November 4, 2006
HAWKS BEAT WESTERN FOR YATES BERTH
WATERLOO - After committing seven turnovers the defending Vanier Cup Champion Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks pulled out a narrow 20-15 victory over the University of Western Ontario Mustangs. The win sends the #7 nationally ranked Hawks to their fourth consecutive Yates Cup appearance, as they look to bring home the Ontario Championship for the third straight season.
The game was riddled with turnovers and penalties. All totaled, both teams combined for 12 turnovers and 21 penalties. At one point during the second quarter, the teams exchanged possession five times, all on interceptions over a span of 11 minutes.
\"All said and done we had more points then they did and that's what matters,\" said Manager of Football Operations and Head Coach Gary Jeffries. \"We'll make the adjustments this week and be ready for Ottawa next weekend.\"
Western kicker Derek Schiavone opened the scoring on a 31-yard field goal and accounted for all 15 of Mustang points on the day, after going five for five on field goals. Both offenses stalled in the first half unable to establish anything on the ground.
Despite the lack of offense, the Hawks' Dante Luciani was electric on special teams. A 21-yard punt return by Luciani gave the Hawk offense great field position on the Mustang 54-yard line. That was all that quarterback Jamie Partington needed as he made two big plays to his "Ëœbacks - First he hit Ryan Lynch in the flats for 31-yards and then dumped the ball of to Brodie Legein who did the rest, find the end zone for a 7-3 Hawks lead. Another Schiavone field goal brought the Mustangs to within one going into half.
The third quarter proved to be another defensive struggle as both teams took turns exchanging field position. Schiavone tacked on two more field goals, and the Hawks found themselves behind 12-7, heading into the final quarter of play.
The running duo of Ryan Lynch and Brodie Legein continued to pound the ball against the "ËœStangs defense. The offensive line for the Hawks, consisting of Scott Evans, Tyler Felber, Andrew Dietrich, Wayne Brock, Kyle Sanderson and Kyle Weston simply wore out the Western defensive line, opening huge holes for the running game. Jamie Partington capped off a six play, 44 yard drive with a one yard plunge to give the Hawks a one point advantage at 13-12.
However, it was a spectacular catch over the middle by Josh Bishop that sealed the victory for the Hawks and sent them to another Yates Cup. With just over four minutes left in the game the Hawks put together their longest drive of the game, going 48 yards on 11 plays. Bishop was able to hold onto the ball in the end zone after getting crushed by a Western defensive back going the other way. He was a little shaken up on the play, but proved to be the hero.
However, Western wasn't going down without a fight. Quarterback Mark Howard hurried his team down the field and set up Shiavone's final field goal, making the score 20-15. Then with just under two minutes left, Western mounted their final comeback attempt. After two quick first downs and pass interference penalty, the Mustangs found themselves deep in Golden Hawk territory on the 27 yard line. On second and 20, cornerback Taurean Allen made a crucial play, breaking up the potential first down and setting up third down for Western. Mark Howard was not able to find anyone open and tossed up an incompletion to give the Hawks a narrow victory.
The defense for the Golden Hawks deserves a lot of credit. They were solid all day and employed their usual bend, but don't break approach. Linebacker Jesse Alexander was all over field totaling 13 tackles (8 solo). Fellow linebacker Anthony Maggiacomo was also a standout with 7 tackles (5 solo) and an interception.
The Hawks now look to become the first football team in school history to win three straight Ontario Championships. While the team they will play, the Ottawa Gee-Gee's are looking to win their first Provincial title since 1997. The last time these two teams met was at University Stadium, when the Gee-Gee's pulled away with a 21-14 win. This time, the game with be played in Ottawa, where the Gee-Gee's have posted a 4-1 record this season.
(Source: Matt De Faria, Laurier Sports Information.)
The game was riddled with turnovers and penalties. All totaled, both teams combined for 12 turnovers and 21 penalties. At one point during the second quarter, the teams exchanged possession five times, all on interceptions over a span of 11 minutes.
\"All said and done we had more points then they did and that's what matters,\" said Manager of Football Operations and Head Coach Gary Jeffries. \"We'll make the adjustments this week and be ready for Ottawa next weekend.\"
Western kicker Derek Schiavone opened the scoring on a 31-yard field goal and accounted for all 15 of Mustang points on the day, after going five for five on field goals. Both offenses stalled in the first half unable to establish anything on the ground.
Despite the lack of offense, the Hawks' Dante Luciani was electric on special teams. A 21-yard punt return by Luciani gave the Hawk offense great field position on the Mustang 54-yard line. That was all that quarterback Jamie Partington needed as he made two big plays to his "Ëœbacks - First he hit Ryan Lynch in the flats for 31-yards and then dumped the ball of to Brodie Legein who did the rest, find the end zone for a 7-3 Hawks lead. Another Schiavone field goal brought the Mustangs to within one going into half.
The third quarter proved to be another defensive struggle as both teams took turns exchanging field position. Schiavone tacked on two more field goals, and the Hawks found themselves behind 12-7, heading into the final quarter of play.
The running duo of Ryan Lynch and Brodie Legein continued to pound the ball against the "ËœStangs defense. The offensive line for the Hawks, consisting of Scott Evans, Tyler Felber, Andrew Dietrich, Wayne Brock, Kyle Sanderson and Kyle Weston simply wore out the Western defensive line, opening huge holes for the running game. Jamie Partington capped off a six play, 44 yard drive with a one yard plunge to give the Hawks a one point advantage at 13-12.
However, it was a spectacular catch over the middle by Josh Bishop that sealed the victory for the Hawks and sent them to another Yates Cup. With just over four minutes left in the game the Hawks put together their longest drive of the game, going 48 yards on 11 plays. Bishop was able to hold onto the ball in the end zone after getting crushed by a Western defensive back going the other way. He was a little shaken up on the play, but proved to be the hero.
However, Western wasn't going down without a fight. Quarterback Mark Howard hurried his team down the field and set up Shiavone's final field goal, making the score 20-15. Then with just under two minutes left, Western mounted their final comeback attempt. After two quick first downs and pass interference penalty, the Mustangs found themselves deep in Golden Hawk territory on the 27 yard line. On second and 20, cornerback Taurean Allen made a crucial play, breaking up the potential first down and setting up third down for Western. Mark Howard was not able to find anyone open and tossed up an incompletion to give the Hawks a narrow victory.
The defense for the Golden Hawks deserves a lot of credit. They were solid all day and employed their usual bend, but don't break approach. Linebacker Jesse Alexander was all over field totaling 13 tackles (8 solo). Fellow linebacker Anthony Maggiacomo was also a standout with 7 tackles (5 solo) and an interception.
The Hawks now look to become the first football team in school history to win three straight Ontario Championships. While the team they will play, the Ottawa Gee-Gee's are looking to win their first Provincial title since 1997. The last time these two teams met was at University Stadium, when the Gee-Gee's pulled away with a 21-14 win. This time, the game with be played in Ottawa, where the Gee-Gee's have posted a 4-1 record this season.
(Source: Matt De Faria, Laurier Sports Information.)
