Lions fought hard, but couldn’t keep up with the nation’s number one football team
Ryan McCabe
Contributor
Last Thursday, October 4, the Lions raced onto the field to a sold-out crowd to take on the McMaster Marauders, only to be defeated by the Marauders 54-14.
The Lions started off strong, with York’s kickoff team forcing and recovering a fumble, but failed to capitalize on the turnover.
Marauders quarterback, Kyle Quinlan, managed to drive the ball between the 20 yard lines, but the Lions’ defence stood like a brick wall, forcing Marauders’ Tyler Crapigna to complete back-to-back drives, placing the Marauders up 6-0 early in the first half.
Lions’ head coach Warren Craney says, “Kyle Quinlan is the best football player in the country without a doubt, and we were trying to make it as hard for him as we could. We were switching up fronts all the time and we were very successful in the first half.”
After two Marauders touchdowns, Lions’ quarterback Myles Gibbon’s performance remained at a 20-point deficit with just under 10 minutes remaining in the first half. But Gibbon didn’t back down, capping off an impressive drive with a beautiful 13-yard touchdown strike to Jonelle Tolbert, advancing the Lions to just 13 points shy of the lead.
Unfortunately, that was as close as the Lions would get all night.
The Marauders later added 34 points to their total as wide reciever Andrin Mosotti racked up over 100 yards receiving along with a touchdown, while Kasean Davis-Reynolds made the 100-yard mark along the ground, scoring twice for the Marauders.
Despite the discouraging point difference, the Lions offence refused to give up even with only seconds on the clock. In the Lions’ final offensive possession of the night, backup quarterback Dimitar Sevdin connected with Jonelle Tolbert on a 48-yard touchdown pass, bringing the final score to 54-14 for McMaster.
Although the Lions suffered a loss, Craney is thrilled with the overwhelming turnout at the game.
“It was electric. This is how I believe football should be played, at night under the lights,” he says.
Lions’ running back, Kyle Exume, played an incredible offensive and defensive game. Craney recognizes that Exume’s contributions go much further than what the stat sheet says.
“[Exume] is a leader on the field, and he is one of our most talented players. We just need to utilize him in all aspects of the game,” says Craney. “When he’s on the field, we are a better team.”
Exume attributes his success on the team to three simple things. “Film, focus, and your will to prepare needs to be greater than your will to win,” he says.
As the Lions move forward, their rivals at the University of Toronto await them at the Red and Blue Bowl.
Since 2010, Craney has failed to chalk up a victory against the University of Toronto Varsity Blues. Despite his losing record, Craney has high hopes this year’s team will put an end to U of T’s dominance over York.
“Were hungry. Take this game aside, we have lost the last three games by a total of nine points,” says Craney. “It hurts. These kids are really hungry, and I think [University of] Toronto is going to have to pay the price for that.”
The Lions return to action in a clash against the U of T Varsity Blues this Saturday, October 13 at the Varsity Stadium.
