On Oct. 17, fans braved the early afternoon cold to watch the Guelph Gryphons take on the Windsor Lancers. The Gryphons, who are ranked 7th in the league with a 5-1 record, were looking to bounce back from their loss to the Queen’s Gaels earlier in the month.
Alumni Stadium saw a variety of fans coming together to support the Gryphons “Think Pink” campaign. With everything from sporting pink equipment on field, to the large, pink board set up in the UC displaying donations and supportive messages, the think pink event raises awareness for breast cancer research. Specifically, the Gryphons initiatives, both on and off the field have helped make visible the importance of teaching and informing people about breast cancer and the effects it can have on people’s lives.
With permission from the Guelph Gryphons, Felix Aleobua, a biology and marketing management student at the University of Guelph, set up a booth for his own independent organization and sold clothing to fans throughout the game, with all proceeds going towards breast cancer research. When asked about the importance of events like the “Think Pink” game, Aleobua emphasized the need for unbiased support.
“It’s important because sometimes people only support causes that they are related to,” said Aleobua. “It takes a large amount of people to make change happen, and if you can’t support a cause that you aren’t directly involved in then where are we as a civilization?”
“My campaign is centered around people who have already had a mastectomy,” Aeobua expanded. “I find that a lot of breast cancer campaigns focus around saving breasts, so my tagline is, “breast or no breasts, you are beautiful,” to convey that true beauty comes from within.”
In the first half of play, the Gryphons showed as much tenacity and energy as the crowd who came to cheer them on. The Lancers scored first with an explosive drive that begun with a powerful 91-yard run from Lancers running back Tarrence Crawford. Despite the 7-0 start for the Lancers, the Gryphons defense buckled down and completely dominated the rest of the half. The Gryphons hard-nosed defense paid off, and saw the team get on the scoreboard with a successful 37-yard field goal from kicker Gabriel Ferraro to make the score 7-3.
After the Gryphons once again held their defensive ground, special teams returner Ryan Nieuwesteeg crashed the Lancers and ran the ball to their 19-yard line. In addition to his performance in Saturday’s game, Nieuwesteeg was named OUA special teams player of the week on Monday afternoon, the fifth time a Gryphons player was recognized by the OUA this season. From Nieuwesteeg’s precise punt return, Gryphons running back Johnny Augustine was able run the ball into the end zone to give the Gryphons a 10-7 lead.
Defensive back Ian Hutchison had an interception later on in the quarter, which led to a Gryphons 46-yard scoring drive with Jacob Scarfone finishing the drive with a 2-yard touchdown reception. After a slow start to the game, the Gryphons scored 34 unanswered points after Nieuwesteeg returned yet another punt for a 63-yard touchdown. At this point in the game, the Gryphons held a 34-7 lead nearing the end of the second quarter. As time was winding down in the quarter, Lancers running back Jayden Gauthier completed a 50-yard run to cut the Gryphons lead to 34-14 at the half.
During halftime, The Ontarion spoke with Elizabeth Day, a Guelph Gryphons employee, who commented on the importance of bringing fans, students, and athletes together to raise awareness for breast cancer research.
“A big factor to consider for the “think pink” campaign is that a lot of people have a close friend or somebody that they know who is affected by breast cancer—the fact that the Gryphons football team is so large, and that the fans are coming out to donate and raise awareness is amazing. We are hoping to help out as much as we can.”
While the Gryphons held their ground during the first half, the Lancers offense came out strong in the second half off the momentum of Gauthier’s touchdown and continued their offensive barrage. After a punt block at the Gryphons 47-yard line, the Lancers scored another touchdown after an impressive run by Tarrence Crawford to make the score 34-21. With the Gryphons offence struggling to get going in the second half, Windsor took advantage and scored a field goal on two separate occasions, slimming down the Gryphons lead to a one possession game.
With the score at 34-27 in favour of the Gryphons, the momentum of the game had shifted back to the Gryphons after two important completions by A’dre Fraser and Nieuwesteeg. After an incredibly tense fourth quarter which saw possession switch between teams a couple of times, the Gryphons prevailed with a tactful scoring drive capped off by Augustine’s second touchdown of the night, giving the Gryphons a comfortable 41-27 lead as time was winding down. While the Lancers put together a nice offensive drive to give the Gryphons a bit of a scare, defensive back Nick Parisotto sealed the deal with a crucial interception, his third of the season.
With their victory against the Lancers, the Gryphons improved their record to 6-1 on the season. As they have done all season, Scarfone and Nieuwesteeg had a couple of stellar performances alongside the entire Gryphons defence, who managed to hold the Lancers to only 58 passing yards.
On Oct. 24, the Grypbhons are looking forward to facing off against the Carleton Ravens to end the regular season.