GUELPH, Ont. – The Guelph Gryphons football team will play another day. A postseason victory was the only result the resilient Guelph team would settle for. One week after defeating the Waterloo Warriors in the season finale to earn a playoff berth, the Gryphons did it again to the same foe, winning their OUA quarter-final 45-34 on a chilly, wet day at Alumni Stadium.
Guelph will travel to Ottawa next week to take on the OUA's No. 2 seed Gee-Gees.
This quarter-final didn't have as much drama as last week's scintillating 47-44 2OT win over the Warriors but it was even more satisfying for a team that began the season 0-2 in desperate need of answers.
"They were looking for something to believe in again and I think we've helped with that," head coach
Todd Galloway said of his evolving team. "They faced a little adversity early in the year and I just kept asking them to stay the course, believe in each other.
"And we're starting to see the results of that now."
The coach said both teams showed a lot the last week because each wanted to win. In the rematch, Guelph relied on playing a sound game that involved winning the line of scrimmage. Fourth-year Maple Ridge, BC native
Theo Landers completed 16 of 23 passes for 240 yards and two touchdowns, while adding another score on the ground, a fantastic 26-yard run that put the Gryphons up 10-0 in the first quarter.
But the real damage was done by rookie running back
Jean-Paul Cimankinda, who torched the Warriors for 258 yards and three touchdowns on 29 rushes. The 225-pound bruiser could not be stopped as he churned out yard after yard against a helpless Waterloo defence.
J.P. Cimankinda reaches for one of his 3 TDs on the day
The Ottawa native's first score came on a 14-yard run late in the first quarter, which put Guelph up 17-7 and he would add another from six yards out with 6:06 left in the second.
Cimankinda was far from done. He punched it once more on a two-yard score just 12 seconds before the half, a dagger that had the hosts up 31-21 after star quarterback Tre Ford had just orchestrated two crucial touchdowns to get the Warriors back in it.
"That's a heck of a number for a true freshman in a playoff game," said Galloway. "Physically, he was always ready. We knew what we thought we were getting when we recruited him, it just took a little longer to pick up the playbook. Now he seems to be finding his stride. He's a load, he's a tough guy to bring down."
Defensive lineman
Alain Cimankinda said his brother "balled out." But it was no surprise because he's seen Jean-Paul do the same since they were kids growing up in Ottawa.
"He had a slow start this year but I'm just happy to see him succeed and play at his best," said Alain. "He's always been a big dude, a big runner. That's his style. But today, I was really impressed with his speed. He broke a few this game. I was happy to see the explosiveness and the new part of his game that he's added."
The Cimankindas are excited to be heading back to their home town next week to face the Gee-Gees, where a huge amount of family is expected to turn out.
"I told him I was proud of him," Alain added. "It was his moment. It was his first start today and he and he came out showed up. I gave him a big hug.
"Hopefully, we go back home and do it again."
While this game didn't have the back-and-forth knockout punches of last week's memorable affair, it was still competitive. And the Gryphons had to be smart. Ford, who passed for 295 yards with three touchdowns, and ran for 150 more and two scores, was electric again after counting for six touchdowns last week. His 39-yard touchdown run with 1:02 left in the second quarter got the Warriors to within three at 24-21. But Cimankinda responded immediately with his third touchdown of the half.
And Guelph would start brightly in the third quarter, as Landers found a wide open
Kade Belyk for a 29-yard touchdown to make it 37-21. The quarterback then hit
Thomas Bresciani from 21 yards out just 37 seconds into the fourth quarter and at that point, the win was all but locked up.
But not before rookie linebacker
Uriel Kalenga would play a part for the second straight week. Last Saturday, Kalenga recovered the fumble in double overtime that would ice the game. This week, he did it again, sacking Ford late to end the Warriors' hopes of a comeback. It was a sound performance from a team that has grown significantly over the past two months.
"We thought we were bigger up front and we were a little more physical a football team," Galloway said.
The Gryphons certainly showed their potential in the OUA quarter-final. Now they have an opportunity to return to the Yates Cup for the first time since their dramatic win in London back in 2015. Guelph lost 12-10 in Ottawa on Sept. 8 but that seems like ages ago now.
"We're a very different team than when we played them last time," said Galloway. "I give them a lot of respect but at the end of the day, our offence is starting to get rolling. Hopefully, we can put up a few more points and make it a better battle."
The coach said that they will enjoy this win and then get back in the room tomorrow. The bottom line is that they get to play another game, which is all that matters in the OUA at this time of year.
"They're going to turn the scoreboard on again for us," he said with a smile. "We're going to have fun and we're going to compete."
