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photo by Martha Pearce
Hot stuff: Sinopoli rushed for two touchdowns on Oct. 24 as the Gees finished the year 6-2.
Men’s football secures home playoff game with fifth-straight win
IT MAY NOT have been their prettiest win of the season, but the University of Ottawa men’s football team got the job done on Oct. 24 against the Windsor Lancers at Frank Clair Stadium. In spite of cool, wet field conditions, the Gees posted a convincing 24-9 victory, earning them home-field advantage for the first week of the playoffs.
“I don’t think we [excelled] as a team, but we did a lot of good things,” said Gee-Gees head coach Denis Piché. “We’re going to improve on this, and at the end of the day, this young team is a 6-2 team—while everybody thought we were done this year [because] we were too young, [with] too many changes.”
Though the final score was clearly in Ottawa’s favour, the game did not begin very well for the Gees. Sloppy play was common for both teams during the first quarter, as they dropped passes and comitted turnovers. After failing to convert on a second down deep in their own end, Ottawa attempted a punt that was blocked by Windsor, leading to a Lancer field goal to open the scoring.
In the second quarter, however, Ottawa worked things out offensively, grinding out a pair of touchdowns mostly through the rushing game. Both rookie running back Jordan Wilson-Ross and third-year quarterback Brad Sinopoli ran the ball into the end zone in the quarter.
“We struggled a bit with the passing, and one way to get in the game and get in the rhythm for me is to take some hits and get some runs in,” said Sinopoli, who had 105 rushing yards in the game. “It feels good to maybe get a couple first downs. It just boosts your confidence.”
With a 14-3 lead going into the second half, the Gees dominated the rest of the game, holding the Lancers to just two more field goals. Offensively, the Gees added 10 points of insurance: a touchdown from a 29-yard rush by Sinopoli, and a single and a safety conceded by the Lancers.
The win leaves Ottawa with a 6-2 record on the season, good for fourth place in the Ontario University Athletics conference. They are now set to host a quarter-final playoff game on Oct. 31 against the fifth-place McMaster Marauders, who are also 6-2.
“It’s a little too early [to think about the playoffs],” Sinopoli said after the win. “It just feels good to be at home and not have to go through that long process on the road, [I’m] just happy about that.”
“We keep building; we keep getting smarter and better at what we do,” said Piché. “You have eight weeks in the regular season to get ready for the real season—the one that matters—and that’s coming up next week.”
The Gee-Gees will kick off against the Marauders at 1 p.m. on Oct. 31 at Frank Clair Stadium.
