WATERLOO, Ont. (October 19, 2011) The season hangs in the balance for the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks (3-4) as they prepare for their final game of the regular season on the road Saturday against the Guelph Gryphons (2-5).
While its not quite a do-or-die scenario for Laurier, a victory by the Hawks will guarantee themselves the sixth and final playoff spot in the OUA. If the Hawks lose to Guelph, Laurier will need the Toronto Varsity Blues to defeat the Waterloo Warriors in order to clinch the sixth seed. However, a Hawks loss and a Waterloo win will mean that Laurier would miss the playoffs for the first time under Coach Gary Jeffries tenure.
The 2011 season has been an up-and-down campaign for the Hawks and last week, after a two game winning streak brought new life to the team, Laurier stumbled in tough condition s against No. 6 McMaster, losing 25-6. The purple and gold struggled to get any consistency in their offensive attack against the Marauders as they had just 266 yards of offence in the game. Anton Bennett of Toronto, was the teams top performer, rushing six times for 57 yards and catching two passes for 30 yards.
Although Laurier allowed McMaster to score 25 points, the defence had a solid effort in the game, led by Lauriers Male Athlete of the Week, defensive lineman Ben Ivany of Schomberg, Ont. Ivany finished the game with a season-high 10 assisted tackles, and a total of eight in the game, while also registering a sack. Carlos Naranjo of Whitby, Ont., also had a great game for Laurier, recording four total tackles, a sack, a pass breakup and two tackles for a loss.
As for Lauriers opponent this week, the Gryphons have put together two strong performances in their last two games, narrowly losing to the No . 1 Western Mustangs before thumping the York Lions last week. One big reason for the turnaround has been the play of rookie quarterback Jazz Lindsey of Markham, Ont. The freshman pivot has started for the Gryphons in the last three weeks, throwing for 747 yards and seven touchdowns during that span.
One of Lindseys favourite targets has been older brother Saxon Lindsey of Markham, Ont. The former Golden Hawk is one of four receivers on Guelph that has over 300 yards receiving this season and boasts a team-high five touchdowns.
The last time these two teams met was last season in the OUA Quarter-final. In that contest, the Hawks scored 19 first quarter points en route to posting a 42-10 victory over the Gryphons. In their last ten meetings, the Hawks have an 8-2 record against Guelph and hold a definitive edge overall, leading the all-time series with a 39-13-0 record.
Advocating for football prospects one story at a time.
2024 CFC Prospect Game Scouting Reports: Wide Receivers Part 1
