Queen’s dominant second half pushes them past Gee-Gees in a 45-27 semifinal showdown.
The Gee-Gees entered Richardson Stadium to face the toughest opponent the OUA had to offer this season. Queen’s holds first place in the OUA with a staggering 7-1 record, so it’s safe to say the Gee-Gees were the underdog heading into the semifinal matchup.
First Quarter
The Gaels started strong, as quarterback Alex Vreeken found wide-receiver Russel Weir on multiple occasions, pushing the ball down field. Queen’s quickly found themselves in a second-and-goal situation where Vreeken found wide-receiver Ben Falkowsky in the end zone for the first touchdown of the game.
Ottawa struck back on the following drive, with both wide-receiver Devaughn Blackwood and running back Souleymane Camara contributing big plays to get the Gee-Gees into field-goal range. Once there, veteran quarterback Josh Janssen found wide-receiver Tristan Gilbert-Thibeault with a beautiful pass to put the Gee-Gees on the board.
“Our coaching staff always does a great job building a scouting report on our opponent and finding their tendencies. We had a good feel for when Queen’s would be in certain coverages, and coach Marcel did a great job calling plays that put us at an advantage offensively,” said Janssen.
The following Gaels drive stalled out at their own 40-yard line, where the Gee-Gees special teams unit made their mark on the game. Gaels punter Matt Driver had his attempt smothered by an explosive rush from defensive back Matteo Dominique-Kech, who returned the ball for a touchdown.
With momentum on their side, the Gee-Gees went for an onside kick, though it was recovered by the Gaels.This granted Queen’s strong field position at the 50-yard line, where Vreeken capitalized, launching a pass on the run that wide-receiver Cedric Smith made a diving catch to tie the game at 14.
Second Quarter
Ottawa’s special teams unit continued to dominate, blocking yet another of Driver’s punts and giving Janssen the ball around Queen’s 20-yard line. Though the ensuing drive stalled, Zachary Copeland’s field-goal attempt was good, giving the Gee-Gees a 17-14 lead.
A strong punt return from the Gaels put them right back in scoring position. Vreeken eventually found Smith once again, who beat several defenders to find the endzone for his second touchdown of the game.
Janssen and his offense fought right back, as on the next drive he connected with wide-receiver Emyl Gregoire downfield for a huge gain, giving his squad possession at the Gaels 10-yard line. On the very next play, Janssen rolled out to his left and found LB Nassim Regragui in the end zone, an option the Gaels were completely unprepared for.
Ottawa’s defensive unit came up with a huge stop with time winding down in the half. Veteran defensive back Jaxxon Brashear found his way through the Gaels offensive line for a clutch sack that put an end to their drive.
In his final game for the squad, Brashear put on a show emblematic of his career as a Gee-Gee, leading both teams with 8 tackles. “I definitely had a “this could be my last game” mindset, I wanted to make sure I gave this team everything I had” said Brashear.
The half came to a close with a score of 24-21 to the Gee-Gees.
Third Quarter
The Gaels began to take control after the break. Though the Gee-Gee defense held strong at first, the Gaels managed a field-goal to tie the game at 24, and they weren’t done there.
A deep ball from Vreeken found Falkowsky, who made the catch through strong double coverage from the Gee-Gees. With possession at the goal line, running back Jayce Baldwin punched it in, giving the Gaels a 31-24 lead.
Ottawa fought hard to maintain the 1 score game, as Janssen connected with Blackwood to bring the Gee-Gees into field-goal range. Though the drive eventually stalled, Copeland’s kick brought the Gee-Gees to within 4.
Janssen praised his receiving core for their performances both during the game and throughout the season, noting that “The connection between a quarterback and his receivers is always crucial, I was very fortunate to have a dedicated receiving core that put in extra reps all year”.
Fourth Quarter
Despite the push from Ottawa, Queens would not be denied. Another successful drive from the Gaels ended in a rushing touchdown for backup quarterback Ashton St-Germain, whose quarterback “sneak” got the Gaels into the Gee-Gee end zone for a 38-27 lead.
With time winding down, Ottawa made their final push. A deep ball from Janssen nearly found and opened Gregoire downfield, but it was just out of reach. Despite the miss, Gregoire put together an incredible performance, grabbing 7 receptions for 135 yards.
When asked to comment on his performance, Gregoire stated, “We had a lot of confidence with our preparation and game plan coming into this game … finding that success was just about believing in our coaches and simply doing my job as a receiver, being in the right place at the right time and reading the defence during each play.”
The Gee-Gees’ drive came to a halt, and the Gaels took possession in their own half. A desperate Gee-Gee squad went for an all-out blitz in the final moments, looking to force a fumble. Baldwin took advantage of the lack of defenders in the secondary, weaving his way through the blitz and all the way down field for his second touchdown.
The game ended with a score of 45-27 for the Gaels.
Looking Ahead
In spite of the tough loss to end the season, the Gee-Gees had a strong 2026 campaign. Both a victory in the Panda game and a deep playoff run made for a great season.
Ending his career as one of the most successful quarterbacks in Gee-Gees history, Janssen reflected on his tenure, stating, “I’m very proud of how our group fought through adversity this year” going on to mention “I’ll forever be grateful for the memories and lessons I learned playing for UOttawa. Go Gee-Gees!”.
See you next year Gee-Gees!
