Box Score
Hawks Clip Gryphon's In Season Finale
GUELPH, Ont. - In a tough defensive matchup, the Guelph Gryphon's football squad was narrowly defeated by the Laurier Golden Hawks 15-10 on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Stadium.
With the loss, the Gryphon's finish the season at 2-6, while Laurier punches their playoff ticket and finishes the regular season at 4-4. The loss was especially bitter for the Gryphon's, as receiver Jedd Gardner (Niagara Falls, Ont.) became the Gryphon's all-time leader in receptions with 153.
Guelph was again led by rookie quarterback Jazz Lindsey (Markham, Ont.), who completed 26 of 50 passes for 343 yards and a touchdown. His only mistakes of the game came on goal line drives that resulted in costly interceptions in the end zone. Gardner, his primary receiver, hauled in eight catches for 123 yards, capping off his career with a touchdown grab with five seconds remaining in the game. Saxon Lindsey (Markham, Ont.) chipped in with seven receptions for 69 yards, while Rob Farquharson paced the Gryphons with 55 rushing yards on 18 attempts.
Laurier's Shane Kelly continued to add to his solid offensive season, completing 23-34 passes for 183 yards. However, Kelly was held without a touchdown for only the second game this season. Tyrrel Wilson rushed for 70 yards, while Dillon Heap netted 142 total yards on the day.
Guelph opened the game by completing a pass to Jedd Gardner on their first play to get him a share of the record for completions by a Gryphon in a season. After being forced to punt, the Gryphon defence stepped up early on a big third down stuff, forcing the turnover on downs. Laurier would later kick a field goal after a poor punt gave them great field possession, and take a 3-0 lead halfway through the first quarter.
On the first play after the made field goal, Gardner hauled in his second completion of the game, giving him sole possession of the completions record. The Gryphon's put forth an impressive drive, but were ultimately forced to punt the ball away. Both teams continued to trade field possession as the quarter ended with Laurier leading 3-0.
Early in the second quarter it appeared that the Gryphons were on the cusp of scoring after putting together an impressive drive. After a play action pass, Lindsey avoided the pass rush to scramble for a couple yards. On first and goal Lindsey's pass was picked off by Shane Herbert, ending a promising drive. Guelph would eventually get on the board late in the half, connection on a 43 yard field goal. After a Laurier possession ended in a fumble recovery by Guelph's Jarryd Baines (Ottawa), the teams entered the half tied at three apiece.
An early fumble by Guelph led to a 43 yard field goal by Laurier's Ronald Pfeffer to give the Hawks a 6-3 lead. On their next possession, Laurier had a solid drive ultimately stuffed after a third down rush attempt fell short. Guelph conceded a safety on the following possession, giving Laurier an 8-3 advantage. Both teams traded field possession to close out the quarter.
The fourth saw both teams go two-and-out before Laurier eventually scored on a two yard run by Rashad La Touche to extend the Golden Hawks lead to 15-3. Guelph would put together an impressive drive on the ensuing possession, even scoring a touchdown on a flea-flicker, but the touchdown was revoked after a flag on the Gryphons.
On the day, Guelph committed 16 penalties for 140 yards. The possession ended with another interception in the Guelph end zone. Guelph would finish the game with a final drive that saw Jedd Gardner finish his University of Guelph career with an 18 yards touchdown pass with 5.5 seconds remaining in the game.
While their season may have come to an end, the future for the Guelph football team looks to be in good shape heading forward. The defence put together a solid campaign, while the offense continued to improve with every game they played. The Gryphon's would like to thank their graduating players whose contributions will be sorely missed. Thank you to those who came out to Alumni field all season, and we look forward to seeing you again next season.
Gryphon Football vs. Laurier Gallery
