Box Score A strong second half would lift the visiting Queen’s Gaels to a 13-6 victory over the Varsity Blues on Friday, September 30 at Varsity Centre.

With the loss, the Blues drop to 2-3, while the Gaels improve to 3-2 on the season. 

Fourth-year linebacker Wilkerson DeSouza of Mississauga, Ont., continued to lead Toronto’s defence with eight solo tackles and one fumble recovery. 

Blues quarterback and Toronto native Andrew Gillis was 21-of-45 for a season-high 277 yards.  Third-year receiver Paul de Pass led all players with four catches for 98 yards, while sophomore Alex Pierzchalski also had a solid performance with 88 yards in the loss.

A torrential downpour in the first half would see three fumbles and 558 punting yards between the two squads.  Toronto managed to move the ball considerably well, despite the weather, with Gillis was throwing for 165 yards, compared to Queen’s offence, which struggled with only 16 yards in the air.

The game remained scoreless for the first 27 minutes of action until Gillis connected on a 54-yard strike to de Pass.  That set up an eight-yard Andrew Lomasney field goal as the Blues walked off at halftime with a narrow 3-0 lead.

Lomasney would add his second field goal, this time from 19 yards, on Toronto’s second series of the second half to give Blues a 6-0 advantage.

Queen’s finally got on the board midway through the third when Aprile Giovanni blocked Willie Sharpe’s punt and defensive back Boris Isakov (Toronto)recovered it and ran 18 yards for the major.  Veteran kicker Dan Village added an 18-yard field goal on their last drive of the quarter to give the Gaels a 10-6 lead heading into the final frame.

Village notched a 13-year field goal, his second of the game, early in the fourth to extend the the lead to seven.

With just over two minutes remaining in the game, the Blues made a late charged and found themselves deep in Gaels territory thanks to 10- and 30-yard receptions by Pierzchalski.  On second down and long, veteran receiver Michael Prempeh’s eight-yard catch would place U of T on the Gaels three-yard line. However, on the very next play, sophomore linebacker Sam Sabourin would come up big for Queen’s, recovering a Gillis fumble to seal the win.

The Varsity Blues return to action next Thursday, October 6 when they head to Hamilton, Ont., to take on the McMaster Marauders.  Kick-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

GAME NOTES:

U of T honoured OUA quarterback greats, Toronto’s Dan Feraday (1976-78, 1980-81) and Queen’s Tom Denison (2001-03), in a special halftime ceremony as apart of the Hall of Fame game…Toronto Mayor Rob Ford was at the game and performed the coin toss as well as the ceremonial kick-off.



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