HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE FOR GUELPH AND WESTERN
Home teams took the advantage in the two September 1 match ups. In the dying seconds of an afternoon game, the Guelph Gryphons made good on a field goal to steal a 15-13 win from the Toronto Varsity Blues. A 45 point margin separated Wilfrid Laurier from the victorious Western Mustangs, who were led by new starting pivot Donnie Marshall.
McMaster, Ottawa, Guelph and Western advance to 1-0 while Queen’s, Windsor, Toronto and Laurier begin the season 0-1. The York Lions begin their 2010 season on Monday, September 6.
Photo:Gryphon quarterback Chris Rossetti.(Credit: Rashaad Bhamjee, Guelph Gryphons)
![\"GuelphvsToronto.jpg\"](\"http://oua.ca.ismmedia.com/ISM3/thumbcache/ac66c4f537ab4eab3489d81073603bef.300.jpg\")
The Guelph Gryphon football team opened the 2010 season with a 15-13 win over the University of Toronto Varsity Blues Wednesday (Sept. 1) afternoon at Alumni Stadium in Guelph, Ont.
A well-fought battle by both the Gryphons and Blues left the deciding play to the final seconds of the game, in which stand-in kicker Mike Fortino (Niagara, Ont.) nailed a 16-yard field goal to give Guelph the two point lead and the victory.
Taking over as the Gryphon starter for the 2010 campaign, quarterback Chris Rossetti (Mississauga, Ont.) had a strong opening performance completing 15-of-27 pass attempts for 212 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Running back Nick Fitzgibbon (Puslinch, Ont.), though starting a little slow, finished the game with 122 yards on 26 attempts and leading receivers for the Gryphons were Dave Honig (Sarnia, Ont.) and Dillon Dimitroff (Burlington, Ont.) with 66 and 54 yards, respectively.
On defence the Gryphons were a brickwall, allowing only 50 yards of rushing against. Scott Eggleton (Belleville, Ont.) and Cameron Thorn (Midhurst, Ont.) both picked up sacks for the Gryphons and Mark Durigon (Rockwood, Ont.) hauled in an interception.
For Toronto, quarterback Andrew Gillis (Toronto) went 12-for-25 picking up 158 yards through the air and giving up a single interception, while also leading the team in rushing with 24 yards. Sebastian Magalas (Burlington, Ont.) was the Blues’ top receiver, pulling in two passes for 37 yards.
The Gryphons started off the scoring in the first quarter. After sending out a defence that shut down the Blues’ first drive, the Gryphons put the first points on the board on a 30-yard play. As Rossetti was falling to the ground, a quick flip-pass was gathered up by running back Nick Fitzgibbon. Powering his way across the field and shedding a few tackles, Fitzgibbon would find the end zone putting the home team up 6-0, with first-year kicker, Evan Short, chipping in the single point afterword.
The Varisty Blues responded in the second quarter, scoring 10 unanswered points after conceding a safety. The Blues started by putting 19-yard field goal through the uprights to tighten the score to 9-3. Under two minutes later, the Gryphons would attempt to punt the ball out of danger, but the quick, penetrating special teams squad of the Blues blocked the kick and the recovery was smothered by Walter Cariazo in the end zone.
Guelph would regain the lead in the third when Short knocked a 20-yard field goal through to put the Gryphons up 12-10 and picking up the only points of the quarter.
Nearing the end of the fourth, Toronto came up big on a deep pass along the sideline, but after being stuffed twice on the goal line, would have to settle for a field goal, leaving just under two minutes left on the clock. The Gryphons responded however, setting up a brilliant drive, marching down the field to set up for a final field goal attempt and with just seconds left on the clock, Mike Fortino pounded a 16-yarder between the uprights to claim the victory for the Gryphons.
The Guelph Gryphons are on the road next week to take on the York Lions on Monday (Sept. 6).
Wilfird Laurier Golden Hawks @ Western Mustangs
Photo: Mustangs quarterback Donnie Marshall (Credit: Craig Glover, Western Mustangs)
![\"WesternvsLaurier.jpg\"](\"http://oua.ca.ismmedia.com/ISM3/thumbcache/250b0b4a0d63073b677e1bdc10296981.300.jpg\")
The Western Mustangs football team made a statement by unexpectedly trouncing the Laurier Golden Hawks 46-1 in front of 8,201 fans at TD Waterhouse Stadium on Wednesday night.
Jerimy Hipperson of St. Catharines, Ont., scored three touchdowns, all in the first half, on 14 carries for 97 yards.
Donnie Marshall of London, Ont., was effective at quarterback for the No. 9 ranked Mustangs, rushing the ball for 65 yards and throwing 12-for-20 for 183 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
But it was the stifling Mustangs defence which added the exclamation point. They did not allow a single point - Laurier's only score came on special teams on a rouge on a missed Nathan Hawkes 22-yard field goal attempt - and did not give up a first down in the third quarter.
In fact, Laurier's total offence was just 144 yards on 49 plays and they only managed to record eight first downs.
Surla and the Mustangs defence were effective all around. Surla had a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and 5.5 tackles to lead the defence, while safety Mike Spence of Burlington, Ont., had three interceptions.
The 45-point win is the widest margin of victory between the football rivals in history. Previously the widest spread was a 42-point cushion set on Nov. 7, 1981, when Western thumped the Golden Hawks 53-11 in the OUA semifinals at JW Little Stadium.
It was a sloppy and bizarre start for both teams in a game that carried little flow early. Mustangs punter Darryl Wheeler recovering his own punt, and Donnie Marshall fumbled the ball on a bad exchange with Hipperson and then threw an interception to Hawks Giancarlo Rapanaro.
Laurier quarterback Shane Kelly, a transfer from Columbia who finished 7-for-18 on passing with two interceptions and 64 yards, drove Laurier to the redzone with just under six minutes remaining in the opening quarter, but they had to settle for a rouge when Hawks, a freshman kicker, missed a 22-yard field-goal attempt.
It was their only scoring play.
Lirim Hajrullahu of St. Catharines, Ont., got Western on the board with a 24-yard field goal with 1:19 left in the first quarter to give Western the 3-1 edge.
Hipperson and Donnie Marshall ran for strong gains and then Hipperson closed it off with a 13-yard rushing touchdown to extend Western's lead to 10-1.
A safety, then another one-yard Hipperson touchdown run, and another safety gave Western a 21-1 lead midway through the second quarter before a 45-yard Zach Bull catch set up Hipperson's third touchdown run, another one-yard scamper, to extend the lead to 28-1.
Bull was Western's top receiver and he finished with seven catches for 120 yards and a touchdown. He credited Marshall's poise and ability to play under immense pressure.
Hajrullahu added a career-long 35-yard field goal and then Bull caught a 17-yard Marshall pass for a touchdown to expand the lead to 38-1.
Defensive back Craig Butler of London, Ont., added a touchdown on a 20-yard interception return and Harjullahu kick a rouge to round out the scoring.
Next, Western (1-0) travels to play No. 5 Ottawa (1-0) on Monday Sept. 6 at 1 p.m. at Frank Clair Stadium in the nation's capital.
Queen’s, 18 @ McMaster, 23
Ottawa, 23 @ Windsor 14
1:00 pm - Western @ Ottawa
1:00 pm – Wilfrid Laurier @ McMaster
