Defeated: The Lions sing the blues

Beautiful weather provided an electric atmosphere at York Stadium for the 44th edition of the Red and Blue Bowl, but a strong showing from the University of Toronto Varsity Blues proved too much for the Lions to handle, as the Blues reclaimed the Argo Cup with a 56-35 victory.
The loss gives York a record of 2-5 this season and officially eliminates them from the Ontario University Association playoff race. It’s a bitter end to a season that started with such high hopes, but Lions’ head coach Warren Craney says his team must stay the course.
“It’s all about recruitment, and we have already signed two very good football players for next year. Basically we just have to maintain the plan. We came in with a plan and we have to follow it. The one thing we have noticed is that we just don’t have the depth.”
From the opening whistle, York’s defence struggled to defend against U of T’s quick pass- ing game, but timely stops kept the driving Blues off the scoreboard early. Neither offence found the end zone in the first frame. However a 38-yard interception return for a touchdown by defensive back Samir Boulazreg pulled the Lions ahead 7-2 mid-way through the first quarter.
York would continue to add to their lead early on in the second quarter, with Errol Brooks capping off a long drive with a one-yard touchdown plunge to increase their lead to 14-2. At this point in the game both teams

had been trading massive hits and big plays, but a total mental breakdown at the end of the second quarter would mark the the end of any hope for a Lions’ win.
A 28-yard touchdown catch by U of T wide receiver Paul de Pass would jumpstart the Blues’ massive second-quarter surge, diminishing the Lions’ lead to just 14-9. The Lions’ woes continued as a blocked punt was then turned into another three points for the Blues.
However, it was really the final two minutes of the first half that decided York’s fate. With a slim 14-12 lead, the Blues managed to shock the Lions with three quick touchdowns, giving them a comfortable 34-14 lead going into the break.

“It fell off the rails in the second quarter like nothing I have ever seen before” Craney says.

The downhill slide began with a U of T fake punt that went down the sidelines for a first down, eventually leading to a one-yard touchdown dive by backup quarterback Marcus Hobbs. On the ensuing kickoff, the Blues surprised York by pulling off a rare onside kick.

They then wasted no time turning their onside kick into points, as Simon Nassar found de

Pass once again for a 29-yard touch- down pass, putting the Blues ahead 27-14. In an attempt to stop the bleeding, York strung together a few plays and managed to get into field goal range with a couple seconds left on the clock, but instead of kicking the field goal, the Lions decided to try some trickery of their own. Kicker Nick Naylor dropped back to try and find an open receiver, but U of T defender Christopher Johnson stepped in front of his wayward pass, taking the ball back for an 88-yard interception return, capping off a 32-point second quarter for the Blues.
As much as they tried, the Lions could not overcome their second-quarter lapse in the last 30 minutes. Before the Lions could even respond, the Blues drove down the field on their first possession of the second half, finishing it off with Nassar throwing his third touchdown pass of the game to increase their lead to 41-14.
In a valiant effort the Lions fought to the very end, at one point pulling within two touchdowns of the Blues. Myles Gibbon threw two touchdown passes in the final quarters, while Connor Anderson added a 14-yard touchdown run

to the total, but York just could not stop the Blues all night, leading to a 56-35 defeat.

“Sum it up with undisciplined play,” says Craney. “A lot of selfish play from some of our veterans, and when I mean selfish, some of those penalties like offsides — it’s a lack of discipline and a lack of focus.”

“I thought our offence fought back hard in the second half, and defensively, I thought we did what we had to do in the first half, but then they caught us on a good one in the third quarter,” he adds. “It’s unfortunate that it took that long for our offence to get rolling, but I look up at the scoreboard, and I don’t think the Blues are the better team.” York will take on the top-ranked Western Mustangs in their final regular season contest at the TD Waterhouse Stadium. Then Craney and the Lions will turn their sights towards next season, and finding a way to bring the Argo Cup back home, “We hit a little bit of a speed bump this year, but we just have to keep recruiting. We have a lot of talent but in terms of filling up a 47-man roster, we just need to get better.”
Ryan McCabe
Sports Editor