Gryphons turn in record performance in Homecoming Game
GUELPH – It was pretty obvious early in their OUA football Homecoming Game Saturday at Alumni Stadium that the Guelph Gryphons were going to put up big numbers on the York Lions.
The Gryphs scored three quick touchdowns in the first five minutes of the game on their way to a record-setting 88-7 victory, the 88 points being the most they’d ever scored in a single game. It broke the previous record set in 2017 by a converted TD (seven points).
Guelph Gryphons 88 York Lions 7
“Confidence is key in a win like this, but the message all week was about execution and not looking at the standings and realizing where people were at,” Gryphon head coach Ryan Sheahan said. “This was about the Gryphons and playing good football. We were very, very efficient today both through the air and on the ground and everybody got a piece of the action. We came out of the game fairly unscathed which is always the hope on Saturdays in the OUA.”
The 88 points were also five short of the total number of points the Gryphs had scored in going 2-2 in their first four games of the season.
Such was the potency of Guelph’s offence or the ineptness of York’s defence that the Gryphs scored on every possession they had in the first half. Eight converted TDs and a field goal gave the hosts a 59-7 lead at the intermission.
York’s lone score of the game was a TD that came with 45 seconds to go in the opening half. The Gryphs got that one back with a TD two plays after receiving York’s kickoff following the Lions’ score.
The Gryphs led 35-0 at the end of the first quarter, 59-7 at halftime and 81-7 after the third quarter. They scored a lone converted TD in a fourth quarter that saw the game run on straight time.
The hosts amassed 728 yards of total offence as they averaged a 14-yard gain on every offensive play. They also had two interception and two sacks on defence and they never punted the ball during the game.
York had 182 yards of total offence, an average of 3.6 yards per play. The Lions punted eight times and scored on their only trip into the red zone.
Jakob Tomas (23- and 3-yard catches), Vyshonne Janusas (52- and 30-yard catches), Kaine Stevenson (26- and 6-yard catches), Donavin Milloy (87- and 48-yard runs) and Marshall McCray (2- and 1-yard runs) each had two TDs in the game for the Gryphs. Anakin Guthrie (74-yard punt return) and Willem Arseneau (85-yard catch) each had one touchdown while Gabe Canabrava had a 36-yard field goal, a rouge and 11 converts while Nick Guardiero kicked one convert.
Quarterback Tristan Aboud was a perfect 16-for-16 on pass attempts for 384 yards and six TDs while McCray was 4-for-9 for 77 yards and Troy Hawkins was 3-for-3 for 51 yards and a TD in his first game action.
A total of 11 receivers caught at least one pass in the game led by Tomas and Stevenson tied for the game high with five receptions apiece while Janusas had four catches.
Milloy had eight rushes for 188 yards while Mason Duvall had seven carries for 65 yards and McCray had five carries for 18 yards. McCray leads the league with six rushing TDs as the rookie has scored at least one in each game.
On defence, Jevaun Jacobsen had 6.5 tackles, Brandon Ferigo had six and Braeden MacDougall had 4.5. Curtis Woodmansey had a sack and Nicholas Partchenko and Max Holmes shared a sack.
Jacobsen and Guthrie each had an interception.
Melchis Ilunga scored York’s TD on a 10-yard run while Nathan Walker kicked the convert.
The win lifts the Gryphs into third place in the standings at 3-2. There’s a three-way tie for first as the Western Mustangs, Laurier Golden Hawks and Windsor Lancers are each at 5-0. Following the Gryphs are the Carleton Ravens and Ottawa Gee-Gees who are both at 2-2, the Queen’s Gaels and Waterloo Warriors both at 1-3, McMaster Marauders at 1-4, Toronto Varsity Blues at 0-4 and York at 0-5. Guelph’s wins have come against teams that have a total of one win between them.
“We’ll just have to regroup and refocus,” Sheahan said. “There’s still a lot of football left to be played this season and hopefully we can build on this and focus on our next opponent, which is Waterloo that we have a lot of respect for and is also coming off a bye.”
With seven teams making the playoffs, the Gryphs have to be considered in the reckoning, but they refuse to think that far ahead.
“You never know in the OUA. The ball bounces funny for a lot of people,” Sheahan said. “We need to continue to do what we talked about at the beginning of the season where as a young team continue to work hard, focus, eliminate mistakes, don’t take stupid penalties and really just be a week to week team. Right now we’re not looking past Waterloo and hopefully we can mount up a good effort for them and then we have our bye after. Then we’ll see what the lay of the land is then.”
Next up for the Gryphs is a game against Waterloo at Warriors Field Saturday at 1 p.m.
- Guelph Sports Journal
Gryphons turn in record performance in Homecoming Game
GUELPH – It was pretty obvious early in their OUA football Homecoming Game Saturday at Alumni Stadium that the Guelph Gryphons were going to put up big numbers on the York Lions.
The Gryphs scored three quick touchdowns in the first five minutes of the game on their way to a record-setting 88-7 victory, the 88 points being the most they’d ever scored in a single game. It broke the previous record set in 2017 by a converted TD (seven points).
Guelph Gryphons 88
York Lions 7
“Confidence is key in a win like this, but the message all week was about execution and not looking at the standings and realizing where people were at,” Gryphon head coach Ryan Sheahan said. “This was about the Gryphons and playing good football. We were very, very efficient today both through the air and on the ground and everybody got a piece of the action. We came out of the game fairly unscathed which is always the hope on Saturdays in the OUA.”
The 88 points were also five short of the total number of points the Gryphs had scored in going 2-2 in their first four games of the season.
Such was the potency of Guelph’s offence or the ineptness of York’s defence that the Gryphs scored on every possession they had in the first half. Eight converted TDs and a field goal gave the hosts a 59-7 lead at the intermission.
York’s lone score of the game was a TD that came with 45 seconds to go in the opening half. The Gryphs got that one back with a TD two plays after receiving York’s kickoff following the Lions’ score.
The Gryphs led 35-0 at the end of the first quarter, 59-7 at halftime and 81-7 after the third quarter. They scored a lone converted TD in a fourth quarter that saw the game run on straight time.
The hosts amassed 728 yards of total offence as they averaged a 14-yard gain on every offensive play. They also had two interception and two sacks on defence and they never punted the ball during the game.
York had 182 yards of total offence, an average of 3.6 yards per play. The Lions punted eight times and scored on their only trip into the red zone.
Jakob Tomas (23- and 3-yard catches), Vyshonne Janusas (52- and 30-yard catches), Kaine Stevenson (26- and 6-yard catches), Donavin Milloy (87- and 48-yard runs) and Marshall McCray (2- and 1-yard runs) each had two TDs in the game for the Gryphs. Anakin Guthrie (74-yard punt return) and Willem Arseneau (85-yard catch) each had one touchdown while Gabe Canabrava had a 36-yard field goal, a rouge and 11 converts while Nick Guardiero kicked one convert.
Quarterback Tristan Aboud was a perfect 16-for-16 on pass attempts for 384 yards and six TDs while McCray was 4-for-9 for 77 yards and Troy Hawkins was 3-for-3 for 51 yards and a TD in his first game action.
A total of 11 receivers caught at least one pass in the game led by Tomas and Stevenson tied for the game high with five receptions apiece while Janusas had four catches.
Milloy had eight rushes for 188 yards while Mason Duvall had seven carries for 65 yards and McCray had five carries for 18 yards. McCray leads the league with six rushing TDs as the rookie has scored at least one in each game.
On defence, Jevaun Jacobsen had 6.5 tackles, Brandon Ferigo had six and Braeden MacDougall had 4.5. Curtis Woodmansey had a sack and Nicholas Partchenko and Max Holmes shared a sack.
Jacobsen and Guthrie each had an interception.
Melchis Ilunga scored York’s TD on a 10-yard run while Nathan Walker kicked the convert.
The win lifts the Gryphs into third place in the standings at 3-2. There’s a three-way tie for first as the Western Mustangs, Laurier Golden Hawks and Windsor Lancers are each at 5-0. Following the Gryphs are the Carleton Ravens and Ottawa Gee-Gees who are both at 2-2, the Queen’s Gaels and Waterloo Warriors both at 1-3, McMaster Marauders at 1-4, Toronto Varsity Blues at 0-4 and York at 0-5. Guelph’s wins have come against teams that have a total of one win between them.
“We’ll just have to regroup and refocus,” Sheahan said. “There’s still a lot of football left to be played this season and hopefully we can build on this and focus on our next opponent, which is Waterloo that we have a lot of respect for and is also coming off a bye.”
With seven teams making the playoffs, the Gryphs have to be considered in the reckoning, but they refuse to think that far ahead.
“You never know in the OUA. The ball bounces funny for a lot of people,” Sheahan said. “We need to continue to do what we talked about at the beginning of the season where as a young team continue to work hard, focus, eliminate mistakes, don’t take stupid penalties and really just be a week to week team. Right now we’re not looking past Waterloo and hopefully we can mount up a good effort for them and then we have our bye after. Then we’ll see what the lay of the land is then.”
Next up for the Gryphs is a game against Waterloo at Warriors Field Saturday at 1 p.m.
- Guelph Sports Journal