The University of Toronto Varsity Blues left the York Stadium on Friday night with their third straight Argo Cup after defeating the Lions by a score of 40-3 in the 46th annual Red and Blue Bowl. A large crowd of supporters sat through the frigid breeze to cheer on the two teams as they fought for bragging rights in the city of Toronto.
The Varsity Blues dominated the first half, scoring 10 points in the first quarter and adding 11 more in the second. UofT’s second-year running back Alex Malone rushed 222 yards in the first half alone, outshining the Lions’ combined total of 113 rushing yards in the entire game. Malone added another 93 rushing yards in the second half to set a UofT single-game record of 315 yards.
Early in the third quarter the Lions performed a series of successful plays, concluding with a touchdown by Adam Adeboboye. The touchdown did not count because of a holding call, but the Lions’ Nick Naylor followed it up with a 27-yard field goal to finally get the Lions on the scoreboard with three points. The Lions were unable to successfully complete any more offensive plays for the rest of the game, particular because they gave away possession several times through fumbles. Meanwhile, the Varsity Blues continued to perform confidently, ending the game with a 40-3 victory over the Lions.
It was the Varsity Blues’ third straight victory over the Lions in the Red and Blue Bowl, and their seventh victory in the past eight years. As of Friday’s game, UofT has won the Argo Cup 28 times since the event began in 1970. York has come out on top 17 times, including a decade-long stretch of victories between 1996 and 2007.
“It was a definitely a tough game,” says Jesse Amankwaa, a rookie running back for the Lions. He adds that it was a lack of discipline and a failure to pay attention to details that led to the Lions’ loss, but added that the team will “clean it up for the rest of the season.” Amankwaa, who took part in his first Red and Blue Bowl, was the Lions’ best offensive player in the game, finishing the game with 85 yards.
Amankwaa’s first Red and Blue Bowl may have ended as a disappointment, but Varsity Blues’ receiver Kevin Collins was ecstatic after winning the Argo Cup for the third time. “It’s two good teams that’ve gotten better every year and it’s a great game, so it’s a lot of fun,” said Collins. “It’s definitely a battle every time we play each other.”
Lions head coach Warren Craney was less pleased with the outcome of the game. “We were very undisciplined,” he said, commenting on the performance of his players. “They just let their emotions get the best of them. Sometimes when you try too hard, you do stupid things and that’s basically what happened.” However, Craney also pointed out that the Varsity Blues are a very strong football team, which is part of the reason the Lions have struggled against them in the Red and Blue Bowl in recent years.
Craney plans to stay focused on rebuilding the Lions’ football program.
“We just have to keep plugging away and working hard,” he says. “We’re playing a lot of young, talented kids and they have to develop and grow.” How he planned to deal with the lack of discipline shown by the team on Friday, Craney replied that the coaching staff were “going to run the heck out of them.”
Hassam Munir, Sports and Health Editor
