On the edge of defeat, the Gaels clawed their way to victory.
Queen’s Men’s Football hosted the Guelph Gryphons for Homecoming 100 on Oct. 17. In a close competition that ended in a dramatic finish, the Gaels edged out Guelph 42-41. The win brought them to 6-1 on the year, a record they share with the Western Mustangs and the McMaster Marauders.
The Gryphons came into Richardson Stadium with a 4-2 record, winning their last four games. The Gaels, on the other hand, were coming off a home loss to the Windsor Lancers by a score of 25-22. The loss came while the Gaels were without their first-string quarterback, Alex Vreekan, Kin ’27, due to an undisclosed injury.
Queen’s took to the field in front of over 7,000 fans at Richardson, who knew they were in store for a high-flying game.
But it didn’t start well for the Gaels. On the first drive of the game, they fumbled on their own 31-yard line, giving the Gryphons strong field position right away.
The Gryphons wasted no time with quarterback Tristan Aboud completing a 31-yard touchdown, giving them the early seven-point lead.
The Gaels’ offence would be unable to respond right away, but the defence managed to force a fumble just as the Gryphons were pushing down the field.
That momentum would set up a drive that featured two big plays by wide receiver Ben Falkowsky, ArtSci ’29. The first was an over-the-shoulder jumping catch in the middle field for 25 yards. A couple of plays later, a strong throw by Vreeken found Falkowsky, who tiptoed into the end zone for a touchdown, tying the game.
The game would remain tied after the first quarter of play.
Queen’s would start the quarter in good field position, as the Gaels offence pushed down the field. Ultimately, they would be unable to connect in the endzone, settling for a field goal that gave them a 10-7 lead.
The high-octane offence by the Gryphons would be on full display on the next play, as they pushed down the field with a 31-yard reception on the sideline and a 22-yard reception on third down. With those two long plays, the Gryphons would find themselves in the red zone and punching it in for a four-point lead.
The Gaels offence had a two-and-out, giving the Gryphons possession back. Another big shot down the field put the Gryphons in scoring position, where they settled for a field goal and a 17-10 lead.
Queen’s would turn to a familiar face to get them back in the game, with Vreeken throwing a simple throw through the middle to Falkowsky. Falkowsky found space near the sideline, diving into the endzone and earning his second score of the game.
The Gryphons responded quickly though, getting into the red zone to punch yet another touchdown and take the lead yet again.
Both offences would be unable to get anything going as possession exchanged, until the Gaels special teams came in clutch.
On a punt with a minute remaining in the second quarter, Gaels linebacker Jeremey Hiscox, ArtSci ’27, blocked the kick, allowing defensive lineman Eli Bennett, Sci ’29, to scoop up the ball and take it to the endzone. The special teams’ touchdown would send the Gaels to halftime with the 25-24 lead.
Aboud and the Gryphons offence didn’t miss a beat in the third quarter as they pushed down the field, putting the Gaels defence on their heels. They were ultimately stopped, opting to settle for a field goal, but the Gryphons’ kicker missed the attempt and only earned a rouge point.
After the Gaels regained possession and began pushing down the field, one of their top receivers, Logan Walton, ArtSci ’29, fell while catching a 29-yard pass near the sideline and landed awkwardly on his shoulder. Walton would not play another snap after this play.
The drive was then taken over by Gaels running back Jayden Gurzi-MacDonald, ArtSci ’29, who rushed four straight times, setting up a field goal for Queen’s.
The Gryphons again would strike back, this time with a 45-yard touchdown, giving the lead back to them heading into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth, the Gaels scored two straight touchdowns on their offensive possessions, giving them the ten-point lead.
However, the Gryphons continued to punish the Gaels defence, making it a one-point game after an Aboud touchdown and a safety surrendered by the Gaels.
With the game under their control, the Gryphons marched down the field, well within field goal range to seal the victory. With 30 seconds left in the game, they decided to run the ball through the middle, which they ended up regretting profusely.
As Gryphons running back Kanye Nethersole was running through the Queen’s line, a hit by linebacker Brandon Spence, Kin ’27, knocked the ball loose and into the hands of Gaels safety Wilson Heslop, Kin ’29. Queen’s would hang on for the 42-41 victory.
After the game, Queen’s Head Coach Steve Snyder said he was “really proud of our team.”
“We battled like crazy for four quarters, despite momentum going back and forth in the game, but it felt like our team really stayed steady and continued to just focus on execution, it was a great win for us.”
After the game, Heslop was able to explain the game-defining moment from his point of view.
“Our coach is talking to me through the headset saying, ‘it’s riot situation,’ which means get the ball out,” Heslop said. “They had a run play up the middle, I see my linebacker Brandon Spence go low, get the ball, and just pop out of his hands. […] Thank God I’m right there in position to catch it, it could not have gone any better for us.
When asked if that’s the easiest fumble recovery he’s ever had, Heslop jokingly replied with “I think that’s the only fumble recovery I’ve ever had.”
The homecoming victory positions the Gaels one win away from securing first-place in the OUA, which comes with a bye past the quarterfinals. However, they still need to take down a strong 6-1 McMaster team on Oct. 24 in Hamilton. If successful, it’d be the first time Queen’s Football took the first-place spot since 2021.
Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Ron Joyce Stadium.
Tags
OUA, Queen's football, Queen's Homecoming
All final editorial decisions are made by the Editor(s) in Chief and/or the Managing Editor. Authors should not be contacted, targeted, or harassed under any circumstances. If you have any grievances with this article, please direct your comments to eic@queensjournal.ca.