No. 7 Golden Hawks still in running for second straight Vanier
OTTAWA (CIS) – The No. 7-ranked Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks are still alive to repeat as Vanier Cup champions.
Quarterback Jamie Partington overcame four interceptions and seven offensive turnovers through three quarters by engineering two scoring drives and a 14-point outburst when it mattered most, ending in a 20-15 win over the No. 8 Western Ontario Mustangs in one of eight CIS conference semi-final games on Saturday afternoon.
With the victory, Laurier advances to the OUA final for a fourth straight season. The Hawks will travel to Ottawa next Saturday to face the No. 3 Gee-Gees in the 99th Yates Cup game.
“I can’t hit water from a boat,” said Partington, a fifth-year native of Stony Creek, Ont., who finished 13-of 23 for 166 yards in a frustrating afternoon but scored from one yard to open the fourth quarter after to give his troops a 13-12 lead and found Josh Bishop for a punishing 15-yard touchdown completion over the middle at 10:45 to cap the comeback.
Bishop was groggily helped off the field but assisted the Golden Hawks to a fifth straight win over Western.
In other conference semis on Saturday it was No. 1 Manitoba 44, Regina 29; No. 2 Laval 52, McGill 0; No. 3 Ottawa 23, Queen’s 10; No. 4 Saskatchewan 35, UBC 16; No. 6 Concordia 23, No. 5 Montreal 3; No. 10 Acadia 16, Mount Allison 6; Saint Mary’s 24, StFX 6.
At Waterloo, Ont. Laurier player of the game Brodie Legein rushed 11 times for 54 yards and had a 19-yard TD catch from Partington in the second quarter playing in place of Ryan Lynch, who is still bothered by an ankle injury but managed 60 yards off 12 carries to finish as the Golden hawks top rusher before sitting out.
Mustangs backup quarterback Mark Howard, starting his second straight playoff game in place of injured Michael Faulds, scrambled and found Jay Leroy in the end zone for what appeared to be the game winning touchdown late in the fourth quarter but Howard was ruled well over the line of scrimmage.
Howard finished with 23 completions on 46 attempts for 240 yards with two interceptions as the Mustangs produced 50 more yards of net offence (364-314) but couldn’t answer the Golden Hawks two-touchdown flurry in the fourth quarter.
Western kicker Derek Schiavone’s fourth field goal came late in the third quarter from 30 yards for a 12-7 advantage after the Mustangs special teams blocked a Laurier punt.
The Western loss marked the end of the coaching career of Larry Haylor, the CIS all-time leader for victories.
No. 1 Manitoba 44, Regina 29
At Winnipeg, running back Karim Lowen had three second-half touchdowns and 226 rushing yards off 34 carries as the No. 1-ranked Manitoba Bisons (9-0) rolled to a 44-29 Canada West semi-final win over the Regina Rams (4-5).
Lowen, who entered the playoffs having tallied six touchdowns in his last two games, scored on 13 and one-yard runs in a third quarter which saw the Bisons outscore the Rams 21-0 after coming back from the halftime break trailing 21-16.
Quarterback John Makie was good on 23 of 38 passes for 286 yards and three touchdowns but was intercepted three times after being picked off only twice all season.
Simon Blaszczak, Terry Firr and Neil Fulgueras each caught a touchdown pass while Randy Simmons hauled in eight balls for 103 yards as the Bisons out-gained Regina 608 total yards to 399.
Regina’s sensational junior quarterback Teale Orban, who set a Canada West single-season record with 26 passing majors and led the nation with 2619 passing yards this fall, racked up 334 yards despite being held to 16 completions in 36 attempts, intercepted on three occasions and sacked five times.
The Rams scored on a pair of 90-plus-yard plays in a span of 1:25 early in the second quarter to take a 14-8 lead. Orban connected with Jordan Sisco on 90 yards while Steve Ryan returned a punt on 95 yards moments later.
No. 1 Manitoba hosts the two-time defending Canada West champion and No. 4 Saskatchewan Huskies (7-2) in the conference final next Saturday hoping to claim its first Hardy Trophy since 2001.
No. 2 Laval 52, McGill 0
At Quebec City, Benoit Groulx threw three touchdown passes and scored on a one-yard run as the No. 2-ranked Laval Rouge et Or (8-1) rolled over the visiting McGill Redmen (4-5) 52-0 in a Quebec conference semi-final.
Groulx, who completed 19 of 26 passes for 285 yards, was one of six Rouge et Or to reach the end zone as Laval racked up 503 yards of offence. Nicolas Bisaillon, Matthew Leblanc, Laurent Lavigne-Masse and Marc-Olivier Dubeau-Gagnon had TD catches, while Guillaume Allard-Cameus scored on a four-yard run.
Samuel Grégoire-Champagne didn’t reach pay dirt but hauled in six balls for 166 yards. Cameron Takacs added three field goals in as many attempts.
McGill quarterback Matt Connell had 282 yards on 30-of-42 passing for the one-dimensional Redmen, who were kept to 14 yards rushing on eight carries.
Three-time defending Quebec champion Laval hosts the No. 6 Concordia Stingers (7-2) in the Dunsmore Cup final next Saturday. Laval edged Concordia 21-18 in overtime at home on Oct. 15.
No. 3 Ottawa 23, Queen’s 10
At Ottawa, Davie Mason rushed for 129 yards on only eight carries including an 82-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to lead the No. 3-ranked Gee-Gees (8-1) to a 23-10 home win over the Queen’s Golden Gaels (5-5) in an OUA semi-final match-up.
The Gee-Gees, riding a six-game winning streak, advance to the Yates Cup final for the first time since a 30-22 loss to McMaster in 2001, Ottawa’s first year back in the OUA.
The Gee-Gees will host the reigning Vanier Cup champion and No. 7 Laurier Golden Hawks (7-2) next Saturday in the 99th edition of the Yates Cup. Ottawa beat Laurier 29-19 on Sept. 9.
Ottawa quarterback Josh Sacobie overcame three interceptions and three sacks to finish with 19 completions for 224 yards, including a five-yard pass to Wayne Desmond to open scoring 5:31 into the second quarter.
The Gee-Gees defence, which finished first in the nation in the regular season allowing only 97 points, held Queen’s quarterback to only 13-of-31 passing for 189 yards with one interception and one touchdown, a 21-yard strike to Scott Valberg with 17 seconds left in the game.
No. 4 Saskatchewan 35, UBC 16
At Saskatoon, running backs Tyler O’Gorman and Scott Stevens combined for 213 yards rushing and four touchdowns to lead the well-rested, No. 4-ranked Saskatchewan Huskies (7-2) to a 35-16 win over the UBC Thunderbirds (4-5) in a Canada West semi-final.
The Huskies, coming off a break in the final weekend of the regular season, trailed 10-0 6:04 into the contest following a two-yard Chris Ciezki touchdown run and a 31-yard Chris McIsaac field goal but answered with 27 straight points to put the game away.
Stevens, who finished with 74 yards off 16 carries, had 14 of those 27 points, cutting the deficit to 10-7 on an eight-yard run with just over five minutes left in the opening quarter before adding a one-yard TD in the second stanza. O’Gorman racked up 139 yards on 17 runs, scoring in the second and fourth frames.
Saskatchewan quarterback Bret Thompson attempted only 10 passes completing nine of them for 133 yards.
Blake Smelser had 309 yards off 25-of-43 passing but the Thunderbirds couldn’t generate any ground attack in the ninth straight loss to the Huskies. Smelser was UBC’s leading rusher with 26 yards off eight carries while Ciezki, back after missing the regular season finale with a leg injury, carried the ball only five times for 17 yards.
The No. 4 Huskies, who welcomed Gainer the Gopher, the furry emblem of the CFL Saskatchewan Roughriders, to Griffiths Stadium after the popular mascot was told it was not welcome in Calgary for a playoff game Sunday, visit the No. 1 Manitoba Bisons (9-0) next Saturday in the Hardy Trophy final.
No. 6 Concordia 23, No. 5 Montreal 3
At Montreal, the No. 6-ranked Concordia Stingers (7-2) took advantage of five Montreal turnovers to score a 23-3 QUFL semi-final win over the No. 5 Carabins (6-3).
A pair of Warren Kean field goals late in the first quarter proved to be enough for the Stingers as Montreal failed to reach the end zone for the second straight week.
With the score 6-3 and under two minutes to go in the third stanza, quarterback Scott Syvret scored on a six-yard run to give Concordia a little breathing room. Syvret broke the game open 4:43 into the final quarter when he connected with Marc Champagnie for a 72-yard score.
Syvret finished nine-of-18 for 143 yards as the Stingers were out-gained 328 yards to 272 but committed no turnovers.
Joseph Mroué had 150 yards rushing off 18 carries for Montreal, while Jean-Luc Lamarche accounted for the Carabins scoring with a 22-yard field goal.
No. 6 Concordia travels to Quebec City next Saturday for its first Dunsmore Cup appearance since 2003. The Stingers will face No. 2 Laval, having dropped a 21-18 overtime decision to the Rouge et Or on Oct. 15.
No. 10 Acadia 16, Mount Allison 6
At Wolfville, N.S., Cale Inglis scored the game’s lone touchdown on an 11-yard run late in the second quarter and finished with 116 yards on 24 carries as the reigning Atlantic conference champion Acadia Axemen (6-3) defeated the Mount Allison Mounties (2-6) 16-6 in an AUFC semi-final.
James Michener rounded out the scoring for the Axemen with a pair of field goals and a single, while Euan Crisp responded with two field goals for Mount Allison, making its first playoff appearance since 1998.
Matt Carter (7-151) and James Price (6-109) both finished with over 100 yards receiving for the Axemen as Chris Judd completed 18 of 30 passes for 310 yards.
The Axemen won despite undisciplined play that cost them 159 yards off 15 penalties.
No. 10 Acadia hosts the Saint Mary’s Huskies (4-4) next Saturday in the Jewett Trophy final.
Saint Mary’s 24, StFX 6
At Halifax, running back Jacques-Olivier Lumbala scored twice in the fourth quarter to break a close AUFC semi-final open and lead the Saint Mary’s Huskies to a 24-6 home win over the StFX X-Men.
Saint Mary’s was clinging to a four-point advantage when Lumbala, who finished with 84 yards on 13 carries, made it a 17-6 affair on a three-yard run. The junior from Calgary rounded out the scoring on an 18-yard scamper with just over four minutes left on the clock.
Billy Robinson found Valentino Swasey on two yards midway through the second quarter for the other Saint Mary’s major. Justin Palardy added a 22-yard field goal just before the half.
Running back Marvin McCooty was one of the lone bright spots for StFX tallying 120 yards on 19 carries.
X-Men quarterbacks Justin Connors and Corbin Sharun combined for 140 yards passing as they were sacked six times and intercepted twice.
Saint Mary’s (4-4) visits the reigning AUFC champion Acadia Axemen (6-3) next Saturday in the Jewett Trophy final, hoping to reclaim the conference title they won six straight times from 1999-2004.
Courtesy of Canadian University Sport
