockwood, Ont) was instrumental in the backfield with two additional interceptions on the day.

The Gaels would hit the scoreboard first following a missed field goal by Julian Tropea (Niagara Falls, Ont) Giovanni Aprile would carry the ball out 68 yards to the Gryphon’s 32. McPhee would find Aprile again on a short 4-yard pass in the end zone for the first score of the day. Dillon Wamsley’s (London, Ont) point after was good to put the Gaels up 7-0 to round out the first.

After pinning the Gaels’ offence deep, the Gryphon defence returned to their defensive dismantling as Zach Androschuk (Sarnia, Ont) and John Rush viciously stripped the ball from McPhee on a QB sneak. Androschuk would carry it uncontested for 26 yards into the end zone where Tropea’s kick would tie the game at seven.

Guelph’s A’dre Fraser (Halifax, NS) bobbled a punt deep in his territory for Queen’s Matt Webster (Calgary, Alta) to recover on the Gryphons’ 14. The defensive unit was successful in preventing a Gaels trip into their end zone and forced Wamsley to settle for a 15 yard field goal to put Queen’s up 10-7.

Fraser answered in redemption on the following kick to bring it back 75 yards to start the Gryphons’ drive on Queen’s 25. Just as the Gryphons paved their way into the Gaels’ red zone, a costly holding penalty dropped them back down to the 24 to a 2nd and 20 situation. An unfazed Lindsey dropped back to find Carl Trivieri (Toronto, Ont) wide open for the score to take a 14-10 lead.

A 38 yard connection to Justin Chapdelaine (Abbotsford, B.C.) down the middle re-established Queen’s presence in the second to put the Gaels in easy scoring position. Four plays later would find Jesse Andrews in the end zone on a 2-yard draw to regain a 17-14 lead with 1:07 left in the half.

On the following Gryphon drive, after a bad snap, Daniel Ferraro (Mississauga, Ont) was forced to botch a punt as the Gaels closed in on him. The ball spun into T.J. Chase-Dunawa’s (Toronto, Ont) hands for a 34-yard return for the Gael’s third trip to the end zone of the half. Wamsley’s kick extended the lead to 10 as the half wound down with the Gaels up 24-14.

Entering the third quarter, Queen’s Justin Chapdelaine and Jesse Andrews marched into Gryphon territory on two consecutive plays for 32 combined yards. The Gryphon defence found their footing on the following set of downs to hold the Gaels to a 34-yard field goal to go ahead 27-14.

On the next Queen’s possession, John Rush came up with his second forced fumble of the day to be recovered by Jarryd Baines (Ottawa, Ont) on the Gryphon 18. But after going 2 and out again, the Gryphons were forced to concede a safety to extend the Gaels’ lead to 29-14.

On the opening play of the next drive, McPhee connected deep with Giovanni Aprile who was able to bring down a 39-yard bomb to set the Gaels’ up on the Gryphons’ doorstep. Jesse Andrews would carry the ball in for his second 2-yard rush to push the Gaels up to 36-14 with the extra point from Wamsley.

With his sights set deep in Gryphon territory, Queen’s Wamsley was unprepared for the Gryphon rush that culminated with a smack from Taylor Palmer (Niagara Falls, Ont) to bat the punt aside. Jake Reinhart jumped on the loose ball and ran it back 14 yards to bring Guelph back on the scoreboard, 36-21.

On the following Gryphon drive, Lindsey rushed past the first down marker and into open field where he ran an uncontested 80 yards for the score. Tropea’s point brought the Gryphons to within eight.

The next Queen’s possession saw the Gaels line up for a second-and-four chance with just over three minutes left. Electing to go with the air attack, McPhee’s pass intended for Justin Chapdelaine pinballed between both sides to eventually fall into Zach Androschuk’s hands for his second turnover of the day. On the ensuing Gryphon drive, Farquharson was stopped for no gain on the first play to force Lindsey to drop back to find his brother, Saxon Lindsey (Markham, Ont) in the end zone to bring the Gryphons to within two.

On the two-point conversion, Lindsey scrambled to find Trivieri once again wide open in the back of the end zone to tie the game at 36 and round out a nail-biting quarter to send the game to overtime.

Queen’s started the overtime action off with a three-yard rush from Jesse Andrews. Knowing they needed to make a statement, McPhee fell back to the air attack to be nearly picked off for what would have been his fourth interception. Instead, Dillon Wamsley marched onto the field to hit a 43-yard field goal to put the Gaels up 39-36.

With pressure on the offence, the Gryphons looked to the consistent presence of Farquharson to carry them forward. But he was stopped for a loss of one and, seeing this, the Grypons opted to fall back on their passing game. On second and 11, Lindsey rolled out to hit Michael Fortino who broke a tackle to run in 35-yards to seal a 42-39 overtime victory over the Queen’s Gaels.

Guelph Gryphons Yates Cup 
Information:

Previous appearances (since 1971): 7
Last appearance: 2007 (lost to Western 34-21)
2^nd last appearance: 1996 (23-13 win over Waterloo)
Wins (since 1898): 3 (1996, 1992, 1984)
Last win: 1996 (23-13 over Waterloo)

Queen’s Sports Information:

A 35-yard touchdown pass from Jazz Lindsey (Markham, Ont.) to Michael Fortino (Niagara Falls, Ont.) in the first overtime period gave the No. 5-ranked Guelph Gryphons a 42-39 overtime win over the No. 6-ranked Queen’s Gaels in an OUA semifinal game at Alumni Stadium, Saturday. The score, coming two plays after Queen’s had taken a 39-36 lead in the extra session, capped a 22-point fourth-quarter comeback, and sent the Gryphons to the Yates Cup for the first time since 2008.

The game started and ended as a close contest, befitting a matchup of the second and third-placed teams in the province. However, it was punctuated by a pair of big scoring runs near the end of each half, keyed by special teams plays.

The Gaels opened the scoring on the last play of the first quarter, as Giovanni Aprile (Toronto, Ont.) caught a four-yard pass from Billy McPhee (Burlington, Ont.). Guelph responded three minutes later, as an attempted McPhee third-down sneak turned into a 26-yard fumble return by Zach Androschuk (Sarnia, Ont.). After a 16-yard Dillon Wamsley (London, Ont.) chip shot restored the Gaels lead at 10-7, Carl Trivieri (Toronto, Ont.) caught a 24-yard pass from Lindsey to give Guelph their first lead of the day at 14-10 with 3:16 left in the first half.

However, the Gaels responded with two late scores in the half. First, Jesse Andrews (Arnprior, Ont.) scored on a two-yard run with 1:07 left, capping an eight-play, 89-yard drive. 26 seconds later, the Gryphons’ Julian Tropea (Niagara Falls, Ont.) shanked a punt, and T.J. Chase-Dunawa (Toronto, Ont.) took advantage to scamper 34 yards into the end zone, giving Queen’s a 24-14 lead going into the break.

The Gaels carried that momentum through into the third quarter, as they took advantage of the stiffening northwest wind. A 35-yard field goal capped the Gaels’ opening drive of the second half, and they extended their lead to 36-14 on a safety touch and Andrews’ second touchdown of the day. Andrews’ score came after Aprile had made a highlight-reel catch to put Queen’s on the 2-yard-line. At that point, it seemed that everything was coming up Tricolour.

However, the change of quarter also gave Guelph the advantage of the stiffening breeze for the final 15 minutes. For the Gaels and their strong travelling contingent, it proved to be an ill wind that blew Queen’s no good.

The Gryphons comeback started, as it did three weeks ago, with a block. Taylor Palmer (Niagara Falls, Ont.) blocked a Wamsley punt, and Jake Reinhart (Guelph, Ont.) rumbled 15 yards into the end zone, cutting the lead to 36-21. Lindsey took matters into his own hands for the next Gryphon score, an 80-yard run down the sideline that put Guelph to within seven points with 3:53 to go. The Gryphons tied the game with 44 seconds left as Lucas Nangle (London, Ont.) – who was in as a short-yardage quarterback – rolled out and passed to Saxon Lindsey (Markham, Ont.) for the major. Jazz Lindsey found Trivieri midway into the end zone for the two-point conversion, sending many of the 3,550 assembled into hysterics.

In the extra session, the Gaels were sent on offence first, and their drive stalled, resulting in Wamsley’s 39-yard placement. Jazz Lindsey and Fortino settled matters two plays later.

The Gaels outgained Guelph 363-338, including a 226-209 edge in passing. The Gaels made 22 first downs, to only 17 by Guelph. Queen’s committed seven turnovers (three interceptions, four fumbles), while Gryphons coughed the ball up six times (one interception, two fumbles, three on downs).

Andrews had his second 100-yard rushing day in as many weeks, as he carried 27 times for 117 yards and two touchdowns. McPhee went 22-for-33 for 226 yards, with three interceptions and a touchdown. His favourite targets were Justin Chapdelaine (Abbotsford, B.C.), who had five catches for 79 yards; Aprile (Toronto, Ont.), who had five for 72, and Scott Macdonell, who had five for 37.

Aprile finished with 239 all-purpose yards, highlighted by a 93-yard missed field goal return.

For Guelph, Jazz Lindsey went 14-for-36 for 198 yard with two touchdowns and an interception. He was also Guelph’s leading rusher, with five carries for 99 yards. Triveri finished with five catches for 67 yards, while Fortino had four receptions for 86 yards, including the game-winner.

Sam Sabourin (Stittsville, Ont.) led the Gaels defence with six tackles, including 0.5 tackles for loss, while Justin Baronaitis (Rexdale, Ont.) and Chase-Dunawa had 4.5 tackles each.

For Guelph, Reinhart finished with 12.5 tackles and a forced fumble to go with his blocked punt return touchdown. John Rush (Niagara Falls, Ont.) had 11.5 tackles and forced two fumbles.

With the loss, the Gaels finish the season with an overall record of 7-3, their fourth seven-win season in the past five years. Guelph advances to the Yates Cup final, to be held on November 10, 2012.