CIS game RECAPS [Sunday – stats]: Beat downs in the RSEQ, Mounties continue to tumble, Rams climb, 2 close ones in the OUA

Photo: RADIO-CANADA

Sunday Sept. 19th

With files from: René Roy, Sherbrooke Vert et Or

Sherbrooke (3), Laval (41)

The Vert & Or had trouble for a second straight game Sunday at Telus Stade Laval University. The Rouge et Or had no trouble scoring 41-3, thus remaining undefeated in 23 clashes with Sherbrooke.

In a match dominated by Laval from beginning to end, opportunities for celebration were rare for the Vert & Or. But beyond the score, it is the lack of solutions in the three phases of play that is alarming in the wake of this result.

“We will have to do much better first run and play each role. We lose our battles one against one. We must return to the grassroots and it begins with all the guys who make the team, but one must simply start by working harder and solidarity as a team we have a lot to shoot. The season is only in its third week. There is still a lot of football this fall,” commented one of the team captains, Francis Lapointe.

“Not only you do not score points, but not gaining yards. It’s frustrating. For the first time this season, I have to say that our three units did not work. We should expect more from our group of veterans and young players must learn to better control their level,” lamented coach David Lessard. “We made a change in the second half by sending Jean-Christophe on the game to try to change things, but we must admit that it was a difficult day for both quarterbacks. Anyway, all the players and coaches have a responsibility in this defeat. We must bounce back. It’s better than that,” continued Lessard.

During the first two quarters, players from the University of Sherbrooke have had so much trouble to move the ball, they more penalty yards then yards from scrimmage. Limited to two completions on 12 attempts, the young quarterback Alex Jacob Michaud, could not get the running game going and Laval’s coverage on defense was great. Three first downs were achieved in the first half of the game, while Laval reaped 213 yards (including 179 through the air) and 12 first downs.

At halftime, the score of 23-2 left only little hope for Sherbrooke.

After half time, the Vert & Or missed a great opportunity to change the momentum following a fumble recovered by Anthony Dufour Isaac Lauzon. They failed to capitalize on the offensive sequence that followed. This sequence was rotated by Jean-Christophe Bourque-St-Hilaire. It was the same situation with a little over five minutes to play in the fourth quarter when defensive Samuel Polan got his third interception of the season. Umar Touré gave the ball to the Rouge et Or to a few yards to score a touchdown, after failing to control a pass picked from the game.

It is rather Laval continued to hammer in the last two quarters of play, adding 18 more points to an easy 41-3 win.

A quick look at the statistics is enough. The domination was clear in terms of total yards on offense with 486 yards for Laval against only 149 and six first test side Vert & Or. The only points came from a safety and with a single following a failed field goal …

The fourth calendar week features the Vert & Or a third game in four weekends on adverse terrain, while he will visit Percival Molson Stadium on September 24 to measure it, for the second time in three weeks, the McGill Redmen.

 

SHERBROOKE vs. LAVAL at QUEBEC, QC 20160918 at 12:11
Sherbrooke 3	Laval 41

Saturday Sept. 18th

Photo credit: Bob Frid/UBC Thunderbirds

Source: Jeremy Laurie/UBC Thunderbirds

Regina (20), UBC (10)

Heading into halftime with a 10-3 lead and with the massive Homecoming crowd on their side, the UBC Thunderbirds football team (1-2)  seemed set for a win on Friday night’s matchup against the visiting Regina Rams (2-1) at Thunderbird Stadium. However, a second-half resurgence from the Rams and 17 unanswered points led to UBC’s second consecutive loss, with a final score of 20-10.

Rain ponchos were replaced with sunglasses as nearly 8000 T-Birds fans gathered under an unexpectedly sunny sky to celebrate UBC’s Homecoming 2016. Thunderbird fever swept through the crowd who, regardless of the score, remained charged until the final play.

Receivers Will Watson and Marcus Davis led the Thunderbirds in yards, running 85 and 82-yards respectively. Despite hovering near the Rams endzone on multiple occasions, UBC was unable to generate the plays needed to penetrate a sturdy Rams defense. UBC’s lone TD came off a fumble recovery in the Rams zone by linebacker Colton Zayshley in the dying seconds of the first quarter.

UBC quarterback Michael O’Conner completed 32-of-48 passes for 337 yards, while his Rams counterpart Noah Picton who logged 268 passing yards.

UBC head coach Blake Nill expressed the team’s frustrations of not being able to put up points, even with a strong Thunderbirds defensive squad.

“The big problem is [that] we didn’t score a touchdown. It’s just like last week. [The defence] hung in there no enough for us to win. We were in a position to win, [but] didn’t make the right plays at the right time,” said Nill.

Nill acknowledged that there were positive aspects to Friday night’s game, particularly the string of young players who took the field on Friday night.

“We started three young lineman [and] they played well. The defence continues to get better, so there are positives. But we have to win some games. I wasn’t brought to UBC to lose football games.”

Though things looked to be favoring the ‘Birds in the first half, the Rams dominated the third quarter, outscoring UBC 14-0 with a pair of touchdowns and field goals.

Manitoba wide receiver Khalid Kornegay led his team with 109-yards, while slotback Mitchell Picton ran in both of the Rams touchdowns. Both of Picton’s catches came during the Rams dominant third quarter. Kicker Daniel Scraper added six points off two field goals, helping his team nail down their second consecutive win.

Davis expressed his gratitude to the many fans who made their way out to cheer on the home team.

“I really thank everyone who came out. It energizes us. We’re playing for UBC, so that’s what it’s [all] for,” said Davis.

Davis also shared thoughts on how he felt his team can improve heading into their next matchups.

“Just capitalizing on our opportunities. We know we have all the tools to do it, so we just have to come out and do our thing.”

The Thunderbirds will be on the hunt for a much needed win when they visit the Alberta Golden Bears on September 24. Regina will host Calgary on September 23.

 

Regina vs. UBC at Vancouver, B.C. 9/17/2016 at 5:00 pm
Regina 20	UBC 10

 

Source: Tony von Richter, Manager, Communications and Media Relations | Western Mustangs

Western (27), Queen’s (13)

Three field goals from Marc Liegghio and 198 yards rushing from Alex Taylor helped the Western Mustangs spoil the Queen’s Gaels home opening party with a 27-13 win on Saturday afternoon at Richardson Stadium.

“We moved [the ball] but then we’d make a mistake. The big thing in this game was that we were able to run the football against them,” said Mustangs head coach Greg Marshall.

“We’ve got to do a better job, we’ve got to do a way better job converting on third down. We’d turn the ball over, and then how many turnovers we got, or we got a big play and the penalty called it back. Too many mistakes, too many mistakes offensively. If you’re going to be a great football team you can’t make those mistakes.”

The win, Western’s fourth straight over the Gaels, comes in the first game played at the new Richardson Stadium and moves Western to 3-1 on the season.

Liegghio topped the scoresheet for the purple and white in a game played in heavy wind and, at times, heavy rain as well. The Woodbridge, Ont., native, finished with 11 points coming off of three field goals, one extra point, and a single.

“My field goal kicking today, I was really happy with it,” said Liegghio. “Unfortunately, I hit the upright on that 42-yarder, I wish that would have went in. But I was fairly happy with my performance on field goals and despite the weather I think we all did a pretty good job overall.”

Taylor’s 198 yards came on 32 carries, and was the third time this season that the running back has topped 140 yards in a game. Four games into the season Taylor ranks first in the OUA in both rushing yards (527) and touchdowns (five), and ranks second in yards per game (131.8).

“Queen’s is probably the best 0-3 team I’ll ever see. They’re a good football team,” said Taylor. “They played physical and they gave us a football game. They weren’t going to go away easy with the opening of their new stadium, and obviously we wanted to come out hard and push them to their limits right off the bat, which we did.”

The Mustangs didn’t wait long before putting points on the board, with Merchant connecting with Myles Rombough on a 17-yard pass to cap off Western’s first drive.

Liegghio rounded out the scoring in the frame, picking up points for the Mustangs off of a single and 21-yard field goal to give the purple and white an 11-0 lead after one.

Not to be outdone by his Mustangs counterpart, Gaels kicker Nick Liberatore cut into Western’s lead with a trio of field goals in the second quarter, connecting from 25, 34, and 14 yards. The two kickers traded points just before half, with a single from Liberatore and a 21-yard field goal from Liegghio to make it 14-10 for Western at halftime.

The heavy rain that began late in the second quarter continued off and on in the third, causing both offences to stall, however the Mustangs added another five points thanks to a conceded safety from the Gaels and a 40-yard field goal from Liegghio.

Another field goal from Liberatore pulled the Gaels closer, and they threatened to take the lead midway through the fourth, however Hakeem Johnson recorded his first career CIS interception at the perfect time, picking off Nate Hobbs in the Mustangs end zone to preserve the purple and white lead. Johnson’s pick was one of three from the Mustangs in the second half, with both Malcolm Brown and Mackenzie Ferguson also recording interceptions.

“I’m really proud of the way we came together as a group and made some big plays when we needed to,” said Ferguson. “I think we had three interceptions in the second half, so that’s really good when you can make those big plays against them.”

A 20-yard run touchdown run from Merchant and a two-point conversion with just under three minutes remaining gave the Mustangs the 27-13 win.

With the first half of their schedule in the books the Mustangs now get set for the toughest part of their schedule as they’ll face three of this week’s CIS Top 10 teams over their final four games, with matchups against No. 7 Laurier, No. 8 Ottawa, and No. 9 McMaster. And the Mustangs other opponent? Only the defending Yates Cup Champion Guelph Gryphons, who will host Western next week for Homecoming.

“Everybody’s tough,” said Marshall. “Guelph beat Queen’s. You look at the teams – Carleton, us, Queen’s, Laurier, McMaster, Ottawa – it’s a battle. I know what people are expecting, but we’re not going to win 75-0 every week. Sometimes games like this are a really good character [builder], a way better character game to win like this than we lost at Carleton.”

Western’s Yates Cup rematch with the Gryphons is set for Saturday, September 24, at Alumni Stadium in Guelph. Game time is set for 1 p.m., and can once again be seen live across Canada on City, and online on OUA.tv. Fans can also tune in to CHRW Radio 94.9 FM and Newstalk 1290 CJBK.

 

WESTERN vs. QUEENS at Kingston, Ont. 9/17/2016 at 13:08
Western 27	Queen’s 13

Source: University of Toronto Varsity Blues

York (18), Toronto (45)

The University of Toronto Varsity Blues football team notched their first win of the season, defeating the York Lions 45-18 in the 47th annual Red & Blue Bowl on Saturday, September 17 at Varsity Stadium.

It marks the fourth straight year the Blues have claimed the Argo Cup, and eighth in the last nine years. Toronto now holds a 30-17 head-to-head record over York since their first meeting in 1970.

TORONTO STATS:

Fifth-year quarterback Marcus Hobbs went 7-for-12 for 210 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing 11 times for 74 yards and three majors in the victory.

Two Blues running backs rushed for over 100 yards. Alex Malone rushed 29 times for 155 yards, with Kaleb Leach rushing 16 times for 112 yards and one major on the day.

Anthony Naccarato proved to be Hobbs’ favourite target, making three receptions for 115 yards and one TD.

Foruth-year linebacker Brittley Mokube topped Toronto defensively with 7.5 tackles. Nick Hallett, Jaiden McBride and Matthew Renaud all had seven tackles in the win.

GAME FLOW:

Hobbs opened the scoring late in the first quarter, capping off an 8-play, 41-yard drive with a five-yard rushing major. U of T held a 6-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Lions got on the board midway through the second quarter as Nick Naylor kicked a 26-yard field goal. The Blues responded though as Hobbs hit Naccarato with a 42-yard strike to set up a 34-yard field goal from Blues kicker Ethan Shafer.

York marched down the field towards the end of the half but the Blues came up with some big stops and the Lions would settle for a 12-yard field goal. The Blues ended the first half on a big high as Hobbs connected a 76-yard strike with veteran receiver Rahul Madan for the touchdown.

Toronto was up 17-6 at halftime.

Naylor opened the second half with a 30 yard field goal for the Lions. The rain started to play a factor but the Blues powered through and Hobbs punched in another five-yard rushing TD to put the Blues up 24-9.

The Lions rallied though and Brett Hunchak found his brother, Colton, in the end zone for the 18-yard touchdown reception to cut the deficit to nine (24-15) at the end of the third quarter.

Naylor added his fourth field goal of the game early in the fourth quarter, this time from 31 yards out, but it was all Toronto from there.  Kaleb Leach ended a seven-play, 75-yard drive with a three-yard rushing major. Six minutes later, Naccarato came up with a beautiful 65-yard touchdown reception and Hobbs capped off the game with a two-yard rushing TD.

YORK STATS:

Second-year quarterback Brett Hunchak ended the game 25-of-39 for 315 yards and one TD. Rookie running back Kayden Johnson set and Red & Blue Bowl record with 32 carries, racking up 207 rushing yards.

D’Saun Greenaway led the Lions with five receptions for 82 yards, while Colton Hunchak had seven catches for 67 yards and one major. Fifth-year Lions linebacker Micahel Runowski led all players with 10.5 tackles in the loss.

The Varsity Blues return to action next Saturday, September 24 when they travel to Kingston, Ont., to take on the Queen’s Gaels at the revitalized Richardson Stadium. Kick off is set for 1 p.m.

For more information, scores and highlights on your favourite U of T athletes and teams, please visit www.varsityblues.ca. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook for the latest and greatest in Varsity Blues intercollegiate athletics.

 

York Lions vs. Toronto at Toronto 9/17/2016 at 1:07pm
York 18	Toronto 45

Source: University of Guelph Gryphons

Guelph (28), Ottawa (31)

The Guelph Gryphons welcomed back a few key members to the offence on Saturday, but it wasn’t enough to beat the now 3-0, 8th ranked Ottawa Gee-Gee’s.  A great back and forth battle by both teams was ultimately won in double overtime by Ottawa.  Weather was a factor once again this week as heavy rains pounded down at Gee-Gee’s field making the passing game a difficult one for both teams.

Johnny Augustine was an important addition to the Gryphons running attack with the rain pouring down most of the game.  The offensive line controlled the line of scrimmage for much of the first half, allowing Augustine to run for 87 yards in the first half alone, and 153 total yards.  Guelph chose to give Augustine the bulk of the workload throughout the game despite the strong one-two punch of Daniel Palmer-Salmon and Brandon Gordon being key in last week’s comeback win against Queen’s.  Brandon Gordon only carried the ball three times, while Palmer-Salmon didn’t rush it at all.

Ryan Nieuwesteeg had a total of 165 all purpose return yards and provided a big spark on special teams.  However, there were some penalties on returns that prevented Nieuwesteeg from having an even bigger day.

The defence controlled the game early on forcing fifth year starter, Derek Wendel to throw two interceptions in the first half.  Michael Carney executed the tip drill perfectly as he caught the deflected pass deep in Gryphon territory.  In the second quarter it was Job Reinhart’s turn to thwart a Gee-Gee’s drive with an interception over the middle.  Despite the 2 interceptions this week, and 3 last week, Wendel bounced back nicely to throw two touchdowns in the second quarter – one off of a Gryphons fumble.

Gabe Ferraro had the Gryphons out to an early 6-0 lead with a 17 yard field goal in the first quarter and a 42 yard field goal early in the second quarter.   Guelph conceded a safety a few minutes later to make it 6-2, and it looked like it was going to be a defensive battle.  And a battle against the elements.  But Derek Wendel quickly forgot about his earlier interceptions, and found Kalem Beaver for a 29 yard pass and catch, with Beaver making jukes and cuts all over the place for a spectacular play.  Ottawa made it 16 unanswered points with under a minute left as Wendel found Mitchell Baines for a 30 yard touchdown.  That gave the Gee-Gee’s a 16-6 lead at the half.

Guelph would need a quick start to the second half and got just that with Geoff Bezruchko catching his first career TD pass from James Roberts to cut the lead to 16-13.  With the rain still coming down hard, it was shaping up to be a battle of the running games.  With that being the only scoring of the 3rd quarter, both defences stepped up, including an interception by Thomas Carrier on James Roberts late in the quarter.  The Gryphons defence held down the potent Ottawa offence though, leading to a wild and crazy fourth quarter.

With fourth year kicker Lewis Ward extending the Ottawa lead to 19-13 halfway through the final quarter, little did anyone know how important that leg would be in about 30 minutes.

After a conceded safety by the Gee-Gee’s brought the Gryphons back within four points, it was time for the Guelph offence to put together a game winning drive.  It seemed like they may have accomplished that.  A 9 play, 75 yard drive was capped off by a 6 yard touchdown pass from James Roberts to Colton Jones put the Gryphons up 22-19.  Roberts showed great poise and patience on the play, waiting for it to develop and find Jones streaking across the middle.

With that drive taking 2:24 off the clock, it left Ottawa just 1:40 to make a game winning or tying drive.  It was helped immensely by a 40 yard return by second year receiver Thomas Hoyt, leaving the Gee-Gee’s very close to field goal range.  After three quick completions, Wendel was called for intentional grounding on a controversial second down call, leading to Ottawa having to settle for a 51 yard field goal attempt by….Lewis Ward.  With 53 seconds left, Ward split the uprights, to tie the game, and also tying an Ottawa school record.  Matt Falvo hit a 51 yarder in 2012 against Queen’s to set the record.

With the game tied at 22-22 and under a minute left, both teams failed to score and overtime was needed.   This was the first regular season overtime game for Guelph, since a 34-27 loss in the 2014 season opener to McMaster.

Ottawa got the ball first and used a 39 yard field goal from Lewis Ward to go up 25-22.  Gabe Ferraro, who was excellent all day both punting and placekicking, made his next two attempts from 42, and 49 yards respectively to put the Gryphons up 28-25.  After the long 49 yarder, it felt like the momentum was with the Gryphons and Ferraro’s right leg.  After an 11 yard rush by Bryce Vieira (who ran for 113 yards on the day), Derek Wendel, poised as ever, found Trevor Kennedy wide open after a pump and go froze the Gryphons defence.  Gryphon defenders had to hold their heads high right away to avoid the Gee-Gee bench whizzing past them to the end zone to find Kennedy and Wendel.

Some standouts for the Gryphons on defence were Akeem Knowles who had 9 tackles and a forced fumble.  Lukas Korol recovered 2 fumbles and made 7 tackles, while Job Reinhart had 7 tackles and 1 interception to join his teammate Michael Carney with a pick earlier on in the first half.

James Roberts had a strong second half, completing his day going 25-40 for 225 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. His counterpart, Derek Wendel attempted 10 more passes than Roberts, completing 29-50 for 286 yards with 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.  This was the second week in a row that Wendel threw 2+ interceptions, while still getting the win.  A’dre Fraser was a standout in the receiving core, coming up just 2 yards shy of 100 yards, catching 12 passes for 98 yards. In the ‘Baines Bowl’ battle, Gryphons DB Riley Baines had 4 tackles, while his brother Mitchell, had 11 catches for 120 yards and one touchdown.

Guelph will have a long trip home and plenty of time to think ahead to next week’s homecoming game and Yates Cup rematch against the Western Mustangs.  With last year’s championship being played in London, this is the first regular season visit the Mustangs have made to Alumni Stadium since a thrilling Gryphons 49-46 victory in October of 2014.  Guelph will look to continue their 5 year of streak of not having 2 games in a row.  Kickoff is at 1:00pm on Saturday September 24th, and tickets are still available online.

GUELPH vs. Ottawa at Ottawa 9/17/2016 at 13:00
Guelph 28	Ottawa 31

Photo credit: Elizabeth Karchut

Laurier (17), Carleton (16)

The No. 7 Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks men’s football team improved their record to 3-0 for the first time since 2007 on Saturday afternoon as they rallied to edge the No. 4 Carleton Ravens 17-16 at MNP Park.

For the second straight week, the Hawks rode the legs of fifth year running back Eric Guiltinan of London, Ont., who rushed for 200-yards on 23 carries to help his team overcome a 16-7 deficit late in the third quarter to come away with the victory.

“It feels amazing, especially how we won [coming from behind],” said head coach Michael Faulds following the victory. “Our defence played amazing today, especially with their ability to force and create turnovers. Offensively, we couldn’t muster much but we stuck with the run and we wore them down and it turned into big runs in the second half.”

Playing in a steady downpour for a majority of the contest, the two nationally-ranked teams kept the ball on the ground for much of the afternoon. However, both team’s defences were prepared and limited the scoring chances on both sides of the football.

It was the Hawks’ defence that struck first as safety Taylor Calverley of Pottageville, Ont., intercepted Ravens’ quarterback Jesse Mills of Halifax, in the endzone to keep the Ravens from opening the scoring midway through the first quarter.

From there, Laurier limited Carleton to a pair of first half conceded safeties and a 32-yard field goal from Michael Domagala of St. Catharines, Ont., as the Ravens took a 7-0 lead.

With the offence struggling to find their footing, recording just six passing yards in the opening half, the Hawks’ defence stepped up once again late in the second quarter. Linebacker Scott Hutter of London, Ont., stepped in front of a Mills pass and returned it 54-yards for a touchdown to tie the game at seven.

Hutter’s major marked the third consecutive week that the Hawks have returned an interception for a touchdown, as he joined Godfrey Onyeka of Brampton, Ont., and Malcolm Thompson of Windsor, Ont., in accomplishing the feat.

Despite the Hawks great play on defence in the opening half, the Ravens struck quickly to start the second. Carleton completed an eight-play, 76-yard drive with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Mills to Kyle VanWynsberghe of Delhi, Ont., to give them a 14-7 lead.

After conceding their third safety of the day to stake Carleton to a 16-7 advantage, the Hawks run game slowly started coming to life late in the third quarter. With quarterback Michael Knevel of Brantford, Ont., running the offence in place of starter Julien John of Oakville, Ont., the Hawks put together a 10-play, 90-yard drive late in the quarter, highlighted by a 36-yard run by Guiltinan down to the Ravens’ one-yard line.

The drive was capped off one play later by a one-yard touchdown run from Darian Waite of Newmarket, Ont., the first touchdown of his OUA career, to cut the deficit to 16-14.

In the fourth quarter, Laurier’s defence once again made an impact in the contest. Defensive lineman Kwaku Boateng of Milton, Ont., forced a fumble deep in Ravens territory that was recovered by Hutter on the Carleton 10-yard line. While the Hawks weren’t able to punch it into the endzone, kicker Nathan Mesher of Waterloo, Ont., was successful in hitting the tough eight-yard chip shot to give his team a 17-16 lead.

From there, Laurier stood tall and held the Ravens in check, highlighted by an impressive stop on third and two at midfield on Carleton’s next possession. The Ravens would get no closer to scoring and Laurier ran out the clock to come away with the victory.

“We schemed a little differently in the second half on offence,” said Faulds on his team’s second half performance. “But when it comes down to it, it was the wear and tear of pounding the ball in the first half that allowed us to have success in the second half. We were the fresher team and that allowed Eric to have a big second half performance.”

Guiltinan, who continues to lead the OUA in rushing this season, now averaging 155.0 yards per game, was the lone star of a Laurier offence that produced just 263 yards in the contest. Guiltinan accounted for 212 of those yards, as in addition to his 200 rushing yards, he also had 12 yards on two receptions.

John, who started the game at quarterback, completed just 2-of-9 passes for six yards before he was replaced by Knevel who finished the game 4-for-8 for 40 yards.

“We’re going to have to look at the quarterback position this week,” added Faulds after the game. “That being said, it wasn’t the easiest day to throw the ball in the rain. I’m proud of Michael with how he played coming in at the half and with how Julien handled the switch. That’s the type of character we have on this team.”

On defence, the stars of the afternoon were Calverley and Hutter. Calverley finished the contest with six total tackles and two interceptions, the first two interceptions of his career. Meanwhile, Hutter registered 4.5 total tackles, one interception, one fumble recovery and one pass breakup.

For Carleton, they were led on the afternoon by fourth year running back Jayde Rowe of Scarborough, Ont., as he posted 161 yards on 24 carries. Mills finished the day 19-of-36 for 202 yards and a touchdown while tossing three interceptions and on defence, Leon Cenerini of La Salle, MA, had 10.5 total tackles and one interception.

With the win, the Hawks remain tied with the Ottawa Gee-Gees (3-0) for first place in the OUA standings as the only two undefeated teams in the conference.

As for the Ravens, they drop to 2-2 on the year and sit in a three-way tie for fifth place in the conference.

Up next for Laurier, they will return to Waterloo for their annual Homecoming game next Saturday, September 24, when they take on the Waterloo Warriors (0-4). Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at University Stadium.

Tickets for the game can be purchased by visiting tickets.laurierathletics.com or visiting the Hawk Desk or U-Desk on campus.

NOTES: Guiltinan became just the sixth player in Laurier history to record 200 rushing yards in a contest…it also marked a new career-high for the fifth year back…the Hawks were held without a sack on the afternoon after recording 15 through their first two games…Laurier also prevented Carleton from recording a sack in the contest…Saturday’s game was Carleton’s annual Homecoming contest…attendance at the game was 2,819

WILFRID LAURIER vs. CARLETON RAVENS at OTTAWA 9/17/2016 at 1:00PM
Laurier 17	Carleton 16

Source: McMaster Marauders

McMaster (35), Waterloo (0)

On a cold, wet, windy day in Waterloo the McMaster football team used a solid running game and strong defensive effort to build up an early lead and defeat a young Waterloo Warriors squad 35-0, The win moves McMaster to 3-1 in the OUA.  The Warriors fall to 0 and 4.

The Marauders rode the ground game early to grab a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, as Chris Pezzetta and Jordan Lyons kept the chains moving, allowing Asher Hastings to be very selective about his pass attempts.  Pezzetta scored the opening major on a two-yard plunge and Hastings hit Dan Petermann for a four-yard strike to grab the early lead.

Playing with the wind in the second quarter, McMaster was able to keep the Warriors penned up deep in their own end.  A big interception return by Mitch Garland allowed Pezzetta to score his second touchdown from a yard out, and a late scoring toss to Max Cameron from Hastings gave the Maroon a 30-0 advantage heading into the intermission.

With the weather making things tough on both teams, the third quarter highlight saw Mac kicker Adam Preocanin drill a 49-yard field goal with the wind at his back.
McMaster was able to give the back-ups substantial reps in the second half and was content to primarily run the ball to keep the clock moving toward the final whistle.

The Marauder defense picked off five interceptions on the day with Garland grabbing two, while Eric Blake, Alec Robertson and Ben Cross all snagged errant Waterloo throws.

The Marauders will now enter their bye week and get ready for the big Homecoming clash with the Guelph Gryphons on October 1^st at Ron Joyce Stadium.
Homecoming tickets can be purchased online at marauders.ca and Mac students can get tickets at the Compass information desk in the Student Centre.

 

McMaster Marauders vs. Waterloo Warriors at Waterloo 9/17/2016 at 13:07
McMaster 35	Waterloo 0

 

Photo courtesy Nic Latulippe

Source: St. FX Athletics

Acadia (8), St.FX (37)

The first place and defending conference champion StFX X-Men (2-0) cruised to a 37-8 victory over the visiting Acadia Axemen (1-1) in Atlantic University Sport (AUS) football action Saturday afternoon.

The X-Men outscored the Axemen 27-1 in the second half to seal the win, in front of more than 2,000 fans at StFX Stadium.

Junior running back Jordan Socholotiuk (Fort McMurray, AB), the Subway player of the game, led the X-Men offense with 155 yards on 24 carries, running behind a stellar offensive line.

X-Men head coach Gary Waterman commented, “I was happy how we rebounded in the second half. I thought we played hard in the first half but we were making mistakes – focusing and concentration mistakes. I challenged the guys to concentrate harder and focus on their assignments and I thought they did a better job in the second half.”

“We still had too many penalties but we’re happy to win a game, I was happy the guys played the full 60 minutes.”

The X-Men opened the scoring on the first play of the second quarter, with a single point off a 35-yard missed field goal by sophomore Jonathan Heidebrecht (Camrose, AB).

On that drive, Kaion Grant (Toronto, ON) and Greg Nugent (London, ON) made big catches, while Socholotuik chewed up key yardage on the ground.

On the next Axemen possession, linebacker Adam Kuntz (Camrose, AB) stuffed the rusher for no gain, on second-and-one, which forced the visitors to punt.

After a two-and-out by the X-Men offense, the defense went back to work – led by lineman Kyle Forde (Ajax, ON) – who sacked Axemen quarterback Nicholas Bynkoski. The sack by Forde was his first of four in the opening half.

Heidebrecht capped the next StFX possession with a 12-yard field goal to make it 4-0 for the home side.

On an impressive three-play drive, the Axemen took their first lead – 7-4 – on a Eli Prochau (Cochrane, AB) major score, after he took a pitch from quarterback Nick Bynkoski (Duncan, BC).

The Axemen TD possession started with a 45-yard pass-and-catch between Bynkoski and Bradley Vince (Cambridge, ON).

After fullback David Dean returned a short kick-off to the Axemen 51 yard line, the X-Men started another march, which culminated with a booming 46-yard field goal from Heidebrecht.

Forde the collected back-to-back sacks to force the Axemen to quickly punt it back to the X-Men.

With StFX looking to extend the lead, a touchdown pass from Cook to Dejuan Martin (Scarborough, ON) was negated by a penalty call.

A few plays later, after a defensive stand by the Axemen, including a sack by Gabriel Bagnell (Brookside, NS), the X-Men had to settle for a 17-yard Heidebrecht field goal to make it 10-7 – an edge they would take to the locker room at halftime.

The X-Men took a 10-point advantage early in the third quarter, with Cook putting the exclamation point on an eight-play, 76-yard drive with a one-yard quarterback sneak for the touchdown.

After the Heidebrecht extra point, the home team led 17-7.

On the kick-off, the X-Men placekicker boomed it through the end zone for a single point, giving the blue and white an 18-7 edge.

Defensive back Justin Holland (Parksville, ON) picked off Bynkoski to give the X-Men offense the ball, but the Axemen took it back, soon after, on an interception of Cook by Harland Hastings (Calgary, AB).

On the next Axemen offensive drive, starting from great field position, Forde and Kay Okafor (Enugu, Nigeria) combined on a sack, which forced a punt.

While tiptoeing along the out-of-bounds line, in the end zone, senior receiver Christian Ridley (Dubai, UAE) corralled an eight-yard TD pass from Cook. With another Heidebrecht point-after, the X-Men led 25-7. Socholotiuk keyed the attack with three runs in a row, which resulted in consecutive first downs, on the X-Men possession.

StFX stretched their advantage to 26-7, on another kick-off through the end zone by Heidebrecht.

Before the end of the third quarter, the placekicker tacked on another X-Men point, off a missed field goal.

On a field goal try by Brandon Jennings, who also plays defensive back for the Axemen, the visitors cut the X-Men lead to 27-8, with a single point. Jennings was selected as his team’s player of the game.

The final X-Men major score came on a one-yard plunge by running back Albert Banahene (Calgary, AB), which capped off a five-play, 78-yard drive.

With the Heidebrecht extra point, StFX was up 34-8.

As Acadia tried to rally late in the game, the X-Men forced two turnovers on downs, with one coming off a combined tackle by Mete Konya (Osnabrueck, GER) andTyler Cordeiro (Oakville, ON), on a third-and-short running play.

With less than two minutes left in regulation, Heidebrecht wrapped-up the scoring with a 35-yard field goal to make it 37-8.

On offense, the X-Men held a 26-14 edge in first downs, while outgaining the Axemen 294-155 in total offense.

Cook was 27-for-34, with 274 yards passing, with Martin the X-Men’s top receiver with 11 catches for 129 yards.

Ridley and Grant snagged six catches apiece for 68 and 47 yards, respectively. Grant also chipped in eight punt returns for 82 yards.

Bynkoski completed nine out of 14 pass attempts, while collecting 136 yards through the air, with Cody Cluett (Cole Harbour, NS), in relief, going 4-for-12, with 10 yards.

Cameron Davidson (Kentville, NS) gained 101 yards, on 14 carries, to lead the Axemen, while Sabastian Robinson (Saskatoon, SK) with four, had the most catches, with Vince collecting the most yardage (48).

Defensively, Forde finished his monster game with a team-high 7.5 tackles to go with an incredible five-and-a-half sacks. Sophomore linebacker Gordon Whyte(Toronto, ON) contributed 6.5 tackles for the winners.

For the Axemen, fifth-year defensive back William Wojcik (Ottawa, ON) finished with a game-high 9.5 tackles, while Jennings collected seven.

The Axemen return to action Saturday, Sept. 17, when they host the CIS #1-ranked Montreal Carabins, in interlock action, in Wolfville, while the X-Men will travel to Montreal to face the Concordia Stingers.

Both games kick-off at 2 p.m. ADT.

The next home game for the X-Men is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 1, when they host the rival St. Mary’s Huskies on Homecoming Weekend.

Game time is 2 p.m.

Friday Sept. 16th

Source: Ben Matchett; Assistant Athletic Director (Communications)

Calgary (20), Saskatchewan (19) 

Freshman kicker Niko Difonte’s 10-yard field goal with 41 seconds left capped off the game-winning drive as the second-ranked University of Calgary Dinos escaped from Griffiths Stadium Friday night with a 20-19 win over No. 10 Saskatchewan.

On a night they struggled to finish drives, DiFonte’s field goal capped off a clutch nine-play, 101-yard march downfield for the Dinos that started on their own 6-yard line and took just 1:23. Jimmy Underdahl picked up completions of 27, 8, 24, and 20 yards on the drive, with Austen Hartley hauling in two huge grabs to keep the drive alive. The Dinos’ defence turned the ball over on downs, and Calgary was able to kneel out the victory.

It was the Dinos’ third win over a top-10 team in as many weeks as they scored 10 points in each of the first and fourth quarters, bookending two scoreless frames as the two old rivals went toe-to-toe in front of a big Homecoming crowd at the University of Saskatchewan.

“When your offence can put a drive together like that at the end of the game, you have to be happy with the way they performed,” said Dinos Head Coach Wayne Harris. “Tonight was a tough test on a tough field against a tough opponent, and it was nice to put that string together. Jimmy showed a lot of poise, the offensive line did a good job in protection and creating running lanes, and Chown had a couple big runs on that drive.”

“Lots of respect for Saskatchewan, they put on a heck of a show tonight,” Hartley told Shaw TV. “On the last drive it was exciting in the huddle – there was lots of energy on the bench, and it transferred onto the field.”

The Dinos had to come back for the win without the services of centre Darius Ciraco, who was injured in the third quarter – resulting in a shuffle on the offensive line that vaulted first-year starter Spencer Roy into the pivotal centre spot.

“Darius is one of our top guys, and Spencer Roy came in and performed admirably in his absence,” said Harris. “There’s lots of pressure to put on a young guy in that situation and atmosphere…I really think both lines were the difference makers in getting the win tonight.”

Calgary headed into the fourth quarter trailing by six points after the Huskies defence had shut them down for two quarters. The Dinos re-took the lead 5:44 into the final frame when Quentin Chown scored his second touchdown of the night, giving the visitors a 17-16 advantage. On the ensuing Saskatchewan drive, however, the Dinos gave up the biggest play of the game when Julan Lynch rumbled 63 yards downfield to get inside the red zone. Unable to find the end zone, the Huskies settled for a Sean Stenger field goal.

The game got off to a promising start for Calgary, with DiFonte kicking a 22-yard field goal on the Dinos’ opening drive. Late in the quarter Calgary took a 10-0 lead when Chown took a pitch from Underdahl for a 12-yard touchdown.

With the wind in the second quarter, though, the Huskies took full advantage with Kyle Siemens tossing for a pair of touchdowns to Chad Braun and Samuel Baker, with Stenger adding a pair of singles.

The Dinos moved the ball but struggled to complete drives throughout the second quarter, a trend that continued until the two scoring drives in the fourth that ultimately led to the win.

Underdahl wrapped up the night completing 29 of 43 passes for 383 yards – 79 of which came on the game-winning drive. Both Hartley and Whitman Tomusiak cracked the 100-yard barrier among receivers, with Tomusiak hauling in 10 passes for 114 yards while Hartley picked up 108 yards on seven catches. Chown ran hard all night, with 15 carries going for 86 yards and the two crucial touchdowns.

Micah Teitz had a monster night defensively for the Dinos with 11 tackles, two tackles for loss, and a sack, while Boston Rowe continued to find himself in the centre of the action with eight tackles on the night and a sack of his own. Jack McEwen and Brett Wade also picked up a sack apiece as Calgary’s defence held the opposition under 20 points and 375 yards for the third game in a row.

“The defence had a couple breakdowns, but they made big plays when it was required,” said Harris. “You know (Saskatchewan) is going to make some plays, and it’s about how you respond to those. I like the way the team responded tonight.”

The only remaining undefeated team in the conference, the 3-0 Dinos will wrap up the first half of the season next Friday night at Regina (7 p.m., Shaw TV, CanadaWest.tv) before playing three straight games at McMahon Stadium. Saskatchewan (2-1), meanwhile, visits Manitoba next week.

-UC-

 

Calgary vs. Saskatchewan at Saskatoon, SK 9/16/2016 at 7:07PM
Calgary 20	Saskatchewan 19

 

Source: Manitoba Bison Football

Alberta (12), Manitoba (42)

In a game that saw two winless team enter week three of the 2016 Canada West football regular season opener, the Manitoba Bisons scored their highest point total of the young season with a 42-12 home win over the Alberta Golden Bears on Friday, September 16 at Investors Group Field in front of 1,438 fans.

With the victory, the Bisons improve to 1-2 record while the Bears drop to 0-3 in the young Canada West regular season. This is the first of two match-ups this season between the teams and they meet again on October 22 in Edmonton.

The final result would not reflect it but the visitors jumped out to a fast start. Alberta had a quick ten points only four minutes into the contest. Second year kicker Brent Arthur had the first points of the game from a 25 yard field goal to finish off an efficient starting drive and then the Bears’ defence capitalized on a 45 yard fumble recovery for a TD by second year defensive back Griffin Dear.

The rest of the game was all Manitoba as they proceeded to score 42 unanswered points.

The home side responded with a touchdown just a minute later when Bison third year quarterback Theo Deezar found rookie receiver Riley Harrison from 21 yards out. At the end of the first, Alberta led 10-7.

Deezar completed a ten play, 71 yard drive with a one yard plunge to begin the second quarter. The Winnipeg pivot then found a streaking Shai Ross with a laser-like 40 yard bomb only a minute later and with a safety, Manitoba had 23-10 advantage at half.

Deezar continued his assault in the second half as he found Harrison again on a 15 yard strike and then Ross for his second TD, this time from 26 yards out and a Ryan Jones 22 yard field goal but the game out of reach. Both teams exchanged safeties in the fourth to end the scoring and the Bisons walked away with their first conference win of 2016.

“That was as good of a football game as I’ve seen in awhile,” commented Bison Football head coach Brian Dobie after the game. “We scored 42 points in a row and it was combination of all three units that played so well tonight.”

The stats proved out how much the hosts took over the game after Alberta early lead. Manitoba had 559 total offence yards compared to only 251 for Alberta. The Bisons also had 29 first downs to 19 for Alberta.

Individually, Alberta split the duties at the quarterback position. Second year Ben Kopczynski played the first half and went 6-16 for 59 yards and 21 rushing yards. Third year QB Scott Pearson replaced Kopczynski at the start of the third and went 6-13 for 70 yards and three interceptions and notched 20 rush yards. Fourth year receiver Taylor Henry was top Bears’ with five receptions with 57 yards and fourth year running back Ed Ilnicki churned up 46 yards on seven carries. Fifth year linebacker Tom Tsoumpas tied for the game-high with seven total tackles and second year linebacker Josh Taitinger and second year defensive lineman Lucky Daniels added 5.5 tackles each.

Deezar had one of his best games in his three year Bison career. He passed for 21-27 (77.8%) for 345 passing yards along with one rush TD. Harrison had two TD receptions with six catches for 103 yards while Ross had two TDs and five receptions for 104 yards. Bison second year slotback Jesse Walker added six grabs for 92 yards along with 51 rush yards on five carries. Fourth year running back Alex Christie registered 67 rushing yards on 12 carries. Fifth year defensive lineman Evan Fosterhad seven total tackles with two sacks. Second year defensive lineman Derek Dufault and fourth year linebacker DJ Lalama notched 4.5 tackles each. The Bisons had their first three interceptions of the season (Tristen O’Meara, Evinn Lyons-Keely and Jayden McKoy).

Up next in week four action, Alberta (0-3) will be at home against the defending CIS champion UBC on Sat., Sept. 24 at 5 p.m. MT. Manitoba (1-2) hosts Saskatchewan (2-1) at home during the annual Homecoming game also on Sat., Sept. 24 at 1 p.m. CT.

Game Notes: The Bison football team won their third consecutive victory over the Alberta Golden Bears at Investors Group Field (the inaugural Bison home game at IGF was versus Alberta and Manitoba won 65-41 on Aug. 30/13 and then won 29-7 against the Bears on Oct. 23/15) in the four year history of the stadium. Evinn Lyons-Keelyhad a 75 yard interception return at the end of the third quarter and this tied for the fifth longest interception return in Bison history. Deezar has now thrown for 457 yards in game two and 345 yards in the home win in game three for a two game total of 802 passing yards. Deezar now moves into sixth place in most passing yards in Bison history.

Alberta vs. Manitoba at Winnipeg, MB 9/16/2016 at 7:08pm
Alberta 12	Manitoba 42

Photo credit: James Hajjar

With files from: Benoit Mongeon, Carabins de l’Université de Montréal

Concordia (3), Montreal (59)

The Carabins prevailed again in their house Friday night, this time by a score of 59-3 vs the Concordia Stingers. If the offense collected their share of success, it is the defense that has been dominant again, who allowed just 167 yards of offense led by MVP RSEQ in 2015, Trenton Miller.

Satisfied, head coach Danny Maciocia said it was again a team victory. “We talked about playing 60 minutes, one can still say mission accomplished on that. The three facets played well, everyone contributed and it inspires me a lot. ”

The Blues were the first to score. Early in the game, Gabriel Parent (Homeland Security) found the gap and collected the first points of the game, all on a distance of two yards. Andrew Stevens, Stingers kicker managed a 32 yard field goal, which proved to be the only points by Concordia.

The first quarter was an uphill battle, but the second quarter, was all Carabins. A touchdown pass of 45 yards by Samuel Caron (Civil Engineering, Polytechnic) to William Paquet (Industrial Relations), a safety forced by the defensive and two investment Felix Menard-Brière (Landscape Architecture) gave a 19 Carabins points at the half, the score being 22-3.

Brilliant second half by a diverse attack
Out of the locker room, the Blues did not remove the foot from the pedal. After collecting major ground following a quarterback sneak, Caron recovered again pack for his second touchdown by air. Following the third successful punt by Ménard-Brière, the defense made its presence felt. Defensive back, Jordan Perrin (Arts and Science) intercepted a pass from Miller and ran for over 46 yards. Julien Choquette-Daigneault (Health and Physical Education) added the last points on the board with a touchdown of 23 yards, one minute after another kicker placement native of Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts.

Without scoring hit, Asnnel Robo (Youth Intervention) will be able to impress in his first presence in the field. The second-year running back has crossed the 100 yards rushing bar, thanks to eight carries only. Visibly pleased with his performance, Robo already looking towards the next game. “I am confident for the rest. I was given an opportunity, and I surpassed what I did last year. I’m very happy. “

Given the electrifying performance of the team, Caron sat after 48 minutes of work and in came Pierre-Luc Várhegyi (Administration, HEC Montreal), who demonstrated well to distribute the ball between his receivers. The quarterback of the Blues, who completed 20 of 30 passes for gains of 287 yards, enabled Louis-Mathieu Normandin (Administration, HEC Montreal) to accumulate 129 on seven catches. The receiver could not hide his joy after the match. ” I felt good. Samuel has launched the balloons, it’s connected between us. Week one is improving week. “

During the last 10 minutes of play, the Blues have collected 142 points while only giving 10, statistics that appeal to well Maciocia. The head coach also praised the efforts of his troops, adding that his men will be well respected the game plan in recent weeks. “The 12 guys on the field playing the way they should. They are aware of their responsibilities and act accordingly. When we play like that, there is a strong possibility that we will be successful. ”

Armed with a flawless record, the Carabins face off next Saturday September 24th the Axemen at Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. You can watch the game in its entirety on CISM 89.3, starting strokes 13h EST.

Concordia vs. Montreal at Montreal, QC 20160916 at 19:08
Concordia 3	Montreal 59

Bishop vs. McGill at Montreal,Qc 9/16/2016 at 19:12
Bishop’s 9	McGill 43

Courtesy: MTA Athletics

Mount Allison (27), Saint Mary’s (32)

The Mount Allison Mounties lost 32-27 to the Saint Mary’s Huskies at Huskies Stadium in Halifax on Friday night.  The loss ends an 8 game regular season and playoff win streak for the Mounties over Saint Mary’s that dates back to the 2013 season.

After giving up an early safety, the Mounties took over the 1^st half of the game, scoring 27 points and charging out to a 27-2 lead. The Mounties started their scoring when freshman quarterback Jakob Loucks connected with AUS All-Star Dakota Brush for a 10 yard strike to give the Mounties a 7-2 lead.  Mounties kicker Ryan Lambert extended the Mounties lead to 10-2 when he split the uprights from 38 yards out.

Lambert went back to work shortly after and connected from 26 yards to make the score 13-2 for the garnet and gold.  A 78 yard run by Loucks set up a short two yard TD by Chris Reid, his 3^rd of the season, as the Mounties surged to a 20-7 lead. Loucks and Brush then went back to work, this time with Loucks hitting Brush from 20 yards out and the Mounties lead 27-2.

Saint Mary’s would answer with two field goals before the end of the first half and then a quick touchdown on the opening drive of the 3^rd quarter allowed them to get back in the game, trailing only 27-15.  Saint Mary’s would claw away at the Mounties lead, eventually taking the lead back with less than 2 minutes remaining.  A late field goal extended the Saint Mary’s lead and when the Mounties failed to move the ball on their final possession, the game ended.

The Mounties now return home to Alumni Field to host the Laval Rogue et Or in RSQE interlock play on Saturday, September 24^th at 2PM.  The last time the Mounties hosted Laval it was for the 2013 Uteck Bowl played at then MacAulay Field.  The Mounties opened their brand new Alumni Field before the start of the 2015 season.

Mount Allison vs. Saint Mary’s at Halifax, Nova Scotia 9/16/2016 at 7:07 PM
Mount Allison 27	Saint Mary’s 32