GUELPH – The Gryphon football team left the nation's capital with a win. It's something they hope to be doing again in seven days.
 
On Saturday afternoon at MNP Park in Ottawa, the Gryphons wrapped up their 2017 regular season with a 28-23 come-from-behind victory over the Carleton Ravens. Guelph trailed 22-9 late in the 3rd quarter before closing out the game by outscoring the Ravens 19-1 to secure the victory. Gryphons' fourth year kicker Gabe Ferraro set a career-high by going a perfect seven-for-seven on field goal attempts. In the process, Ferraro set a new U SPORTS single-season record with 33 made field goals on the year.
 
With Saturday's result, the Gryphons finish the regular season with a 5-3 record and will enter the OUA playoffs as the No. 5-seed. The Gryphons will head right back to Ottawa next week, this time for an OUA Quarter-final matchup with the No. 4-seeded University of Ottawa Gee-Gees.
 
"Our kids played with a lot of grit today," said Gryphons head coach Kevin MacNeill. "With that being a must-win game for Carleton, we thought our guys did an incredible job staying focused and displayed some tremendous resiliency down the stretch."
 
Trailing by 10 late in the 3rd quarter, the Gryphons got a much-needed spark from their defence when second year defensive back Dotun Aketepe (Barrie, ON) came up with a timely interception. Shortly after the turnover, the Gryphons would successfully pull off a fake punt attempt, with Michael Carney taking the direct snap and rushing for a first down to extend the U of G possession. The drive would ultimately end with a 48-yard field goal by Ferraro, which trimmed the deficit to 22-15.
 
The best offensive possession of the game by the Gryphons would come in the 4th quarter, when the Gryphs would march 86 yards on 11 plays to tie the game at 22-22. The majority of the damage on that drive was done on the ground with fifth year running back Johnny Augustine and dual-threat quarterback Theo Landers leading the way. Landers and Augustine combined for 66-yards rushing during that 86-yard scoring drive. The longest run of the drive was a 20-yard scamper by Landers, with Augustine capping off the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run to tie the game. Augustine finished the day with 137 yards rushing on 27 carries, while Landers ran for 96 yards on 14 carries while also finishing 19-29, 173 yards through the air.
 
The Gryphon celebration would be short-lived however, as Carleton's Chad Manchulenko would take the ensuing kickoff back 89-yards to set the Ravens up inside the Gryphons' red zone. The U of G defence would then come up with a timely defensive stand, with fifth year linebacker Derek Drouillard coming up with a huge tackle-for-a-loss during a 1st and Goal situation from the 3-yard line. After an incomplete pass on 2nd and Goal from the 8, the Ravens would settle for a short field goal attempt, which would be missed by Ravens who were forced to settle for the rouge and a 23-22 lead.
 
Augustine and Landers would lead the Gryphon offence back into field goal range for Ferraro, who split the uprights from 29-yards out with 2:29 remaining to put Guelph up 25-23. Ferraro's seventh field goal of the game would come with 1:05 left to seal the 28-23 win for the Gryphs.
 
"Gabe was incredible today," said MacNeill of his fourth year kicker, who accounted for 22 of the team's 28 points. "We've had faith in Gabe since he took over our kicking duties a few years ago and he just continues to get better game after game. He's such a competitor and, as coaches and players, we couldn't be happier for him."
 
Ferraro's record of 33 made field goals in a single-season, surpasses the previous mark of 26, set in 2014 by Gabe's older brother, and current kicking coach, Daniel Ferraro.

"We talked about the record a little bit before the game," said Gabe Ferraro, a Second Team All-Canadian in 2015. "Right before kickoff, we kind of looked at each other and agreed we wouldn't talk about it again until after the game."
 
The Ferraro brothers were teammates with the Gryphons in 2014, when Daniel set the U SPORTS record. Daniel would then stay on with the team as the kicking coach, and on Saturday, watched his younger brother set a new field goal record.
 
"I've looked up to my older brother my entire life. He's why I started kicking. It's an amazing feeling to know that your coach cares about you and has your best interest in mind. It's been awesome being able to work with my brother."  
 
Ferraro and the rest of the Gryphons will now turn their attention to the Ottawa Gee-Gees, who also finished the season with a 5-3 record but earned the right to host next Saturday's quarter-final matchup after winning their head-to-head matchup with Guelph in double overtime back in Week 1 (Aug. 27). The Gryphons will enter the postseason winners of five of their last six games overall. 
                                                                                                         

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~ Photos courtesy Kyle Rodriguez