October 7, 2010

Eight teams hope to celebrate Thanksgiving weekend with a win

HAMILTON, Ont. – Thanksgiving weekend will have eight football teams in OUA action. On Thursday, the Gryphons will take on the Marauders and a tough home crowd. On Saturday, Laurier will visit the Gee-Gees, Toronto will head to Kingston to take on Queen’s, and York will head down to Windsor.
 
The Guelph Gryphons take on the McMaster Marauders at Ron Joyce Stadium today in hopes of recovering their impressive record from the start of the season. After going 3-0, the Gryphons suffered two consecutive losses to the Mustangs and the Golden Hawks. Guelph still boasts the best rusher in the league. Running back Nick FitzGibbon (Puslinch, Ont.) leads OUA in rushing yards per game with 125. The next closest player is 30 yards in the distance. Coach Stu Lang wants to get him the ball this weekend.
 
“We are trying to look at different ways to get Nick the ball. He’s a good pass receiver too, so we need to be more complex in terms of our running game.”
 
The No. 9 Marauders quarterback Kyle Quinlan (South Woodslee, Ont.) is ranked second overall in OUA and ninth in CIS. The third-year has the best pass efficiency in the league and will be looked upon to push past the senior defence of Guelph.
 
“Our offence starts with Quinlan,” said McMaster head coach Stefan Ptaszek. “We’ve had 18 different kids catch a pass this year. There’s been a ton of kids he’s had to work with and he’s been pretty steady. He has one of the highest rated pass efficiencies in Canada and it’s really all him.”
 
On Saturday, the No. 6 Ottawa Gee-Gees will host the No. 10 Laurier Golden Hawks. The Hawks come off an impressive win over Guelph last weekend beating them 36-2. Laurier moved back into the CIS top ten after improving their record to 3-2 after a shaky start at the beginning of the season.
 
“After week two, we had to continue to get better. We took small steps and we play one game at a time,” said Laurier head coach Gary Jeffries. “We know they are going to come out flying this week so we’ll have to be ready the first quarter.”
 
After scoring big in their last two games, the Hawks will face their toughest opposition since the beginning of the season. The Gee-Gees arguably have the best quarterback in Canada. Brad Sinopoli (Peterborough, Ont.) leads OUA in a number of categories and although his team suffered their first loss on the weekend, it didn’t stop him from recording impressive numbers. The fourth-year threw for 462 yards including four touchdowns and continues to impress.
 
“It’s important that we get some kids coming after Brad and putting pressure on him or he’ll play catch all day,” said Jeffries. “This will be the biggest challenge of the season and we’ll be as prepared as we can be.”
 
In Kingston, the Toronto Varsity Blues visit the struggling Queen’s Gaels. The Varsity Blues are coming off a thrilling upset over the Gee-Gees last weekend in Toronto. Quarterback Andrew Gillis (Markham, Ont.) swept OUA and CIS awards this week with his career-high 343 yards and two touchdowns. The fourth-year led his team to their second win of the season. Coach Greg DeLaval is hoping Toronto’s under dog win will inspire the team.
 
“Hopefully the kids will have a different belief system from here on out. It’s a game they can look back on and say ‘we are capable’. There are a lot of positives that we can pull from the game that can translate to confidence.”
 
Queen’s is quite a different story. With a 1-4 record, one would assume the Gaels don’t look like contenders, but most of their games have been tight matches. In a rebuilding year after winning the Yates Cup and Vanier Cup, Queen’s is relying on second-year quarterback Justin Chapdelaine (Abbotsford, B.C.) to put one in the win column this Saturday.
 
“The receivers as a group are frustrated but in the times they needed to step up they didn’t. Some gelling with the quarterback needs to go on and the guys need to rise to the occasion,” said coach Pat Sheahan of his receiving corps.
 
The last game of the weekend will be played in Windsor. The York Lions, yet to win a game this season, will face the Lancers. Lions starting quarterback Nick Coutu (St. Catharine’s, Ont.) left the September 25 game against Laurier in the first quarter and only partially returned against McMaster last weekend, sharing the duties with Darren Frank (Pickering, Ont.). York looks for their first 2010 win against the Lancers.
 
“Coutu is banged up but he’s been practicing all week. He’s a warrior and he’s stepping up for us on offence,” said head coach Warren Craney of his starting quarterback.
 
The Lancers are coming off a bye week. Similar to York, their starting quarterback Sam Malian (LaSalle, Ont.) is out with injury. The third-year has only played in three games this season after suffering a concussion.
 
“Malian wont dress this week,” said coach Mike Morencie. “We are being cautious with his situation. He’s a great student with a bright future and we can’t be subjecting him to no protection. We need to get him healthy first.”
 
Be sure to catch this weekend’s games:

Cable 14, Hamilton
Thurs. Oct. 7 @ 7:00 p.m. – OUA Football/ Guelph @ McMaster (live)

Rogers TV, Grand River Region
Thurs. Oct. 7 @ 9:00 p.m. – OUA Football/Guelph @ McMaster (tape delay from 7:00 p.m.)
 
Rogers TV, Ottawa
Sat. Oct. 9 @ 2:00 p.m. – OUA Football/Laurier @ Ottawa (tape delay from 1:00 p.m.)
 
TVCogeco, Kingston
Mon. Oct. 11 @ 8:30 p.m. – OUA Football/Toronto @ Queen’s (tape delay from Sat. Oct. 9 @ 1:00 p.m.)
 
CHML AM900 Hamilton
(Audio Webcast: http://tinyurl.com/CHML900)
Thurs. Oct. 7 @ 6:30 p.m. – OUA Football/Guelph @ McMaster