The No. 10 Guelph Gryphons (3-1) and No. 5 Western Mustangs (4-1) took the field today (Sept. 25) in front of a sold out crowd of nearly 9,000 Homecoming fans at Alumni Stadium in Guelph.  After a long, hard-fought battle, it would be the Mustangs who would come out on top, downing the Gryphons 15-8.

Western Mustang running back Jerimy Hipperson's (St. Catharine's, Ont.) second TD run of the game, a 27-yarder with 4:27 left in the fourth, lifted the Mustangs over the Gryphons. Guelph suffered several penalties in the contest, especially in the fourth quarter.  The Gryphons tallied 12 penalties for 103 yards, compared to the Mustangs four penalties for 63 yards.

On offence, Gryphon quarterback Chris Rossetti (Mississauga, Ont.) went 12-22 for 159 yards.  Nick Fitzgibbon (Puslinch, Ont.) had another good day on the ground with 87 yards on 19 carries, as well as 36 receiving yards.  Jedd Gardner (Niagara Falls, Ont.) led Gryphon receivers with 86 yards on 3 receptions.

For Western, Donnie Marshall (London, Ont.) had an impressive performance going 9-17 through the air for 116 yards, while also picking up 116 yards of rushing.  Hipperson had a total of 147 yards rushing, taking two carries in for touchdowns.  Nick Trevail (London, Ont.) pulled in 3 receptions for a team-leading 72 yards.

Defensively, both teams were wary of the number ninety-seven as Cam Thorn of Guelph picked up 7 tackles and 2.5 sacks, and Zander Robinson (Vancouver, B.C.) of Western walked away with 12.5 tackles and 2.5 sacks. 

For the Gryphons, once again, Adam Dunk (Guelph, Ont.) was a force, tallying 9 tackles and 1.5 sacks, his full sack leading to a 17-yard loss for the Mustangs.  In the secondary, James Savoie (Niagara Falls, Ont.) also had 9 tackles, while Jordon Duncan (Grimsby, Ont.) picked up his third interception of the year.

Western would get the scoring started late in the first quarter on a 60-yard drive.  Ignited by a 13-yard scramble from Donnie Marshall, Jerimy Hipperson then took over, powering down the field and eventually punching the ball into the end zone on a 10-yard rush for the touchdown.  Hajrullahu kicked the extra point through giving the Mustangs the 7-0 lead.

In the second quarter it would be Guelph's turn to get on the board.  After a long drive, the Gryphons set up for a field goal, but as the snap made its way into the hands of Jedd Gardner for the place, Gardner took off for the sideline.  With Western pressuring the kicker, no one was outside to contain Gardner and he strolled into the end zone.  Julian Tropea (Niagara Falls, Ont.) would knock the extra point through and knot the game at seven a piece.

With the clock dying in the second, a deep punt by Evan Short (Burlington, Ont.) bounced deep into the end zone.  Unable to get the ball out, the Western returner was taken down by James Savoie (Niagara Falls, Ont.) who would be awarded the rouge, putting Guelph up 8-7 at the end of the first half.

Back and forth play in the third didn't result in points for either team.  Both squads would come close, but the strength of the defence could not be overcome.

Guelph came out strong in the fourth, with Cam Thorn picking up a sack deep in Western territory.  On the ensuing Gryphon drive, Guelph fans looked hopeful as Gardner pulled in his third big catch of the game for 31 yards, however, Guelph would be forced to kick a field goal and the attempt went wide.

After that the Mustangs got down to business.  Going deep, Marshall aired out a long ball down the sideline that was grabbed by Nick Trevail (London, Ont.) in the Gryphon zone.  Following the big catch, Hipperson would charge up the middle for a 27-yard touchdown, his league-leading seventh major of the season.  Attempting to make up for the single point Guelph had picked up earlier, Western went for the 2-point convert, but was unsuccessful. 

With Guelph behind 13-8, a late surge had to be made to stay in the game.  Unfortunately for the Gryphons, they were unable to move the ball well late in the game and had to concede a safety with only a couple of minutes left, giving the Mustangs a 15-8 lead.

Guelph made a valiant effort to stop Western, in the hopes of getting one last shot at the Mustangs' end zone, but Marshall was on his game and a 20-yard dash with just forty seconds on the clock would be a dagger in the heart of the Gryphons.  Western would remain on top, finishing the game with a 15-8 victory.

The Gryphons will look to get back in the win column next Saturday (Oct. 2) against the Laurier Golden Hawks in Waterloo at 1:00 p.m.