The Guelph Gryphons came into today’s battle with the lingering notion that a win would seal a postseason berth and the pressure seemed to fuel the recently, struggling squad, who powered their way over the visiting Windsor Lancers, 41-14 this afternoon (Oct. 16) in OUA action at Alumni Stadium.
Gryphon quarterback, Chris Rossetti (Mississauga, Ont.), was a marksman for Guelph this afternoon, completing 20 of 28 pass attempts for whopping 338 yards and four touchdowns. Rossetti also picked up 63 yards on the ground to round out his best performance of the season.
Nick FitzGibbon (Puslinch, Ont.) broke the 100-yard mark once again, tallying 113 yards on 20 carries, with his longest going for 39 yards in the fourth quarter.
Jedd Gardner (Niagara Falls, Ont.) also put up arguably his best performance of the season, pulling in seven receptions for 108 yards and two touchdowns. Second-year, Dillon Dimitroff (Burlington, Ont.) also had a spectacular game taking five catches for 111 yards and one touchdown. Carl Trivieri (Toronto, Ont.) also contributed a touchdown for the Gryphon offence, while catching two balls for 31 yards.
On defence for Guelph, Jordan Duncan (Grimsby, Ont.) led the team with eight tackles, while veteran linebacker, Adam Dunk (Guelph, Ont.) had 6.5 tackles and a sack. Jarryd Baines (Ottawa, Ont.), Mark Durigon (Rockwood, Ont.) and Zach Androschuk (Sarnia, Ont.) all picked up interceptions for the Gryphons on the day.
Windsor quarterback, Austin Kennedy (Windsor, Ont.), had a strong outing going 13-22 for 176 yards and a touchdown. Kennedy also led the team in rushing with 44 yards. Greg Orsini (Woodbridge, Ont.) saw action at quarterback for the final quarter, running a hurry-up offence to try to keep his team in the game. Orsini went 6-12 for 62 yards and picked up 8 yards on the ground.
Jordan Brescacin (Tecumseh, Ont.) was the leading receiver for the Lancers with seven receptions for 78 yards and a touchdown, while Mark Riggi (Amherstburg, Ont.) followed close behind with 75 yards on five catches.
Daryl Townsend (Windsor, Ont.) led the Lancer defense this afternoon with 11.5 tackles and a forced fumble. Also putting in a solid performance, defensive back, Akkem Whonder (Mississauga, Ont.), picked up 6.5 tackles and a sack for Windsor.
Nick Anapolsky (Waterloo, Ont.) got the fans in the game early, returning the opening kickoff 60 yards into Windsor territory. The Gryphons would be forced to punt it away, but after a long drive by the Lancers, a misplaced throw by Kennedy would find its way into the diving hands of Jarryd Baines for the interception. Guelph would be unable to capitalize on the turnover however, and the Gryphons would concede the safety to give the Lancers a 2-0 lead.
Later in the first quarter, Kennedy would set up a Windsor field goal after finding Mark Riggi deep, down the center of the field. Rob Eeuwes (Burlington, Ont.) would knock the 23-yard field goal through the uprights and put three more points on the board, making it 5-0 Windsor. Guelph rounded out the scoring in the first with a 14-yard field goal off the foot of Mike Fortino (Niagara Falls, Ont.), narrowing the score to 5-3 in favour of the Lancers.
The second quarter belonged to the Gryphons, as they outscored the Lancers 21-7, with the 21 points being unanswered until the last thirteen seconds of the half.
Guelph started the scoring on 64-yard drive that ended with a 9-yard, touchdown pass from Rossetti to Trivieri. Catching the ball just outside the goal line, Trivieri managed to stretch out his arm and break the plain of the end zone before being taken down. The touchdown was Trivieri’s first OUA major and gave the Gryphons a 9-5 lead, which would moments later become 10-5 on the extra point convert by Fortino.
Midway through the quarter, Rossetti would hook up with Anapolsky, who sprinted his way down the sideline to the 2-yard line before being taken out of bounds. Mike Millar (Port Colborne, Ont.) was given the ball on the following two plays and after plunging for a yard on the first attempt, Millar punched in the ball for the score on his second carry. Fortino cleaned up the single point on the convert, and the Gryphons were now ahead 17-5.
With just over three minutes left in the quarter, Rossetti dropped back and aired out a pass down the left side of the field. Looking as though it would be out of reach, fans erupted in amazement when Dillon Dimitroff, with an outstretched left arm, pulled in the ball with one hand for the 37-yard reception. Rossetti went back to pass on the next play and found Jedd Gardner in the end zone. The pass was high, but Gardner was able to make the leaping catch to pull in the ball for the third touchdown of the quarter. Fortino was once again good for the convert and Gryphons took a 19-point lead, 24-5.
Before the quarter could come to a close though, the Lancers managed to fight their way into the Guelph redzone and Kennedy sent a high, jump-ball toss into the left corner of the end zone. With the height advantage and good positioning, Jordan Brescacin came down with the ball clench firmly in his hands for the Lancers’ first major of the game. Eeuwes would convert on the kick and the Gryphons’ lead was cut to 24-12.
With only seconds left after the touchdown, Coach Lang sent out back-up quarterback, Luke Nangle (London, Ont.) to launch the ball downfield, in the hope that a Gryphon would come up with it. As the ball came down in a cluster of players, it seemed as though a Lancer defender was going to end up with an interception, but the ball popped out of his hands and into the waiting arms of Dimitroff. Dimitroff hurried for a few more yards but was forced out of bounds just yards short of the end zone, with the clock sitting at zero.
The Gryphons offence wasn’t the only positive point of the second quarter however. Guelph’s defence managed to pick up three sacks in the frame, with Scott Eggleton (Belleville, Ont.), Jarryd Baines and Adam Dunk each claiming a take down.
The defence would continue into the second half, where Mark Durigon picked his fifth pass of the year, to tie Jordan Duncan for the team and CIS lead for most interceptions.
The Gryphons would also manage to increase their lead to 31-12 late in the third on a 16-yard pass. Rossetti dropped back and fired the ball into the end zone just in front of Dimitroff, who pulled in the pigskin on the over-the-shoulder catch.
Guelph continued their offensive surge in the fourth quarter, as Rossetti sent the ball through the air to Gardner on three consecutive plays. The third catch, which was good for 23 yards and the score, came on a rollout play that left Gardener sitting uncovered in the end zone. Rossetti put the ball on target and Gardner was alone to pick up his second touchdown of the game, putting the Gryphons on top 38-12.
Several minutes later, Nick FitzGibbon took the ball 39 yards to set up Fortino for a 24-yard field goal, which he accurately pounded between the uprights. The Gryphon lead was extended to 41-12.
The Windsor Lancers wouldn’t go down quietly though. Replacing Kennedy with back-up quarterback, Greg Orsini, the Lancers moved into a hurry-up offence that caught the Gryphon defenders on their heels. Sending the ball through the air, play after play, Windsor managed to work the ball into Guelph’s redzone. Unfortunately for the Lancers, the Gryphons would find their rhythm again and pressured Orsini into throwing a pass off-target. Gryphon defensive back, Zach Androschuk snapped up the ball before it had a chance to hit the ground, recording his first interception.
The Gryphons would concede the safety after being held deep in their end by Lancers and the two points would be the last of the game, with the Gryphons walking away with the 41-14 victory.
Guelph (4-3) will finish the regular season on the road next weekend against the Ottawa Gee Gees (6-1), while the Windsor Lancers (2-5) host the Laurier Golden Hawks (3-4) for a chance to make it into the postseason.
Source: Guelph Sports Info
| Windsor 14 |
Guelph 41 |
| Guelph (3-3) | 3 | 21 | 7 | 10 | 41 |
| Windsor (2-4) | 5 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 14 |
| Guelph, Ontario | Alumni Stadium |
| 1 | 08:35 | Windsor – Team safety | 2 – 0 |
| 1 | 06:50 | Windsor – R Eeuwes 23 yd field goal. | 5 – 0 |
| 1 | 00:31 | Guelph – M Fortino 14 yd field goal. | 5 – 3 |
| 2 | 12:03 | Guelph – C Trivieri 9 yd pass from C Rossetti. (M Fortino kick is good). Drive: 8 plays, 64 yards in 17:57. |
5 – 10 |
| 2 | 06:11 | Guelph – M Millar 1 yd run. (M Fortino kick is good). Drive: 8 plays, 66 yards in 3:33. |
5 – 17 |
| 2 | 03:01 | Guelph – J Gardner 10 yd pass from C Rossetti. (M Fortino kick is good). Drive: 3 plays, 51 yards in 0:58. |
5 – 24 |
| 2 | 00:13 | Windsor – J Brescacin 2 yd pass from A Kennedy. (R Eeuwes kick is good). Drive: 4 plays, 38 yards in 0:22. |
12 – 24 |
| 3 | 03:42 | Guelph – D Dimitroff 16 yd pass from C Rossetti. (M Fortino kick is good). Drive: 2 plays, 37 yards in 0:38. |
12 – 31 |
| 4 | 09:46 | Guelph – J Gardner 23 yd pass from C Rossetti. (M Fortino kick is good). Drive: 5 plays, 60 yards in 1:53. |
12 – 38 |
| 4 | 06:53 | Guelph – M Fortino 24 yd field goal. | 12 – 41 |
| 4 | 02:42 | Windsor – Team safety | 14 – 41 |
| 18 | FIRST DOWNS | 28 |
| 11 4 3 |
Passing Rushing Penalty |
15 9 4 |
| 100% (1 of 1) | THIRD DOWN EFFICIENCY | 0% (0 of 2) |
| 0% (0 of 0) | FOURTH DOWN EFFICIENCY | 0% (0 of 0) |
| 319 | TOTAL NET YARDS | 622 |
| 56 5.7 |
Total Offensive Plays Average gain per play |
73 8.5 |
| 221 | NET YARDS PASSING | 389 |
| 19-34 6.5 3 for 17 3 |
Completions-Attempts Net yards per pass play Sacked:Number-Yards Had intercepted |
23-31 12.5 2 for 11 0 |
| 98 | NET YARDS RUSHING | 233 |
| 22 4.5 |
Rushing Attempts Average gain per rush |
42 5.5 |
| 12 for 481 | PUNTS: Number-Yards | 7 for 230 |
| 40.1 | Average | 32.9 |
| 125 | TOTAL RETURN YARDS | 161 |
| 6 for 28 7 for 97 0 for 0 |
Punt Returns:No-Yards Kickof Returns:No-Yards Int. Returns:No-Yards |
11 for 86 2 for 74 3 for 1 |
| 6 for 41 | PENALTIES: Number-Yards | 15 for 184 |
| 1-1 | FUMBLES: Number-Lost | 2-2 |
| 24:40 | TIME OF POSSESSION | 48:29 |
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| 1 | S Pierre | 2 | 0 | 2 | – | – | 1-0 | – | ||||
| 2 | M Bucknor | 4 | 1 | 5 | – | 1-1 | – | – | ||||
| 3 | M McGarva | 3 | 1 | 4 | – | – | 1-0 | – | ||||
| 4 | A Langlois | 4 | 0 | 4 | – | – | – | – | ||||
| 5 | U Nwaesei | 3 | 0 | 3 | – | – | – | – | ||||
| 7 | D Townsend | 11 | 1 | 12 | – | 0-1 | 1 | – | – | |||
| 8 | J Burns | 4 | 2 | 6 | – | – | – | – | 1 | |||
| 16 | D Cerino | 1 | 0 | 1 | – | – | – | – | ||||
| 17 | C Arquette | 3 | 2 | 5 | – | – | – | – | ||||
| 19 | J Brescacin | 1 | 0 | 1 | – | – | – | – | ||||
| 22 | A Whonder | 5 | 3 | 8 | 1-9 | 1-11 | – | – | ||||
| 25 | M Dender | 2 | 1 | 3 | – | – | – | – | ||||
| 27 | P Lefaive | 1 | 0 | 1 | – | – | – | – | ||||
| 41 | D Tiede | 4 | 0 | 4 | – | – | – | – | ||||
| 51 | B Adams | 3 | 5 | 8 | – | – | 1 | – | – | |||
| 91 | M Strohmeier | 2 | 0 | 2 | – | 1-5 | – | – | ||||
| 93 | K Lewis | 2 | 0 | 2 | – | – | – | – | ||||
| 94 | S Postuma | 6 | 2 | 8 | – | 3-7 | – | – | ||||
| 97 | A Bakos | 3 | 2 | 5 | 1-2 | 1-2 | – | – | ||||
| TM | TEAM | – | – | – | – | |||||||
| TOTALS | 64 | 20 | 84 | 2-11 | 7-27 | 2 | 2-0 | – | 1 | |||
| 1 | M Durigon | 4 | 0 | 4 | – | – | – | 1-0 | 1 | |||
| 2 | J Duncan | 7 | 2 | 9 | – | – | – | – | ||||
| 5 | N Fitzgibbon | 0 | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | – | ||||
| 6 | W Green | 0 | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | – | ||||
| 7 | J Cobourne | 2 | 0 | 2 | – | – | – | – | ||||
| 15 | J Reinhart | 2 | 3 | 5 | – | – | – | – | ||||
| 17 | M Suzuki | 0 | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | – | ||||
| 18 | J Baines | 1 | 2 | 3 | – | – | – | 1-0 | ||||
| 19 | B Dunjko | 5 | 0 | 5 | – | – | – | – | ||||
| 20 | T Palmer | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1-2 | 1-2 | – | – | ||||
| 22 | J Savoie | 2 | 2 | 4 | – | 1-2 | 1-0 | – | ||||
| 23 | Z Androschuk | 2 | 1 | 3 | – | – | – | 1-1 | ||||
| 24 | S Howard | 1 | 0 | 1 | – | – | – | – | ||||
| 31 | M Rossetti | 1 | 1 | 2 | – | – | – | – | ||||
| 53 | A Dunk | 5 | 3 | 8 | 1-10 | 2-12 | – | – | ||||
| 54 | C Rukavina | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1-5 | 2-9 | – | – | ||||
| 55 | M Millar | 0 | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | – | ||||
| 91 | S Eggleton | 2 | 1 | 3 | – | 1-5 | – | – | ||||
| 93 | K Seilis | 3 | 0 | 3 | – | 1-4 | – | – | ||||
| 94 | H Principi | 1 | 0 | 1 | – | – | – | – | ||||
| 97 | C Thorn | 1 | 1 | 2 | – | 0-1 | – | – | ||||
| TOTALS | 44 | 22 | 66 | 3-17 | 8-35 | 1-0 | 3-1 | 1 |
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