Gee-Gees remain in playoff hunt after 61-0 win over Waterloo
Despite starting the season with a 0-5 record, the Gee-Gees football team still have a chance at qualifying for the playoffs after beating the Waterloo Warriors 61-0. On October 13, at a chilly and windy Beckwith Park, uOttawa dominated from start to finish in a victory over Waterloo. In the process, Gee-Gees fifth-year kicker Matt Falvo (Welland, Ont.) tied the OUA record for field goals made in a career with 70 field goals in his career; Falvo is tied with Frank Jagas, who played for Western from 1990–94. The Gee-Gees improved their record to 2-5 while Waterloo fell to 1-6 after the contest.
“The thing about football is that people need to believe. We have a good team and when they start believing in the things we’re doing and start believing in themselves, you increase your chances of winning,” said Gee-Gees assistant head coach Cory McDiarmid.
The Gee-Gees got off to the best start they could have possibly asked for as rookie receiver/returner Vincent Campbell returned the opening kickoff 107 yards for a stunning touchdown. Campbell found a hole in the Warriors’ kickoff coverage and used his speed to get into the endzone virtually untouched. Just like that, Ottawa led 7-0 after 15 seconds of play. This was uOttawa’s first kickoff return for a touchdown since 2006, when Justin Wood-Roy had a 49-yard return for a touchdown against Laurier. Less than five minutes later, the Gee-Gees added to the lead after fourth-year running back Brendan Gillanders scored on a 59-yard touchdown out of the double-wing formation.
uOttawa’s defence also had a strong first quarter, snuffing out every single Warriors’ offensive drive with ease. Fourth-year defensive back Soonbum Cha had a 38-yard interception return which set up another rushing touchdown from Gillanders. Ottawa had a commanding 21-0 lead after the first quarter.
Ottawa’s lead ballooned to 30-0 after the Warriors conceded a safety and Gillanders had his third touchdown of the contest, early in the second quarter. Gillanders ran to the outside and simply outran Waterloo’s defenders for a 95-yard touchdown run, his third of the game. He finished with 246 rushing yards and four touchdowns.
With 5:53 left in the second quarter, Falvo hit a 35-yard field goal to tie the all-time OUA record. And after fifth-year linebacker Tyler Sawyer recovered a Warriors fumble, Gillanders scored his fourth touchdown of the contest. Ottawa led 40-0 at the half.
After the intermission, Ottawa’s passing offence got on track with Campbell catching a 48-yard pass from fourth-year quarterback Aaron Colbon for a touchdown. Colbon then ran in a score himself later in the quarter. And the Gee-Gees defence preserved the shutout in a 61-0 win.
The Gee-Gees will host the Western Mustangs next week at Beckwith Park in their final game of the regular season. Ottawa must beat Western to have a chance at making the post-season.
“All we can control is what we do,” said McDiarmid. “We can’t worry about the other teams, only ourselves. We’ll work hard and try to come out on top of Western next week.”
Source: Ottawa Sports Info
