The York University Lions football team hit the road for a crucial matchup against the McMaster Marauders on a sunny Saturday afternoon in Hamilton. With a playoff spot on the line, the final game of the regular season carried significant weight. York needed a victory and a Carleton Ravens loss or a victory plus a win from Carleton and a loss by Ottawa to secure their first postseason berth in 20 years.
McMaster set the tone early with a touchdown on their second drive – a 44-yard reception from Aiden Nemeth – giving the Marauders a 7-0 lead. York's offense went 2-and-out on their next drive, and McMaster added a field goal courtesy of Michael Horvat, extending their advantage to 10-0 by the end of the first quarter.
Eleven minutes into the second quarter, York found their rhythm. Quarterback Shawn Lal executed a smooth drive, capping it off with a touchdown pass to Avery Ford, his fourth of the season. Tucker Almert followed with a successful PAT, narrowing McMaster's lead to 10-7.
Both teams showcased strong defensive performances, shutting down multiple drives. With two minutes left in the half, Yvenson Saintus came up with a crucial interception, returning the ball 15 yards and sparking a York drive. Lal then connected with Melchis Ilunga for a 25-yard gain on a screen pass, pushing York deep into McMaster territory, but a sack on the next play forced York to punt two plays later. In the final seconds of the half, Ilunga had an explosive 30-yard run down to the Marauder 5-yard line, but the Lions decided to go for the touchdown, and were held out of the end zone, and they went into halftime still trailing 10-7.
York carried their late second-quarter energy into the third. Lal engineered another solid drive, which Ilunga capped off with a major to give York it's first lead of the day at 14-10 with 10 minutes left in the quarter.
McMaster, however, responded swiftly. After a tough battle in the red zone, the Marauders capitalized on two questionable pass interferance calls and reclaimed the lead at 17-14.
The Marauders extended their lead early in the fourth with a field goal from Horvat, making it 20-14. After the Lions again failed to score, Horvat added a rouge point on a missed field goal with four minutes left after a nine-play drive, bringing the score to 21-14 in favour of the hosts.
With just two minutes remaining, Horvat nailed another field goal, extending McMaster's lead to 24-14. York, however, refused to back down. Lal launched a deep ball to Ford, who made an incredible catch and raced into the end zone for a touchdown, bringing York within three points at 24-21 with just 1:17 left on the clock. The Lions failed to recover the onside kick, but on the first play following the recovery, Hall threw a pass that was tipped in the air and picked off by Raekwon Lewis-Gibbs, giving the Lions the ball at their own 50-yard line, needing three points to tie and a touchdown to win and, by virtue of Carleton's loss, earn their first playoff berth in two decades.
However, Lal's first-down pass was incomplete over the middle to Avontae McKoy. That was followed by a nine-yard sack, giving the Lions a 3rd and 19 to save their season, and Lal's pass was intercepted by Josh Cumber, ending the Lions valiant push for the postseason.
LOOKING AHEAD:
After what was a season full of positive strides in year one of the Dexter Janke era, the Lions look ahead to what should be another positive step forward in 2025. While the Lions lose eight players to graduation, all but one transfer from the CJFL – Kyle Huish – is eligible to return next season.
