York and Bishop’s both bring positives away from exhibition match

Fans in attendance at York Stadium on Saturday (Aug. 27) got an early glimpse at the new-look York University Lions as they took to the field against the Bishop’s University Gaiters in a pre-season tilt. Despite coming up on the wrong end of a 33-15 score, there was plenty of reason for optimism.

After falling behind on an early Gaiters’ touchdown, York stormed back to take a 9-6 lead on the strength of a first quarter touchdown and a safety, giving the Lions the lead through the first 12 minutes. Bishop’s shifted the momentum through the second and third quarters with some solid defence and a few big plays, but York continued to push and ultimately produced another touchdown drive in the final frame.

Lions quarterback Nick Coutu (St. Catharines, Ont.) led the team’s first scoring drive, a touchdown pass to wide receiver Curtis Pryce (Hamilton, Ont.). On the day, Coutu went 13-21 for 141 yards.

The other Lions touchdown came on a one-yard run by quarterback Dimitar Sevdin (Toronto) in the third quarter.

Among the new recruits making a splash during their first taste of on-field action, Pryce led all players with nine catches on the day (including his foray into the end zone), kick returner Jordan Nugent (Brampton, Ont.) took the bulk of the returning duties and produced a 19-yard kick return and linebacker Denzel Philip (Toronto) secured a second half interception.

“I’m very happy with the way things went today,” says Lions head coach Warren Craney. “We are a young team and have only been practicing for five days, but a lot of our rookies stepped up big in their first game. We still have a lot of work to do and I am looking forward to the season opener next week.”

The Lions play their first conference game on Labour Day (Monday, Sept. 5) at home against the Laurier Golden Hawks. Kick-off is at 1pm at York Stadium.

————————————————————————–

Shantino Wilson’s two touchdown catches led the Bishop’s Gaiters to a 33-15 win over the York Lions in a non-conference football game at York Stadium in Toronto. The Brampton, Ont., native scored on passes of 52 and 60 yards, respectively, in a two-minute span late in the second quarter, as the Gaiters turned a 9-7 deficit into a 23-9 halftime lead. Wilson led all receivers with three catches for 125 yards, as the Gaiters picked up a win in their first full preseason game since 1994.

Second-year running back Quincy Van De Cruize (Etobicoke, Ont.) got the Bishop’s offence off to a flying start, as he scored on a 75-yard run on the Gaiters’ second play from scrimmage, giving the visitors an early 6-0 lead. The sophomore finished as the Gaiters’ leading rusher, with four carries for 86 yards, and also amassed 250 all-purpose yards.

The Lions came back to take a 9-6 lead after the first quarter on a safety touch and a five-yard reception by Curtis Pryce. A punt single by Mathieu Paquette, along with Wilson’s two majors and a safety touch, gave the Gaiters their 23-9 halftime edge.

York pulled the game closer with a third quarter touchdown by Dimitar Sevdin, cutting the score to 23-15.

However, the Gaiters put the game away in the fourth quarter on an 18-yard field goal by Mathieu Paquette (Magog, Que.), who finished with seven points, as well as a one-yard touchdown run by rookie quarterback Marc-Antoine Hamel (St-Apollinaire, Que.).

Starting quarterback Jordan Heather (Oromocto, N.B.) played just over one quarter, going 4-for-11 for 29 yards. Alex Rivet (Le Moyne, Que.) went 5-for-10 for 134 yards, including the two long passes to Wilson. Shane McDonald (Uxbridge, Ont.), who took over in the third quarter, went 5-for-7 for 63 yards, while Hamel was 6-for-7 for 80 yards. Altogether, the Gaiters ran up 410 yards in total offence, including 306 passing yards, making 15 first downs.

The Gaiters defence also had a strong day, led by defensive backs Harrison Maloney (Thurso, Que.) and Ryland Smith (Brampton, Ont.) along with veteran lineman Elie Ngoyi (Sherbrooke, Que.). Bishop’s held York to 156 total yards, including -24 yards rushing on the day.

“I’m happy with how we played today,” said Gaiters’ Head Coach Tony Addona. “The game gave us a chance to iron out some kinks, evaluate some personnel, and help us get ready for next week.”

The Gaiters open league play next week, as they face their crosstown rivals Sherbrooke Vert et Or. The Lions open their OUA campaign on Monday, September 5 against the Laurier Golden Hawks.

NOTES: Bishop’s leads the series 2-0-1 (all non-conference games) … The teams are scheduled to play a non-conference game at Coulter Field in 2012 … Quarterbacks were not “live”, so no sacks were recorded … 31 Gaiters hail from the Toronto area … The Gaiters last visited Ontario for a 2008 scrimmage against Ottawa.

SUMMARY
First Quarter
BISH – TD Van De Cruize 75 run (convert fumbled) 2:13
YORK – Safety Paquette concedes 6:04
YORK – TD Pryce 5 pass from Coutu (convert good) 13:36
Second Quarter
BISH – Single Paquette 35 (punt) 4:14
BISH – TD S.Wilson 52 pass from A.Rivet (Paquette convert) 11:17
BISH – TD S.Wilson 60 pass from A.Rivet (Paquette convert) 13:26
BISH – Safety conceded 13:59
Third Quarter
YORK – TD Sevdin 1 run (convert good) 10:30
Fourth Quarter
BISH – FG Paquette 18 yd 4:55
BISH – TD Hamel 1 run (Paquette convert) 12:16

Bishop’s………… 6 17 0 10 – 33
York……………. 9 0 6 0 – 15