CIS

Fourth quarter rally secures a 2-0 record and possible top 10 ranking for Gees

Riding the high of their 51-7 home- opener win against York on Labour Day, the Gee-Gees football team suited up to take on a much more talented Queen’s Gaels squad in Kingston on Sept. 6. Coming into the weekend, Queen’s was ranked ninth in the country after an impressive victory against Windsor earlier in the week.

The Gees had their hands full with a balanced offensive attack from the Gaels, but ultimately they were able to impose their own and come away with a big 37-30 win. By all typical standards, the game wasn’t a pretty one.

Halfway through the first quarter ,it looked as if the Gaels were overmatched after giving up back-to-back touchdowns. But Queen’s fought their way back, grabbing a 17-16 lead at halftime, and didn’t loosen the grip easily in the second half.

It was all Gaels in the third and early parts of the fourth quarters, as they extended their lead to 30-16. The game seemed out of hand for the Gees until quarterback Derek Wendel took control and led Ottawa to victory. An eight-play, 75-yard drive resulted in a 10-yard touchdown pass to receiver Ian Stewart with eight minutes left on the clock. The drive was followed by a clutch interception by Mike Randazzo that gave the Gee-Gees an opportunity to march back down the field in 10 plays, and have Wendel hit running back Mack Tommy for a 24-yard TD.

With less than three minutes left on the clock, and tied at 30, Queen’s took the ball to try for a game-winning drive but were stifled when linebacker Nick Lecour forced a fumble, which was recovered by the Gees. This gave Wendel the ball once again, with less than two minutes left, and he led the garnet and grey down the field to hand off the game-winning touchdown to Tommy on the two-yard line.

In a game that had 19 total punts, eight turnovers, and its fair share of short passes and runs that didn’t gain much more than a handful of yards, it’s surprising this game came to such an exhilarating finish.

With the win, Wendel became the leading passer in the country after tallying 401 yards. He was also the leading rusher in the game with 104 yards, and his three passing touchdowns were good enough to also make him the highest scoring quarterback in the country. The young quarterback is now ranked in Canada’s top 10 at every single statistical category and well on his way to a fantastic season.

The Gee-Gees as a whole are now going to be heavily considered for a top 10 ranking in the country after beating the ninth-ranked Gaels and receiving 12 votes last week.

Momentum for the rest of the season is heavily picking up, and the future may have home field advantage in the playoffs on the horizon. The team will be back home at Gee-Gees Field on Saturday, Sept. 13 to take on the eighth-ranked Guelph Gryphons at 1 p.m.