October 18, 2012

Laurier and McMaster wrap up regular season live on theScore

HAMILTON, Ont. - The Laurier Golden Hawks have their work cut out for them. The 2012 season has had been full of peaks and valleys for the young Hawks and week eight will be no different as they travel to Hamilton to take on the No. 1 McMaster Marauders. The matchup will be broadcast live on University Rush on theScore on Saturday, October 20^th at 1 p.m., presented by Pizza Pizza.

Laurier enters Saturday’s battle fresh off a disappointing loss to Western and sitting at 3-4, but there’s something to be said for being the underdog. The Golden Hawks are in a favourable position for a postseason berth, and if they manage to knock off the Marauders they could find themselves hosting a quarter-final game on October 27^th.

Head Coach Gary Jeffries has a pair of talented but inexperienced quarterbacks at his disposal in second-year player Steve Fantham (London, Ont.) and rookie transfer Travis Eman (Brampton, Ont.). The pair has been splitting time as the signal caller but have both shown signs of brilliance in their young OUA careers.

“Our quarterbacks have come some distance this season, and allowed us to do some different things,” said Jeffries. “Steve has allowed us to throw the ball a little bit more, and Travis is always learning. They’re both young and they’re trying to learn with a young and undersized group of kids up front so they’ve had to make decisions quickly. We’re continuing to grow at the quarterback spot, but our youth leaves us in a good position moving forward.”

Fantham fills more of a passer role, throwing for 780 yards and seven scores. Eman has thrown for 460 yards and two touchdowns of his own but is also the team’s leading rusher, carrying 44 times for 224 yards and one score. Senior receiver Alex Anthony (Victoria, B.C.) is the Golden Hawks’ top receiver, collecting 20 catches for 282 yards and two touchdowns on the season and running back Josh Pirie (Cambridge, Ont.) has been efficient, catching seven passes for three touchdowns.

The strength of the Golden Hawks lies in their defence. The veteran unit is among the top-five in the OUA in scoring defence, total defence, rushing defence and passing defence. Third-year linebacker Drew Galpin (Kitchener, Ont.) has been a leader on defence this season. His 51 tackles are second in the OUA and third in the CIS. Mitchell Bosch (Langley, B.C.) is second on the team with 29.5 tackles, but also has three sacks, while lineman Asante Mizan (Brooklyn, N.Y.) has collected 27.5 tackles and a team-high four sacks.

The McMaster Marauders are no stranger to University Rush on theScore. The defending Vanier Cup champions have appeared on the previous two broadcasts, earning wins over Western and Windsor.

Though the Marauders have earned a bye through next week’s quarter-final playoffs, head coach Stefan Ptaszek says his squad won’t take Laurier lightly and they want to wrap up the season looking sharp.

“As always, we want to take it one day at a time. A wise coach once told me that the most important play is the next one,” said Ptaszek, referring to his mentor, Laurier bench boss Jeffries. “We’re going to play a hard-nosed, full-out football game Saturday. Kyle (Quinlan) will be starting and the other starters will be in there around him, but we will decide before the game as a coaching staff how long they’ll play. We want to be prepared to play our best football in the playoffs.”

Quarterback Kyle Quinlan (South Woodslee, Ont.) is coming off a 401 yard performance last week against Windsor. The senior pivot has now thrown for 2,226 yards, which is second in the OUA and CIS. His 18 touchdown passes tops both the OUA and CIS.

Marauder receiver Max Cameron (St. Catharines, Ont.) had seven catches for 209 yards earning him Porter Airlines player of the game honours. With Cameron’s impressive day, it gave McMaster a trio of receivers with more than 20 catches and 300 yards receiving each, joining Robert Babic (Oakville, Ont.) and Brad Fochesato (Windsor, Ont.). The Marauders receiving corps also features nine different players who have caught a touchdown pass.

The Marauder defence has been stifling this season, allowing an OUA-best 17.9 points per game. The McMaster defensive unit features three Hamilton, Ont. natives that dominant at their positions; the third ranked tackler in the OUA with 48.5, Aram Eisho, a player tied for the most interceptions in the CIS with four, defensive back Steven Ventresca, and the new CIS record-holder for sacks in a season with 12.5, Ben D’Aguilar.

The Laurier Golden Hawks will want to go into the playoffs on a high note but if they expect the Marauders to be gracious hosts on the field they’ll be in for a tough time. University Rush fans know that the only thing certain in OUA football is that nothing is for certain, so watch as these two teams battle it out on University Rush on theScore, presented by Pizza Pizza, on Saturday at 1 p.m.

LAURIER LEADERS

Passing

Steve Fantham (London, Ont.)
50 completions, 95 attempts, 780 yards, 7 touchdowns

Travis Eman (Brampton, Ont.)
35 completions, 87 attempts, 459 yards, 2 touchdowns

Rushing

Travis Eman
44 carries, 244 yards, 1 touchdown

Lance Freeman
29 carries, 184 yards

Receiving

Alex Anthony (Victoria, B.C.)
20 catches, 281 yards, 2 touchdowns

Greg Nyhof (Georgetown, Ont.)
16 catches, 251 yards

Defense

Drew Galpin (Kitchener, Ont.)
51 tackles, 39 solo tackles, 1 fumble recovery