Saturday, Oct. 14
StFX (17), Acadia (35)
Source: Acadia Athletics
WOLFVILLE, N.S. – Dale Wright‘s 193 net yards on the ground helped the Acadia Axemen clinch an AUS playoff berth, as the Axemen handed the visiting StFX X-Men a 35-17 loss and their third defeat in a row.
Wright credited the work of his offensive line in Acadia’s win over the X-Men.
“The O-linemen put in so much work today. Such a good day from all fours. I appreciate them and love them, the quarterback, we did our job. They grind it, they pushed through, they drove guys, they kept going until the whistle,” said Wright following the game.
Acadia improves to 5-2 and the win over StFX clinches a playoff berth for the Axemen, who finished last season with a 2-6 record.
With one more game remaining in the regular season, scheduled for next Saturday against the Saint Mary’s Huskies, Wright noted that today’s game is the past.
“We just got to move onto next week. This is going to be a good time with Homecoming and all, but we just have to forget about this game and move onto the next game against Saint Mary’s,” noted Wright.
The X-Men got on the scoreboard on the opening kickoff after Acadia conceded the rouge for the single StFX point.
The Axemen wrapped up a 10 play, 75-yard opening drive for the first of two first half touchdowns by second year receiver Cordell Hastings. Hastings’ 16-yard reception for the touchdown, gave Acadia an early 7-1 lead.
A three-and-out drive by the X-Men was followed by a 11 play, 70-yard drive that fell short in scoring a major and the Axemen settled for a 10-1 lead from a 10-yard field goal by first year kicker Jarett Saumure.
A 16-yard punt and a no-yards penalty by StFX in the drive that followed setup Acadia’s four play touchdown drive that started from the Axemen’s 54-yard line. Hastings would score his second and final major of the day on an 18-yard pass from pivot Cody Cluett only seconds into the second frame.
With a 17-1 Acadia lead, the X-Men finally responded on a 40-yard toss from Dylan Fisher to a wide open Kaion Julien-Grant two minutes into the second quarter. The X-men would not score another major until late in the fourth quarter.
Wright would conclude a 65-yard drive on a ‘hard-earned’ five-yard touchdown run to push Acadia ahead 24-8. The kickoff that followed was recovered by Acadia and the Axemen would capitalize on the great field position for Wright’s second major of the day, off of another five-yard punch into the end zone in the closing minute of the first half.
With a 31-8 halftime lead, the Axemen only scored four additional points in the second half that included a third quarter rouge and Saumure’s 37-yard field goal at the 8-minute mark of the fourth quarter.
A team safety and Jordan Socholotiuk’s 38-yard rush for a touchdown with 1:42 remaining in the game would be the only points scored following Acadia’s third quarter field goal.
Socholotiuk would finish the game with 91 yards on 12 carries compared to Wright’s 193 yards on 30 carries.
Acadia pivot Cody Cluett was nearly flawless with 19 of 22 passes completed for 249 yards. X-Man Dylan Fisher threw 19 completions for 213 yards.
Cordell Hastings led all receivers with two touchdowns and 132 yards on 8 receptions. Teammate Glodin Mulali added 61 yards on 4 catches to the mix.
The Axemen compiled 511 yards on the ground and in the air and in doing so, dominated the possession clock with over 38 minutes controlling the ball. The only statistic the Axemen fell short in was penalties, that included nine for 78 yards.
The Axemen will conclude the 2017 regular season at home next weekend against the 5-1 Saint Mary’s Huskies. The X-Men will head into their bye week and will reconvene on their home field on Sat. Oct. 28 against Bishop’s.
Notes:
Dale Wright leads the AUS in rushing yards and rushing yards per game.
Cordell Hasting leads the AUS in total receiving yards and second in touchdowns
Bailey Feltmate leads the AUS in tackles
Adam Melanson leads the AUS in sacks
Jadin White-Frayne leads the AUS in interceptions
(Credit: Kha Vo)
Laurier (14), Guelph (24)
Source: Jamie Howieson, Laurier Athletics
GUELPH, Ont. (October 14, 2017) ā The No. 5 Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks menās football team ran into a stout Guelph defence on Saturday afternoon as the No. 10 Gryphons downed the purple and gold 24-14.
The Gryphons (4-3) were led by their defence all afternoon as they limited the Hawks (5-2), who entered the contest ranked second in the OUA in yards per game, to just 186 yards, including holding the nationās leading passer, Michael Knevel of Brantford, Ont., to just 116 yards on 36 attempts.
While Laurierās defence was just as strong, holding Guelphās offence out of the endzone, they couldnāt contain the Gryphonsā special teams. Kicker Gabriel Ferraro of Mississauga, Ont., accounted for 17 of the Gryphons points, including hitting five of his seven field goal attempts, and Jacob Scarfone of London, Ont., returned a missed field goal 122 yards for Guelphās lone major of the day.
The opening half saw Guelph control the field as they held the Hawks to just six first downs while a trio of field goals and a single from Ferraro staked the to a 10-0 advantage.
Despite the deficit, the Hawks found themselves only down by two scores heading into the second half and looked poised to get on the board on their opening possession after forcing a two-and-out from Guelph.
Looking to cut the lead to seven, Nathan Mesherās (Waterloo, Ont.) 39-yard field goal missed wide left and the dangerous Scarfone took over from there, finding the sidelines and returning it to the endzone to give Guelph a 17-0 lead.
The Hawks would get on the board two possessions later as a costly penalty by Guelph set them up on the one-yard line. Running back Levondre Gordon of Mississauga, Ont., would do the rest as he punched in his eighth touchdown of the season, moving into a tie for first in the OUA for rushing majors, to cut the lead to 17-7.
Another Ferraro field goal stretched Guelphās lead to 13 but Laurier responded early in the fourth quarter. Facing a third and goal on the one-yard line, Knevel punched the ball into the endzone, giving Laurier life, trailing by just six, 20-14.
However, on the next possession, Ferraro connected on his fifth field goal of the afternoon to make it a two-score game once again.
Laurier would make one last push but couldnāt break through the Guelph defence as the Hawks dropped into a tie with the Ottawa Gee-Gees for third in the conference.
A tough afternoon for Knevel, who finished the game 17-of-36 for 116 yards and an interception, was made worse as he left the contest late in the fourth quarter after taking a hit from a Gryphon defender. The third-year quarterback needs just 18 yards to set a new Laurier record for passing yards in a season, currently held by Bill Kubas at 2295 which he set back in 1994.
Gordon would wind up with 71 yards on 21 attempts to go along with his touchdown while receiver Kurleigh Gittens Jr. of Ottawa, added eight catches for 47 yards. Gittens Jr. continues to lead the country in both receptions (65) and receiving yards (839) and is now nine catches shy of matching the U SPORTS single season receptions record.
Defensively, Shomari Hutchinson of Lasalle, Que., and rookie Mario Pineda of Cambridge, Ont., making his first career start, led the way with 8.5 tackles each.
For Guelph, the majority of their offence came on the ground as fifth-year Johnny Augustine of Welland, Ont., rushed for 176 yards on 31 attempts. Quarterback Theodore Landers of Maple Ridge, B.C., making his second career start in the place of injured started James Roberts of Cambridge, Ont., had 86 yards rushing on 14 attempts while finishing the contest 13-of-20 through the air for 111 yards.
Nicholas Parisotto of Guelph, Ont., and Luke Korol of Lynden, Ont., paced Guelph on defence with 9.5 tackles and an interception each.
Despite the loss, Laurier can still clinch second place in the OUA and a bye through the first round of the playoffs with a win next Saturday at home against the McMaster Marauders (6-1) and a Western victory over the Ottawa Gee-Gees.
Kickoff against the Marauders is set for 1 p.m. on October 21 at University Stadium
Windsor (13), McMaster (29)
Source: Michael Grobe, McMaster Athletics
HAMILTON (October 14, 2017) – The No. 6 McMaster Marauders (6-1) secured a 29-13 win over the winless Windsor Lancers (0-7) on Saturday afternoon at Ron Joyce Stadium.
Jackson White of Cambridge, Ont. tossed two touchdowns and threw for 200 yards, finishing 16-26 through the air. He connected twice with Tyson Middlemost of Dundas, Ont., on the two passing touchdowns.
Middlemost was White’s favourite target, making 11 receptions for a game-high 109 yards, both career highs for the second-year receiver. On the ground, Jordan Lyons of Burlington, Ont., registered 21 carries for 130 yards.
Marauders linebacker Jake Heathcote of Abbotsford, B.C., tallied nine tackles, including a sack, on the defensive side of the ball, while Nolan Putt of Caledonia, Ont., and Riley Pilkey of Cambridge, Ont., each had interceptions.
PLAYOFF PICTURE: McMaster’s win, combined with the Wilfrid Laurier (5-2) loss against Guelph (4-3) on Saturday, gave the Marauders sole possession of second place in the OUA standings with just a week to play. McMaster will play Laurier on October 21 with second place and a bye through the opening round of the playoffs on the line. A McMaster win, regardless of any other scenario, would see the Marauders take second spot in the OUA standings.
Confusing the situation could be a potential Ottawa win over Western when the two meet in London next week. If that were to happen, there becomes the possibility of a three-way tie for second place in the OUA, were McMaster, Laurier and Ottawa all to finish the regular season 6-2.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED: McMaster put up 20 points in the opening half, tallying 10 points in each of the first two quarters. Both quarters featured a field goal and a passing touchdown from a trio of Marauders. In the first quarter, Adam Preocanin of Burlington, Ont., knocked in a 42-yard field goal to set the score at 3-3, responding to the Lancers field goal by Clark Green of Chatham, Ont., minutes earlier. On the Marauders next drive, White connected with Middlemost on a 29-yard touchdown strike for a 10-3 McMaster advantage.
The second quarter saw a repeat of the first, with Preocanin hitting a 26-yard field goal, followed on the next McMaster drive by a seven-yard touchdown pass from White to Middlemost which made the score 20-3 at the half.
LOOK SMART WITH FRIENDS: Preocanin recorded 17 of the Marauders’ 29 points, kicking five field goals and adding two converts in the win. He was perfect in field goal attempts, hitting from 42, 26, 23, 31 and 36 yards. Preocanin also equalled his season-high point total of 17, which he duplicated against York on Sept. 30.
LET’S GO STREAKING: McMaster is now riding a 17-game win streak over the Windsor Lancers dating back to 1996. Since the OUA’s founding in 1971, the Marauders hold a head-to-head record of 29-11 including Saturday’s result.
UP NEXT: McMaster will travel to Wilfrid Laurier to battle the Golden Hawks at University Stadium in Waterloo, Ont., for their final regular season game. The matchup is one both teams have had circled on their calendar all season, and will most likely determine second place in the OUA. The team that secures second place will also earn a bye through the quarter-final stage of the playoffs. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 21.
The Lancers will host the York Lions and aim for their first win of the season. York (1-6) is coming off a 55-34 loss against the Queen’s Gaels.
QUOTABLE:
– McMaster wide receiver Dan Petermann –
On the team’s disappointment with their effort in the win
“Our message was to take this game as if it was a playoff game, because every game moving forward is important. We didn’t accomplish that today, so it was tough. We’ve got to pick it up, because we’ll be smacked if we play like that next week.”
“We were getting better every week, from Week 2 on, but today was a step backward.”
On Mac’s mentality Saturday
“We played down to our opponent. We played like an 0-5 team today. We knew that we were the better team and that we should win, but we didn’t play the way we should have.”
On the desire to win the bye through the OUA quarter-finals
“I think we really need to win and show that we can play tough opponents. We could really use that bye week. I know a lot of us are pretty nicked up, so we could really use that time away.”
– McMaster Head Coach Greg Knox –
On the inexperience of the Marauders and its effect
“It was a sloppy game. We’re a young group, and our inexperience showed today. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, because it gives us things to work on and improve on. We learned a lot about ourselves today. We learned that we need to work hard and get better every week.”
On motivating the team to play against the struggling teams of the OUA
“It has proven to be a bit of a challenge. We’re finding our way and finding out who we are. Instead of being frustrated, I’m going to try to look at the positives and identify what we need to work on. Evidently, our focus and our attention needs to be at the forefront of that work.”
On treating Saturday’s game as a learning tool
“We used a conservative game plan and tried to make use of the whole 55-man roster, and tried to get as many kids as much experience as possible, and the result is going to be something that’s less efficient and less effective than when you’re playing your starters and your ears are pinned back.”
On meaningful playing time for reserves and young players
“It’s always good when those guys get out there to play reps. It’s not like it was a blowout. We were in a football game, and giving them meaningful minutes is going to pay dividends for everyone moving forward.”
OTTAWA, ON – OCTOBER 14: OUA Football action between the Waterloo Warriors and the uOttawa Gee Gees at Gee Gees Feild, in Ottawa, ON, Canada. (Photo by Marc Bourget/marcbourget.ca)
Waterloo (30), Ottawa (40)
Source: Ottawa Gee-Gees
The Gee-Gees football team moved to 5-2 and will finish no lower than fourth in the OUA standings, clinching a home playoff game thanks to a 40-30 victory over the Waterloo Warriors (4-4) on Saturday afternoon. Playing at Gee-Gees Field, Ottawa got another game-changing play late in the fourth quarter from Jackson Bennett, while fifth-year kicker Lewis Ward added an OUA record to his historic career points and field goals made totals.
Ward began the game for Ottawa with three field goals in the opening eleven minutes of play from distances of 15, 37, and 32 yards. The first set Ward atop the OUA All-Time record books for most field goals in a career, and he finished the day four-for four with a career total of 88.
āIt was different, and it made me excited about how the day was going to go,ā said Ward of the busy start to the day. āWeāve had a good strong tradition of kicking and I hope that it continues. Weāre here to win football games and kicking is a big part of it if we do our jobs,ā continued Ward. āMatt [Falvo] was a big influence for me when I first started here in terms of how he went about things.ā
Ward now ranks second in U SPORTS history for field goals made in a career and sits three back of record-holder Johnny Mark from the Calgary Dinos, 2011-15. He also inched up the U SPORTS all-time rankings in points and now sits fourth, two points behind Gee-Gees record holder Neil Lumsden.
With the game tied 30-30, Jackson Bennett turned the tide for Ottawa. He nabbed the second Gee-Gee interception of the day and returned it 36 yards for the game-winning touchdown. āEverybody was in the right position on that play,ā said Bennett. āThe eleven other guys carried me to the end zone for sure.ā
Bennett was all over the field, leading the team in tackles with 8.5, picking up his first sack of the season, ranging deep in coverage to assist a pass breakup, returning three kickoffs for 69 yards, and even gaining 15 yards on a carry early in the first quarter. Defensively, Ricardo Lubin was also a standout making six solo tackles including one for a six-yard Warrior loss.
Waterlooās day was highlighted by a 20-yard touchdown strike and athletic catch by Lam Diing to begin the second quarter with a 10-9 lead, and a 27-yard pass to Tyler Ternowski to tie the score at 30-30 to start the fourth. Waterloo out-gained the Gee-Gees offensively, and used 271 yards of rushing to do so. Quarterback Tre Ford led the way with 164 yards on the ground ā a season high.
Long catches were key to the Gee-Gees attack, combined with Bryce Vieiraās work on the ground. Alex Lavric set a new career high with 337 yards passing, with a notable long completion of 69 yards to Tyler McLaren to set up Ottawaās second touchdown of the game.
Vieira, who finished with 111 yards rushing and 88 yards receiving, hobbled off field with 5:41 to play in third quarter. On his return he powered straight down the field 21 yards to set up a corner touchdown catch as Lavric went right back to him.
āWhen I go on the field I just block everything else and no matter what I play as hard as I can. For some reason it works out that when Iām hurt Iām still able to make a play,ā said Vieira. “I think weāre a very composed team ā when push comes to shove we just play.ā
Ottawa will finish its regular season slate of games at Western (7-0) next Saturday.
Photo by Valerie Wutti
Toronto (0), Carleton (43)
Source: Carleton Ravens
OTTAWA, ON āĀ The Carleton Ravens kept their playoff hopes alive for another week after crushing the University of Toronto Varsity Blues, 43-0, on a damp afternoon at MNP Park.
The win gives the Ravens a 3-4 record, as they battle for one of two remaining playoff spots in the OUA conference with one week to go in the regular season.
BOX SCORE
OUA ā FOOTBALL STANDINGS
OUA ā FOOTBALL STATISTICS
GAME FLOW:
Nathan Carter (Ottawa, ON) opened the scoring for the Ravens in their first drive of the game on a 14-yard run to the end zone. Veteran Michael Domagala (St. Catherines, ON) was able to snag the Ravens an extra point to give them an early 7-0 advantage.
Towards the end of the first quarter, Domagala was able to kick another one through the uprights from the 21-yard line to pad their lead by three points. Then, with just eight seconds left in the opening quarter, fourth-year defensive end Kene Onyeka (Brampton, ON) took down Torontoās Clay Sequeira in U of Tās end zone, forcing them to concede a safety for two points. Going into the second quarter, the Ravens held a 12-0 lead.
Carter came out strong in the second quarter again, making an incredible 81-yard rush to pay dirt to up the Ravens lead. With another clutch kick from Domagala, the Ravens made the game 19-0.
Nearing the midway point of the second quarter, rookie quarterback sensation Michael Arruda (Gatineau, QC) was able to find third-year wideout Phil Iloki (Montreal, QC) in the end zone with a 10-yard touchdown pass. Domagala connected on the conversion as the Ravens went up 26-0.
Carter grabbed himself another touchdown before halftime, with the help of Jay Dearborn (Yarker, ON) who intercepted a pass from Torontoās Sequeira at the Bluesā 48-yard line. From there, Arruda combined withĀ Wilson Birch (Niagara Falls, ON) on a 41-yard pass to setup first-and-goal. Once again, Nathan Carter was able to rush the ball into the end zone for his third score of the day. Domagalaās kick attempt proved to be good, as the Ravens held a 33-point lead.
With 40 seconds left in the second, Arruda connected with Kyle VanWynsberghe (Delhi, ON) on a 36-yard touchdown pass. Another solid kick from Domagala put the Ravens up 40-0 before the first half of the game came to an end.
The Ravens continued their offensive streak, while shutting out Torontoās offence throughout the third quarter. Domagala was able to put up a rouge point to up the Ravensā lead to 41-0 with a 46-yard punt. With a few minutes left in the third, the Ravens forced the Blues to concede another safety to make the game 43-0.
The fourth quarter was scoreless from both the Ravens and the Blues.
This is the first shutout the Ravens have posted so far this season. Their last shutout came in 2015 against York in a 52-0 win. That same season, they also shutout Waterloo in a 57-0 final.
Next weekend, the Ravens will play their biggest game of the season against the Guelph Gryphons at MNP Park. This game will determine whether or not the Ravens will claim a spot in the 2017 OUA playoffs.
Head coach Steve Sumarah says theyāre hoping to build off this win, but recognized that they need to tighten up certain aspects of their game.
āWe took too many penalties ā we have to address that,ā Sumarah said. Ā āOverall, I think our biggest challenge will be staying mentally in the game and making sure we donāt make silly mistakes that are going to hurt us. We just need to be perfect ā we need to play perfect football.ā
He added that mentality will also be a major key.
āWe need to make sure we believe in ourselves ā a lot of the game is about belief. You really have to believe that youāre going to go out there and be able to compete with those guys because if you donāt, then you wonāt.ā
BY THE NUMBERS:
Running-back Nathan Carter had an incredible game, rushing 183 yards. This 183 yards brought his season total to 1028 yards. This high yardage made him the fourth Raven in their football history to rush 1000 yards in a single season. The only other rushers to do so are Jayde Rowe (2016), Jahvari Bennett (2015) and Mark Brown (1985).
On defence, Kene Onyeka led the team in sacks with a pair, while Frederik Robitaille (Terrebonne, QC) followed close behind him with one. Onyeka now sits in second place on the OUA leaderboard with a total of seven sacks this season, while Robitaille is ranked third with 6.5. Jay Dearborn finished with two interceptions against the Varsity Blues, bring his career total to five, all of which have come against Toronto.
RAVENS PLAYERS OF THE GAME:
OFFENCE: #31 Nathan Carter ā Running Back ā 2nd year ā Ottawa, ON
DEFENCE: #95 Kene Onyeka ā Defensive End ā 4th year ā Brampton, ON
UP NEXT:
OUA Week 9 (Regular Season Finale)
Carleton vs. Guelph
Saturday, October 21, 2017 ā 1 p.m.
MNP Park ā Ottawa, ON
York (34), Queen’s (52)
Source: Queen’s Gaels
KINGSTON, Ont. (October 14, 2017) ā The Queen’s Gaels (3-4) defeated the York Lions (1-6) at Richardson Stadium in front of a Homecoming crowd of 7,542Ā Tricolour faithful on Saturday afternoon. The third consecutive win moves the Gaels to 3-4 on the season.
GAME FLOW
The York Lions kickerĀ Dante MastrogiuseppeĀ picked up the games first two points as he punched a pair of early punts through the side of the end zone to give the Lions a 2-0 lead.
With a charged Homecoming crowd, it wasn’t long before Queen’s responded. Nate Hobbs (Mississauga, Ont.) connected with Matteo Del BroccoĀ (Leamington, Ont.) who took the ball for 46 yards to clinch his third touchdown of the season.
Minutes later, the Gaels were on the scoreboard again with a 21-yard field goal from second-year kicker Nick Liberatore (Dartmouth, N.S.).
Feeding off the Tricolour crowd, the Gaels kept rolling as Wesley Mann (Almonte, Ont.) snared an interception ā his second in as many games – halting York’s drive and running for 20 yards into Lions territory.Ā The offence couldn’t capitalize however as a field goal attempt missed wide left.
Queen’s captain and defensive lineman Nelkas KwemoĀ (Montreal) came up big for the Gaels with a pick that he carried for 22 yards. On the three-yard line, Hobbs found Del Brocco again to notch his second touchdown of the game and give the Gaels a 17-2 lead.
With the Queen’s defence standing strong, the Lions weren’t able to get an offensive flow going. Gaels linebacker Zac Sauer (Ayr, Ont.) bulldozed his way through the Lions line for his third sack of the season.
Going into the second frame, York was able to hit a 25-yard field goal to climb within a pair of touchdowns at a 19-5 score. The relentless Gaels drove up the field and answered back with a 23-yard touchdown for homegrown receiver Jeremy Pendergast (Kingston, Ont.).
The Gaels defence continued to put on a show at Richardson Stadium. Defensive back Nick Fraser-Greene (Mississauga, Ont.) returned a Lion’s fumble 47 yards. From there, Jake Puskas (Thunder Bay, Ont.) took care of business, finishing the play with a Gaels touchdown.
With the clock counting down, Hobbs found Rudy Uhl (North Vancouver, B.C.) for another Queen’s touchdown to boost the score 40-5.
The Lions were able to get a touchdown after Lions quarterback Brett Hunchak found Alex Daley for a 7-yard touchdown followed by a two-point conversion to make it 40-13 going into halftime.
The halftime break saw the members of the Tricolour Guard take to the field to march in a special Homecoming parade. The Tricolour Guard is made up of Gaels alumni who graduated from Queen’s 50 or more years ago. Alumni celebrating their 50thĀ reunion received a special medal, while Tricolour Guard inductees were given a commemorative pin.
As both teams made their way back onto the field for the third quarter, the Queen’s defence continued to shine. Kwemo picked up his third sack of the season, taking down Lions quarterback Hunchak for a loss of two yards.
On their next drive, Hobbs found Puskas who ran for 68 yards before being tackled on the two-yard line. In scoring territory, powerful Puskas punched it in for his second touchdown of the game.
On their next drive, the Lions conceded their second safety of the game. After a few exchanges of possession, Liberatore hit his third and longest field goal of the game from 42-yards out.
The fourth frame saw a series of flags from both sides and the Lions were able to notch three touchdowns. With a final score of 52-34, the Gaels secured their third straight win of the season.
BY THE NUMBERS
3 ā Touchdowns came from three different Gaels on the day
18 ā 18th consecutive win over York in the all-time series since 1971
2/2 ā A pair of touchdowns each for Del Brocco and Puskas
6Ā ā Kurtis Schaefer led the Gaels with six total tackles
1 ā Just one more regular season game left before playoffs
FINAL SAY
“The first half was great for the offence, but I think the key to it was the great field position provided by the defence. I think the key for us the past couple of weeks has been to focus on us. We have to keep getting better as a team so that if the playoffs come, we are the best that we can be.” – QB Nate Hobbs.
UP NEXT
The Gaels will hit the road next weekend when they travel to Toronto to take on the Varsity Blues on Saturday in their final game of the regular season. Game time is set for 1 pm.Ā Watch the game live on OUA.tv.
Bishop’s (11), SMU (55)
Source:Ā StFX Communications
Concordia (36), McGill (10)
Source: Concordia Stingers
Quarterback Adam Vance completed 18 of 28 passes for 298 yard and two touchdowns to lead the Concordia Stingers to a 36-10 victory over the McGill Redmen in the 50th annual Shaughnessy Cup game on Saturday afternoon.
Vance, who comes to Concordia after two years at Golden West College in his home state of California, also carried the ball six times for 35 yards and a touchdown.
This season, the six-foot-two, 205-pound pivot was expected to back up veteran starter Trenton Miller. But Miller has been sidelined since Sept. 24, and Vance has inherited the leadership role on offence.
āObviously I feel good,ā Vance said. āIt was my first win as the starting quarterback. But it was a great team win. We planned well for the game. All week the coaches made it clear how important the game was. It was win or go home.ā
The lopsided victory over the crosstown rivals clinches a playoff spot for the Stingers.
Vanceās offence rolled up 20 first downs and 419 yards overall. Touchdowns also came from receivers James Tyrrell and Yan Lessard as well as running back Jean-Guy Rimpel.
Kicker Andrew Stevens connected on two field goals from 36 and 40 yards out.
Concordiaās defence had an outstanding game, holding McGill to 11 first downs and 226 yards of total offence. The Stingers defence only gave up a field goal. McGillās lone touchdown came on special teams.
āWe came out hungry,ā said Khadeem Pierre who hauled in his third interception of the season. āWe wanted this win. The coaches really got after us and we had a great week of practice.ā
(Credit: Dominique Bernier)
Montreal (47), Sherbrooke (15)
With Files from: Montreal Carabins
Sherbooke, October 14, 2017 – After three weeks of waiting, the UniversitĆ© de MontrĆ©al’s Carabins football team finally pushed back the field for a game and resumed where it left off by recording a fifth victory in as many of outings, this time by the mark of 47 to 15 on the Vert & Or in Sherbrooke Saturday afternoon.
This is the fifth time since their return in 2002 that the Blues start their regular schedule with a record of five wins in a row.
“We had a good first half, and it was satisfying after so much time without a match,” said Carabins head coach Danny Maciocia. We had some difficulties in the third quarter, but we were able to recover and finished with a good performance. ”
The defensive spoke midway through the first quarter to give the Blues a golden chance to open the scoring. Defensive lineman Samuel Rossi (Kinesiology) lost the ball to quarterback Xavier Owens before recovering the ball himself at the beginning of the pay zone. Two games later, Guillaume Paquet (Administration, HEC Montreal), was frolicking in the area of āāgoals over six yards. Montreal then awarded a safety touchdown.
“My game had started badly when I had escaped an easy pass and scored a penalty,” said Paquet. Fortunately, I was lucky enough to get back to me. We performed well in attack and allowed us to score points on the board. ”
After a missed placement on 34 yards by the locals at the start of the second engagement, the Montreal offense recovered and the Blues scored points in four consecutive sequences. Landing at their 20-yard line, the Carabins quickly crossed the field, Louis-Mathieu Normandin (Administration, HEC Montreal) completing the job by capturing a three-yard pass.
From their next possession, the Blues have recidivated by starting this time of their line of 35 and taking advantage of some first games and penalties of the Greens to approach a rod of the goals. Quarterback Samuel Caron (Civil Engineering, Polytechnique) followed with a tack. Michael Arpin then placed his first placement on the university circuit, 44 yards. Moments later, Caron again slipped on a penis for the middle finger to take the mark to 31-2 before retreating to the locker room.
“We were really looking forward to playing and it seemed, we had a lot of energy and we did some nice things, even if it was not perfect,” said Caron. We worked hard even though we have not had a lot of training lately and it has paid off today. ”
Vert & Or responded with a 20- and 24-yard pass by Pierre-Antoine D’Astous and a touchdown by Jermer Braswell following a 33-yard pass. But it took more to shake the Carabins who took a comfortable lead with two other hit. Caron first joined Paquet for 40 yards before giving way to Dimitri Morand (Communication) who launched a six-yard touchdown pass to Tristan Fiske-Casault (Arts and Sciences). A first on the university circuit for these two recruits. A safety touchdown from Sherbrooke completed the scoring.
At the controls of the attack for just over three-quarters of play, Caron completed 23 of his 32 assists, including two for the touchdown. It was intercepted on one occasion. He also posted to the ground with 34 yards in 6 races in addition to his two touchdowns on tack. His opponent Owens also saw 21 of his 34 passes being caught for 257 yards, including a touchdown pass.
Paquet earned 105 yards in 6 receptions and two touchdowns. His team-mate Kevin Kaya (Preparatory Year) also crossed the 100-yard mark with 129 out of 8 receptions. Upon his early days in the uniform, Morand did well in completing seven passes out of 10 for 138 yards. In total, the Montreal attack had the upper hand with 563 yards against 255 for Sherbrooke.
The defensive of the Montrealers was again intractable, realizing in particular a total of six bags per five different players.
“Several players have seen the ground and we have applied the same recipe as we have since the beginning of the season, to succeed in the games and to do the game plan well,” said defensive lineman Jonathan Boissonneault-Glaou (Genie mechanical, Polytecnic)
Next Saturday, October 21st, at 2 pm, the Carabins will visit their rivals at the Rouge et Or in Quebec City in a match that will have a significant impact on the first place in the Quebec rankings.
Manitoba (27), Calgary (36)
Source: Justin Mackenzie; Dinos Communications
CALGARY ā The No. 2-ranked University of Calgary Dinos came back in the fourth quarter to remain perfect on the season with a 36-27 victory over the Manitoba Bisons at a windy McMahon Stadium Saturday afternoon.
With the win, the Dinos are now 6-0 on the year and sitting four points clear of second place in the conference. They successfully clinched home field in the first round of the playoffs and will look to wrap up first place next week in Regina.
Michael Klukas and Hunter Karl yet again led the offense with a touchdown each. After going into the fourth quarter down 27-20, the Dinos were able to bring it all together on offence and defence, outscoring the Bisons 16-0 while putting them in negative yardage for the quarter with a net total of -11.
The wind was definitely a factor throughout the game, especially in the second half where they teams combined for just 30 offensive yards into the wind.
The Bisons scored the majority of their points in the third quarter due to the Dinos kicking into the wind, giving Manitoba great field position.
“The wind kind of shifted and came in from the north which really changed this game,” Dinos coach Wayne Harris said, “and they were able to take advantage of that.”
Things started off the well for the Dinos scoring on their first possession of the ball game with Sanagra hitting Hunter Karl from 15 yards out opening the scoring. The Dinos continued to look good throughout the first half putting up two touchdowns and took a 20-14 lead into the break.
It seemed like it was an entirely new football game in the second half due to the weather conditions. The Bisons stormed out of the break getting a touchdown and two field goals in their first four drives of the quarter while the Dinos were not able to muster a single point, putting Manitoba up by seven after three.
However, the tables completely turned in the fourth and the Dinos were able to come back into form with a touchdown off a run from Josiah Joseph, along with two safeties and a field goal. The defence was also impressive for Calgary, forcing two fumbles and grabbing two interceptions.
“We always talk about resiliency,” Harris stated. “Things aren’t always going to go our way and it’s how we respond to it that measures the character of your team. Our guys know how to respond.”
Adam Laurensse had a couple of great plays while recording his 7.5 tackles on the day, with his biggest coming in the fourth forcing a fumble from Theo Deezer, diminishing any hopes of a Manitoba late-game comeback.
Adam Sinagra completed 21 of 42 passes for 326 yards and two touchdowns. Robert Stewart had 10 runs for 99 yards, adding to the 472 total yards of offence for the Dinos, while kicker Niko DiFonte kicked his career-long 49-yard field goal late in the second quarter. Karl and Klukas ate up the majority of the receiving yardage for Calgary, picking up 127 and 107, respectively.
For Manitoba, Deezar and Des Catellier split the QB duties and went a combined 17-for-32 for 278 yards and a touchdown. Jesse Walker had 119 yards on seven catches for the Bisons (1-5), while Jamel Lyles was held to 47 yards on 13 carries out of the backfield.
Next week, the Bisons will try and get back on track back in Manitoba against the UBC Thunderbirds. The Dinos head to Regina for their first contest at the new Mosaic Stadium, where they will look to clinch first place with a win or a loss by 19 points or less.
Regina (58), Alberta (55)
Source:
It was a game that at times more closely resembled a basketball game than a mid-season football game, but the University of Regina Rams were finally able to come away with a 58-55 double-overtime victory over Alberta on Saturday at Foote Field.
After both teams scored majors in the first overtime, the Rams got a big break in the second overtime when Brent Arthur’s field goal attempt for Alberta from 41 yards out glanced off the right upright. That meant the Rams only needed a single point to win it, and they got three when Daniel Scraper punched a 26-yard field goal right down the middle to put an end to the third highest-scoring game in Canada West history.
The win improves Regina’s record to 4-2 on the season and the Rams lock up a postseason berth thanks to Calgary’s win over Manitoba.
“They’re a formidable opponent and we knew they were going to be with the way they can run the ball,” Rams head coach Steve Bryce said. “Records be damned, we knew we were in for a battle and that’s exactly what happened today. Our boys played tough for four quarters and beyond, and hats off to the U of A because their players did as well.”
Not surprisingly given that it was the most combined points ever scored in a game involving the Rams and the most points they’ve ever scored on the road, a monumental list of individual accomplishments piled up during the afternoon. Atlee Simon became the University of Regina’s all-time touchdown king after a career-long 53-yard rush for a major in the first half, and Mitchell Picton passed Chad Goldie as the school’s all-time leader in touchdown catches after hauling in the 22nd of his career for the Rams’ first points of the game. Noah Picton tied former Rams quarterback Teale Orban for Canada West’s all-time lead in completions and and also needs just 18 more passing yards to surpass Orban for first in conference history in that category as well.
Simon had a huge outing for the second consecutive game, finishing with 25 rushes for 206 yards as well as catching five passes for a total of 59 yards to set a new career high with 265 all-purpose yards in the win. Two of his catches were for majors and the fourth-year running back added one more touchdown on the ground, marking the sixth time in his Rams career he’s finished with at least three scores.
Noah Picton, who completed 34 of his 45 pass attempts for a total of 386 yards and four touchdowns while also running one in himself, hit Mitchell Picton and Ryan Schienbein for majors in addition to the two to Simon. Schienbein was the team’s top receiver with 10 catches for 112 yards, while Picton had six catches for 102 yards and Kyle Moortgat accumulated 90 yards on his nine catches.
In perhaps the unlikeliest touchdown scored by the Rams in recent years, they also scored a third-quarter touchdown on a pass from short-yardage quarterback Frankie Gray to defensive lineman Eric Wicijowski. It was Wicijowski’s first career touchdown, and Gray’s first touchdown pass since he connected with Connor Haas in a game way back during the 2012 campaign.
The Rams forced five turnovers in the victory, three of which came off interceptions by Nick Cross, Polis Koko, and Braedy Will. Nicholas Dheilly had a big late forced fumble for the second consecutive game, knocking the ball loose from Ilnicki deep in Rams territory and into Cole Benkic‘s hands with under five minutes to go. The Rams also had a turnover on special teams when Ryder Varga ā playing his first career game ā knocked the ball loose from Alberta’s Nathan Rowe on a punt return with Will there for the recovery.
Rowe finished with nine catches for a game-high 230 yards and two big touchdowns for Alberta, hauling in 54-yard and 67-yard passes from Brad Baker for majors. Ilnicki had another massive game for the Golden Bears, rushing 32 times for 201 yards and a touchdown. Tylor Henry and Adam Zajdel also had touchdown catches as Baker finished 26-for-47 for 437 yards and four touchdowns.
The Rams will now prepare for a showdown against No. 2-ranked and unbeaten Calgary next Saturday afternoon (2:00) at Mosaic Stadium. The Dinos improved to 6-0 after their tight 36-27 win over Manitoba today.
MOMENTUM SWINGS
Alberta was quick out of the gates, scoring the first 10 points of the game and leading 18-7 at one point early in the second quarter after Baker found Zajdel from 14 yards out. But the Rams outscored Alberta 21-1 the rest of the quarter, getting touchdowns from Schienbein and Simon and adding a one-yard run from Noah Picton on the last play of the half to take a 28-19 lead into the break.
It looked like the Rams might have been off to the races after they scored on their opening possession of the second half to go up 35-19, but Alberta had other ideas. They scored 16 points in a span of just three and a half minutes to tie up the game, including majors by Rowe and Henry and a conceded safety by the Rams.
That paved the way for the Wicijowski touchdown, and after a pair of fourth-quarter field goals by Scraper put the Rams up 48-36 it looked like the U of R might be able to outlast the Golden Bears in regulation. But that would make things far too easy, and Alberta got ā in order ā a conceded safety, an Ilnicki touchdown, and a 39-yard field goal with 15 seconds left to tie it up.
The first overtime saw the Rams start out with a quick-strike offence that put them in the end zone off a completion to Moortgat, a 19-yard Simon rush, and a touchdown pass to Simon. The Rams put Alberta in peril after a Dheilly sack put them into a 3rd-and-21 situation, but Baker found Rowe for a 41-yard completion that set up Ilnicki’s second touchdown run of the game and pushed the game to the second overtime.
NOTES: The 58-point outburst represents the most points ever scored by the Rams in a road game and is tied for the second highest single-game total in team history … the Rams also scored 58 in a win over Saskatchewan in the 2001 Canada West semifinals … the team record for points in a game is 59, also set during the 2001 season in a 59-21 win over UBC.
(credit: Electric Umbrella)
UBC (29), Saskatchewan (25)
Source: Saskatchewan Huskies
SASKATOON ā An illegal block call overturned what would have been the game-winning touchdown for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies on Saturday night, as the UBC Thunderbirds survived a late push to claim a 29-25 victory at Griffiths Stadium in PotashCorp Park.
Down 29-9 entering the final 10 minutes of the game, Saskatchewan scored 16 unanswered to pull within four with one-minute remaining. Ā Huskies’ quarterback Kyle Siemens found Chad Braun on a 33-yard touchdown pass with five seconds left on the block, but the illegal block call on Saskatchewan negated the major. The Huskies’ hail-mary attempt was intercepted by Alex Morrison to seal the win.
With the victory, the No. 7 ranked T-Birds improve to 4-2 and clinches a Canada West playoff spot. Saskatchewan drops to 4-2 on the season.
A UBC safety put Saskatchewan up 2-0 after the first quarter before the T-Birds finally broke through, with Michael O’Connor finding Alex Morrison for a 35-yard touchdown at 5:49 in the second quarter to put the Thunderbirds up 7-2.
UBC’s defence in the end zone stopped a Huskies’ bid for the lead in the final minute of the second half when Malcolm Lee intercepted Siemens in the end zone. Morrison nabbed his second major of the game with just 11 seconds left in the first half on a 25-yard pass from O’Connor for the 14-2 halftime lead.
UBC quickly took a 19-point lead to start the third quarter, forcing the Huskies on a two-and-out and scoring on a two-play drive. O’Connor found Trivel Pinto for a 40 yard nabbed and followed it up with a pass to J.J. DesLauriers for the 21-2 lead.Ā A Saskatchewan safety gave UBC a 21-point lead late in the third.
Saskatchewan had thought they had their first major when Braun ran back a punt return for an 82-yard touchdown, but the play was called back on a Huskies’ offside with under two minutes to play in the third quarter.
The Huskies finally found the end zone two minutes into the fourth frame. Siemens found Yol Piok for a 44-yard catch before Samuel Baker scored the major on an eight-yard pass at 13:45. But the Thunderbirds answered back on the next drive scoring on an O’Connor six-yard dash into the end zone.
Finley Easton started the Huskies’ 16 point run with a 13-yard touchdown at 6:28. Piok scored three minutes later on a 33-yard pass from Siemens. UBC surrendered another safety for the Huskies to be within four.
O’Connor finished the night 37-for-51 for 466-yards and three touchdowns. Pinto was his main target on the night making 13 catches for 156 yards, while Morrison had 99 yards and two touchdowns.
Siemens completed 26-of-47 passes for 310 yards and three touchdowns for the Huskies. Yol Piok tallied 85-yards on three catches, while Baker had 63 on eight receptions.
Malcolm Lee led the T-Birds defensively with 5.5 tackles, one interception and two breakups, while a trio of Huskies ā Ben Whiting, Nelson Lokombo and Brooks Falloon – each tallied seven tackles in the game. Ā Payton Hall had two interceptions on the night.
Saskatchewan travels to Edmonton to meet the Alberta Golden Bears next weekend, while the T-Birds face the Manitoba Bisons in Winnipeg.
Source: U Sports (Box Scores)
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