The York Lions football team will have to wait another week to celebrate its first win of the season, as they drop to 0-2 in the field-opening game at York Lions Stadium by a score of 30-17 to the Carleton Ravens.
The Ravens rode an early 30-0 lead to eventually holding off a late offensive charge by the
Noah Craney led Lions offense, resulting to Carleton's first win of the season coming in front of a huge York-friendly crowd.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Prior to the contest, fans, players, staff and media observed a moment of respect for Francis Perron, the Ottawa Gee-Gees football player who tragically passed away following the conclusion of his team's game last week against the Toronto Varsity Blues. Perron was 25.
- The Ravens got off the bus and opened the game on a good note with field goal from Brandon Forcier on their opening drive, followed by a touchdown when a Lions offensive mix-up led to a fumbled football and the Ravens taking the ball over on York's 32-yard line. Fifth-year quarterback Tanner DeJong, chasing down 4,000 career passing yards, entered the game flinging the football for the Ravens offence and giving the visitors from Carleton an early lead over York. DeJong found Glodin Mulali in the end zone for the touchdown, making the score 10-0.
- DeJong picked up where he left off in the second quarter, finding Keaton Bruggeling for his first touchdown of the season after a long drive starting at their own nine-yard line. The field goal from Forcier was good, giving the Ravens a 17-0 lead.
- With the score at 17-0 coming out of halftime, the Lions then mounted a better offensive performance in the second half, beating the Ravens on the scoreboard in second half points. But the Ravens added to their lead in the third quarter. The DeJong-Bruggeling connection would pay more dividends for Carleton – they linked up to make it 24-0, and then two more Forcier field goals later on made the lead 30.
- That's when the Ravens began their offensive output. Craney came up with back-to-back gems on a drive beginning at 8:07 of the fourth quarter. He began on Carleton's 51-yard line, fired a 10-yard pass to Retsen Daley, then bombed a 41-yard pass to the red zone for Jaxon Hume. Hume, a speedy multisport athlete who also competes on the Lions track squad, juked a defender and marched into the end zone for the Lions' second major of the year.
- The Ravens then got into some trouble defensively on the next York possession, taking a safety at 5:03 of the fourth. On the following Lions drive, the Ravens were assessed simultaneous 15-yard penalties, putting the Lions on Carleton's 48-yard line. From there, Craney drove the ball down to the Ravens goal line to put his team first-and-goal. Later in the sequence, Lions runningback Darnel Jarrett pulled off a highlight-reel touchdown via a leap over a mass of players on the goal line. It brought the Carleton lead down to 13, with the scoreboard reading 30-17. While the play was a notable one, it would stand as the last scoring play of the football game.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING
Head coach Warren Craney
On playing first game at York Lions Stadium… "It was absolutely incredible. Our kids were so excited, despite the horrible rain before the game. There was so much energy in the stadium. The school has done a really good job; from getting our turf close to the stands, to ensuring the turf installation has gone smoothly. It feels like a big-league experience."
On offensive production in the second half… "Our offensive coordinator was very patient in the first half. Carleton is a very good football team; they have a lot of athletes and they're fast.
Tommy Denison took what they gave him, but I think that also gave us the confidence to perform in the second half."
NOTABLE NUMBERS
- 1,194 Lions fans showed up for the opening Lions regular season event at York Lions Stadium.
- Noah Craney, York's quarterback for the duration of the game, went 16-for-27 with 168 passing yards and a 41-yard touchdown pass.
- Avontae McKoy and Darnell Jarrett led the way offensively for the Lions, with the rookie McKoy earning 28 yards over eight attempts, and Jarrett tallying 19 yards over six attempts with a one-yard TD run.
- Dante Mastrogiuseppe, who averaged 40.3 yards over 12 punts, also had a rushing play in which he recognized an opening up the middle and made a heads-up play to run the ball for 20 yards in the third quarter.
LOOKING AHEAD
It's a week off to get healthy for the Lions, then they return to the field on the road in Ottawa to face the Gee-Gees on Saturday, Oct. 9 at TD Place Stadium in the nation's capital. The game's opening kick will be 5 p.m., and the stream will be available for viewing on OUA.tv.
