Guelph overwhelmes Lions at home

Gryphon’s Tame Overmatched Lions 51-2

GUELPH, Ont. – The Guelph Gryphon football team overwhelmed the York Lions 51-2 this afternoon at Alumni Stadium under wet and windy conditions. With the win the Gryphon’s improve to 2-5 on the season, while York drops to 1-6.

The Gryphon’s defence kept the Lions in check throughout the contest, holding the Lions to just over 100 yards of total offence on a windy and rain-soaked field.

Leading the Gryphon’s offence was rookie quarterback Jazz Lindsey (Markham, Ont.) who completed 13-of-26 attempts for 207 yards and three touchdowns. After being intercepted on his first attempt of the game, he quickly recovered and led the Gryphon’s on three first-quarter scoring drives.

Jedd Gardner (Niagara Falls, Ont.) continued his late season resurgence with eight catches for 127 yards and a touchdown. Saxon Lindsey, brother of Jazz Lindsey, hauled in five catches for 66 yards and two touchdowns.

Leading the Gryphon’s rushing game was Rob Farquharson (Niagara Falls, Ont.), who rushed 15 times for 94 yards and a touchdown. His steady play at running back allowed the Gryphon offence to dictate the pace of the game and keep the Lions defence guessing throughout the contest.

Guelph opened the game with a strong showing by their defence, forcing a quick three and out. After throwing his only interception in the game, Lindsey’s next series saw him complete a quick screen play to Gardner for an 81 touchdown completion to give the Gryphon’s a 7-0 lead just four minutes into the game.

After a short punt from York, the Gryphon’s took over in York territory with excellent field position, and Lindsey scored on an eight yard QB keeper to give Guelph a 14-0 advantage. The Gryphon’s finished the opening quarter scoring on a two yard pass from QB Chris Rossetti (Mississauga, Ont.) to linebacker Jake Reinhart (Guelph, Ont.), extending the Gryphon’s lead to 20-0 after a missed extra point attempt.

The second quarter saw both offences struggle as weather conditions continued to get worse. After Guelph conceded a safety on a punt attempt, the Gryphon’s were able to close the half with back-to-back touchdowns from Jazz to his brother Saxon. At the half, the Gryphon’s led 24-2 and had accumulated 241 yards of offence compared to just 17 by the Lions.

After both teams traded possessions to open the third quarter, Guelph was able to extend their lead on a 49-yard run by Farquharson to give Guelph a 41-2 lead. The fourth quarter saw a number of Gryphon’s suit up in order to gain some valuable playing time with the outcome almost a certainty.

The Gryphon’s closed the game with a 16 yard field goal by Daniel Ferraro (Mississauga, Ont.), and a 44 yard touchdown completion from Rossetti to Michael Fortino for a 51-2 final score. In total, both teams attempted 30 punts, in large part due to poor weather conditions. Penalties continue to hinder the Gryphon attack, as they gave up 165 yards on 15 penalties.

Guelph will host the visiting Laurier Golden Hawks next Saturday (Oct. 22) in the season finale. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.

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