51-26 semi-final win sends Guelph to 107th Yates Cup
For the second time in three years, the Guelph Gryphons have earned their spot in the Yates Cup. The 107th Yates Cup is set for Nov. 15 in what promises to be an exciting final featuring the Gryphons, who will travel to Hamilton to take on the McMaster Marauders.
To earn said spot, however, the Gryphons had to get past the Western Mustangs for the second time this football season.
The Mustangs came into the semi-final a little banged up, with starting quarterback Will Finch sidelined with an injury. Backup Stevenson Bone filled in for the Mustangs yet wouldn’t be the lone backup quarterback on display during the rainy and cold contest on Nov. 8.
In the first quarter of the game, Gryphons’ quarterback Jazz Lindsey – who had a career game last time the Mustangs were in town – was forced to sit out for the remainder following an awkward landing at the end of a first-down run. In came backup quarterback James Roberts, a rookie who looked like anything but.
Roberts would begin to make a statement with the Gryphons down 9-6 during the second quarter. The rookie found Lucas Spagnuolo with a 62-yard pass and completed touchdown to give the home squad the jump ahead with a 13-9 lead.
The offence would continue to open up later in the quarter, with Roberts connecting with Alex Charette to put the Gryphons up 20-9 on the purple ponies.
The Mustangs responded to cut the deficit, making it 20-16 thanks to a touchdown from Justin Sanvido. However, a 39-yard completion from Roberts to Spagnuolo again would extend the Gryphons’ lead once again.
Spagnuolo, on just three catches, had 118 yards and two touchdowns in the first half alone. The Grimsby, Ontario native would take a backseat to Rob Farquharson, though, as the fifth-year running back carried the ball 15 times for 148 yards in the first half of the game. It would be Farquharson who would add a touchdown with less than one minute remaining in the first half to give the Gryphons a 34-16 lead.
The defences of both squads were on display in the third quarter, which featured only one touchdown from Adam Sinclair of the Mustangs. The lone touchdown cut the Gryphons’ lead to 11 points, for a 34-23 score heading into the final quarter.
Roberts’ arm was on display again in the fourth quarter, connecting with Charette, who completed the 33-yard pass coming up just short of the endzone. Farquharson completed the drive to put the Gryphons ahead 42-24.
Farquharson would strike again, this time with an incredible 50-yard touchdown run for his third touchdown on the game, solidifying the 51-26 win for the Gryphons. Awarded player of the game honours, Farquharson had 232 yards on 25 carries, averaging for 9.3 yards per carry on the game.
Rookie quarterback James Roberts closed out the game with 238 yards and three touchdown passes.
The Gryphons basked in the victory over their bitter rivals, the Western Mustangs, knowing full well what the most important thing about the win was: the earned spot in the Yates Cup on Nov. 15.
The game will feature a rematch of the 2012 Yates Cup, with the Gryphons heading to Ron Joyce Stadium in Hamilton to take on the McMaster Marauders.
The Marauders handed the Gryphons their only loss of 2014-15 in the first game of the season. In Hamilton, McMaster defeated Guelph 34-27 in overtime.
With both compiling a 7-1 record, the Gryphons will surely be looking to avenge the disappointing lone loss of the season with a lot more on the line on Nov. 15, while the Marauders will be looking to stay undefeated in 2014-15 against the black, red, and gold.
If nothing else, the match-up promises to be a good one.