111th Yates Cup
Saturday, November 10
1pm
TD Stadium, London
No. 5 Guelph Gryphons (5-3, 2-0) vs No. 1 Western Mustangs (8-0, 1-0)
TV: CHCH
Online: www.oua.tv
GUELPH, Ont. – It takes a confluence of events for a team to earn a berth in a championship. Maybe a big play, some good luck, or a galvanizing occurrence can all contribute to a success. Belief is something that's a little less tangible but of equal importance. The No. 5 Guelph Gryphons football team has likely experienced all of the above factors in a memorable 2018 season. But belief – in coaches, staff, the game plans, and most importantly, each other – is one of the main reasons that the upstart team will compete against the top-ranked Western Mustangs in the 111th
edition of the Yates Cup this Saturday in London, ON.
"It's been so special to see how far this team has come from starting the year 1-2 and 2-3 to now be here preparing for the Yates Cup," said fifth-year All-Canadian kicker
Gabe Ferraro.
"I don't think enough can be said about the younger players on this team, the amount of times I've caught them pointing at guys like me, Luke (
Lukas Korol) and all us fifth-years, telling each other that they're doing this for us.
"The amount of resilience these guys have shown to never give up, no matter the situation, has been amazing."
That support and togetherness have become ingrained in the Gryphon program, helping them to a third Yates Cup appearance in five years. This one has been particularly interesting. Guelph was a team that many had written off after an ugly start to the season but as each week passed, the group, anchored by an imposing defence and buoyed by an evolving offence, got better. The turnaround began in the aftermath of disappointing 33-32 loss to the Queen's Gales on Homecoming. Since then, the Gryphons have won five straight games, including the past three with the season on the line.
Guelph earned a playoff berth after a 47-44 double overtime win against the Waterloo Warriors in the regular season finale before defeating the same Warriors team 45-34 in an OUA quarter-final the following week. And the Gryphons saved their best for last Saturday, overcoming an 18-0 halftime deficit and scoring 17 unanswered points in the final nine minutes to eliminate the Ottawa Gee-Gees 27-22 in the nation's capital. A 59-yard touchdown catch from third-year receiver
Thomas Bresciani, with just 48 seconds left on the clock, secured the right to play in the OUA championship game against the Mustangs.
"We have taken a difficult path to get to the Yates, but I am very proud of the way the guys have battled this year," said first-year head coach
Todd Galloway. "When our record was 2-3, we took a hard look at ourselves and found a way to come together as a team. Now, this weekend, we are facing a very good Western Mustangs team, which is trying to break a record for consecutive wins on top of their second Yates Cup in a row. We feel confident in the way we have been playing and feel like we can compete with anyone."
When the team was down 18-0 to Ottawa, Ferraro walked out of the locker room at the half and asked the players, particularly the underclassmen, to leave it all on the field.
"I said I know they still have plenty of football to play at Guelph but that's all I ask for right now because I love being here and playing here," he recalled. "I told them that I didn't want this to be my last game, but if it had to be, I wanted to know everyone gave everything they had.
And boy did they respond. I could tell from the look in their eyes that there was no chance we weren't winning that game. I didn't have an ounce of doubt the whole second half.
"I don't think one person on our team doubted we were going to win that game, no matter how far behind we were."
The Gryphons have had to put those sweet memories aside this week in preparation for the biggest game of the season. The Mustangs have been a dominant force in U SPORTS football, steamrolling teams without a loss since the 2016 Yates Cup against the Laurier Golden Hawks. Big, skilled, and athletic, Western has allowed an anemic 11.1 points per game, while scoring an average of 48. Pick a category and the defending Vanier Cup champions likely lead it – by a wide margin. The team's 2,173 rushing yards paces the second-place Gryphons by 542 yards. The Mustangs have scored 24 times on the ground, 12 of them coming from fourth-year running back Cedric Joseph, who finished second in U SPORTS with 121.3 yards per game. That doesn't mean Western can't do damage in the air, though. Quarterback Chris Merchant ranked fifth in the OUA with 261.8 passing yards per game, while throwing for 17 touchdowns. The Mustangs spread the ball around to a variety of targets, with Harry McMaster leading the team in receptions (29), yards (616), and touchdowns (7).
But if there's a team that's been a thorn in Western's side in recent years, it's the Gryphons.
Especially on the TD Stadium turf. Guelph took the reigning national champions to overtime in a Labour Day matchup last season before losing 41-34 and while the 2017 OUA semi-final between the two teams was one-sided in the Mustangs' favour, many veteran Gryphons will remember the joy of winning the 2015 Yates Cup on that very field in London.
"We will have to control the tempo of the game and account for the weapons they have on offence," said Galloway. "At the end of the day, this is another opportunity for two great teams to go out and showcase the OUA on national television."
Like in recent weeks, the Gryphons will need heroes. It could be fourth-year quarterback
Theo Landers. The Maple Ridge, BC native, paying behind a solid line led by captain and standout centre
Colin Jerome, has blossomed in the second half of the season and orchestrated massive drives when his team had to have them.
Rookie running back Jean-Paul Cimankinda
Or rooking running
Jean-Paul Cimankinda, a wrecking ball, who has rushed for 100 yards-plus and a touchdown in four straight games. Rookie linebacker
Uriel Kalenga recovered a fumble on the final play of the first game with Waterloo and then sacked the Warriors' star quarterback Tre Ford the next week to lock up the quarter-final win. Third-year defensive back
Jason Richards contributed a huge play last week when he blocked an Ottawa field goal attempt at the end of the third quarter that completely swung the momentum of the game. And his defensive unit teammates Korol and
Job Reinhart, among others, will be critical in slowing down the powerhouse Western offence.
Many Gryphon games over the past five years have come down to the foot of Ferraro. The veteran established the record for most field goals in a season last year and he followed that up by tying the U SPORTS career mark in 2018 with 91 regular season makes. The Mississauga, ON would love nothing more for than to have a meaningful kick in his final shot at Yates Cup glory.
"I'm just so grateful and so thankful that I even have this opportunity to be back in this game," said Ferraro. "Whatever it takes for my team to win, I'm willing to do.
"My only goal for this game is to be lifting that trophy when it's all said and done."
Western Individual Statistics
Western Team Statistics
Guelph Individual Statistics
Guelph Team Statistics
