At 29-9, the Gryphons suffered a tough loss against the McMaster Marauders at Saturday’s Homecoming game. The game’s outcome drops the Gryphons’ record to 2-3.
Despite everything, the Gryphon football team doesn’t want you to feel any despair, according to fifth-year running back Johnny Augustine.
“There is one thing I would like to say to the fans: just believe in us,” Augustine told The Ontarion. “We will get better in everything else.”
This loss does not take anything away from the talent, work ethic, and dedication of the Gryphons football players.
Head Coach Kevin MacNeill said to his team after the game, “It’s not about how you get knocked down — it’s about how you get back up and keep moving forward.”
Let’s get into what came before the Gryphons and Marauders hit the field, what happened during the game, and where the Gryphons are going next.
THE LEAD UP
The rivalry begins
25 face-offs
- Gryphons 14
- Marauders 11
Gryphons win the Yates Cup Championship
OCT. 29, 2016 — Gryphons and Marauders face each other at an OUA quarterfinal game
- Gryphons 35
- Marauders 23
Changes in the makeup of the team
- Senior players graduated, giving the field to young talent.
- Staff changes to the offensive coordinator as well as the strength and conditioning coach.
Key points to consider going into this game
- The offensive lines of both teams go head to head with each other as they are equally strong, fast, and aggressive.
- The McMaster team has sometimes presented Gryphons with challenges regarding its defensive line, but the Gryphons have trained hard enough to counter.
THE BREAKDOWN
In the first quarter, the Gryphons were going strong. They knew how to manipulate Mac’s defense to their advantage and utilized their offence to run a total of 22 plays.
Towards the end of the quarter, a couple of beautifully-kicked field goals by Gabe Ferraro allowed Guelph to lead the game 6-0.
In the second quarter, the Marauders decided to change their game plan to catch up to Guelph’s phenomenal start.
McMaster used up their offensive forces to fly past the Guelph opposition, scoring a touchdown for themselves and changing the scoreboard to 10-6. That remained the case until the last 15 seconds of the quarter, when Jacob Scarfone received the ball and ran 87 yards towards Mac’s side of the field. With only a few seconds left before halftime, Ferraro took advantage of the situation once again, successfully making another field goal, fixing the scoreboard to 10-9, with Guelph only a point behind.
After halftime, things took a significant turn. As the Marauders realized that they can’t match up to Guelph’s offense, they decided to use their last available weapon — taking advantage of their notorious defense. Unfortunately, their plan worked.
For the third and fourth quarters, McMaster’s forces stood in front of Guelph’s, not allowing them to get close to their territory.
In the end, after a tough battle between the two teams, the Marauders won 29-9.
[media-credit name=”Janan Shoja Doost” align=”alignnone” width=”1020″]
THE FACTORS
“The game came down to a few big plays that they were able to make that we weren’t,” said Coach MacNeill to gryphons.ca.
But what really happened?
- Mother nature wasn’t taking it easy on the players. With humidity, it felt like 40 degrees in the stands at Alumni Stadium. It would’ve felt even hotter for the players, who were wearing padding and helmets while doing intense physical activity.
- While both teams faced the same conditions, the Gryphons were more visibly impacted by the temperature.
- The Gryphons also lost one of their key players before halftime: James Roberts, Gryphons starting quarterback, was tackled and injured by defensive player Mark Mackie.
- Roberts was replaced with backup quarterback, Theo Landers.
- While the potential on the team is undeniable, the Gryphons need more time and training to dominate on the gridiron.
THE FUTURE
Next up for the Gryphons is a defining game against the Waterloo Warriors. The game’s outcome will determine whether Guelph can rise in the rankings and contend for the Yates Cup championship once again.
Photo by Mido Melebari