Gryphons hold on for homecoming victory

Guelph Sports Info

Propelling the team to their third consecutive victory on offence was Jazz Lindsey (Markham, Ont.) who threw 24-of-28 receptions for 264 yards and two majors and was named the OUA Porter Airlines player of the game.  Carl Trivieri (Toronto) contributed with 97 yards through the air while Rob Farquharson (Niagara Falls, Ont.) rushed for 83 yards and two additional touchdowns.

The defensive squad also recorded an amazing game with five total sacks and 44 tackles.  Leading the Gryphons’ defence was John Rush (Niagara Falls, Ont.) with four solo tackles and two sacks, while Guelph native Jake Reinhart recorded an impressive seven solo tackles.

At the onset of the game, both Guelph and Toronto defence came up strong, with neither team being able to capitalize on offence.  Following a costly fumble deep in Gryphon territory, the ball was returned to the Varsity Blues with plenty of time to move the football to Guelph’s goal-line.  Yet on third and goal, the Blues were unable to punch it through an impenetrable Gryphon D-line.  However, on the ensuing drive, the Gryphons were forced to punt deep in their territory and elected to kneel for a safety to put the Blues up 2-0.

But the Blues were not to enjoy this small lead for long as the Gryphon defensive unit retaliated on the next drive and forced the Varsity Blues to concede their own safety with just over a minute following the first.  Both teams were tied at two leading into the second quarter.

With possession of the ball in the Gryphons’ hands to start the quarter, Rob Farquharson wasted no time in hammering home the first touchdown of homecoming weekend.  The extra point by Daniel Ferraro put the Gryphons up 9-2 less than a minute into the quarter.

On the next Toronto possession, the Gryphons defence came up huge as they forced yet another punt to give the ball back to Lindsey.  However, after a devastating fumble recovered by the Blues, Toronto found themselves in excellent field position and were able to tie the game going into half with a 13-yard pass to Daniel de Pass.  The point after by Andrew Lomasney tied the game at 9 going into the half.

Following the momentum gained by an impressive run by Rob Farquharson to end the half, the Gryphons defence forced the Blues to go 0-2 through the air, causing the inevitable punt.  Yet on the next play, Guelph would suffer another turnover as Toronto recovered a fumble in the Gryphon redzone.  Combined with several unnecessary penalties, the Varsity Blues found themselves on the Gryphon one-yard-line.  The backup quarterback, Simon Nassar, replacing injured Richard Quittenton was able to take it in himself to put the Varsity Blues up 16-9.

Once again, this lead was short-lived as Lindsey was able to move the ball successfully through the air to bring Guelph to Toronto’s 4-yard-line.  Rob Farquharson claimed his second touchdown of the day by punching through the Toronto D-line to tie the game at 16.  Carl Trivieri and Saxon Lindsey (Markham, Ont.) both contributed great catches to keep this drive alive.

On the next Toronto drive, the Guelph defence once again came up strong by forcing a punt deep in Toronto territory.  Yet instead of giving the charging Gryphon offence great field position, the Blues elect to sacrifice a safety to give the Gryphons an 18-16 lead to end the quarter.

Maintaining their dominant consistency, the Gryphon defence shut down the Toronto offence on a third down to switch possession.  Starting on their own 35, the Gryphons were able to march 65 yards for their biggest drive of the game to capitalize on a spectacular throw by Lindsey to second-year receiver, Alex Charette (St. Catharines, Ont.) for his first touchdown of the season.  Ferraro’s successful conversion attempt gave the Gryphons a comfortable 25-16 lead.

Immediately following Charette’s touchdown, possession would switch back and forth as multiple fumbles were recovered by both teams.  Yet on the last of the turnovers, Guelph found themselves in the Toronto half.

Fantastic awareness by Lindsey allowed Guelph to move the chains deeper into Toronto territory.  Capping off yet another impressive drive, Lindsey found Dillon Dimitroff (Ont.) who was able to exert great physical presence to shake off several Toronto defenders and record the fourth Gryphon touchdown of the day.  Dimitroff’s second of the season would put the Gryphons up 31-16 with 3:34 left in the game.

Determined to make their presence known, the Varsity Blues retaliated on the next drive with an impressive drive between Ashton Nelson and Todd Inkila for 62 yards in two plays.  Inkila was rewarded with the 25-yard-pass from Nassar to bring the score to 31-23.

With just under two minutes on the clock, Toronto started their final drive on their own 53.  With Guelph defence determined to shut them down, the Varsity Blues faced a tense uphill battle to get within scoring distance.  But, after several tense moments, Toronto’s Simon Nassar was able to connect with Daniel de Pass on a 27 yard pass deep in Guelph’s endzone.  The touchdown brought the game to 31-29.

With only eight seconds left on the clock, and two points separating the Blues with a trip to overtime, Toronto had no choice but to go for the two-point conversion.   As the teams lined up, and uncertainty filled the previously confident crowd, the Gryphon defence rose to the challenge.  Staying true to their nature, the Gryphons’ secondary was able to bat down the pass and maintain their two-point lead.

By fending off an onside kick, the Gryphons were able to kneel out the remainder of the clock to hold onto their third consecutive win.

This Homecoming victory allows the Gryphons to remain undefeated in the new Alumni Stadium.  The Gryphons hope to continue their streak of wins next week as they travel to Wilfred Laurier to take on the Golden Hawks for Laurier’s Homecoming.  The game is scheduled to take place on September 29, at 1:00pm.

Toronto Sports Info

Trailing 31-16 with 3:34 remaining, the Varsity Blues football team rallied to bring the game within two points, but fell just short in a 31-29 loss to the Guelph Gryphons on Saturday, September 22 at Alumni Stadium.

The loss moves Toronto to 1-3, while the Gryphons improve to 3-1 after Week 4 of OUA football action.

Sophomore quarterback Simon Nassar came into the game to replace an injured Richard Quittenton and proved he has what it takes to play with the best. Down by 15 with under three minutes to go, the Toronto native connected a 25-yard strike with Thunder Bay, Ont., native Todd Inkila to bring the game within reach.

U of T’s defence shut down Guelph’s ensuing drive, giving Toronto the ball back with 1:48 to go. It looked grim for the Blues but a 15-yard Gryphons pass interference penalty gave Toronto the fuel it needed to get down the field.

Nassar completed the 12-play, 57-yard drive with a 27-yard pass to third-year receiver Paul de Pass (Ajax, Ont.), who scored his second major of the day. Unfortunately for the Blues, the Gryphons came up with a huge stop on the two-point attempt to tie the game and secured the home team victory.

Nassar went 8-for-13 and 106 yards and two majors, while Quittenton (Ajax, Ont.) was 6-of-13 for 54 yards and one TD, and also rushed 10 times for 54 yards before leaving the game.

Rookie running back Ashton Nelson (Brampton, Ont.) came up with a game-high 106 rushing yards on 17 carries. De Pass led the Blues with five catches for 67 yards and two majors, while Inkila ended the game with three receptions for 36 yards and one touchdown.

Second-year linebacker Dylan Gordon (Cambridge, Ont.) had a breakout game with a team-high 7.5 tackles, with defensive lineman Everton Williams (Toronto) recording seven in the loss.

Both teams combined for 351 yards in penalties on the day, as Toronto was whistled for 18 penalties for 153 yards, while the Gryphons received 11 penalties for 198 yards.

The Varsity Blues return to action next Saturday, September 29 as they travel to Waterloo, Ont., to take on the Warriors. The Blues return home Thanksgiving Saturday, October 6, when they host the Ottawa Gee-Gees at Varsity Centre. Game time on both days is set for 1 p.m.