The championship window has shut on the McMaster Marauders' first Vanier Cup-winning generation.
Behind 2011 winners like Joey Cupido, Steven Ventresca, Marshall Ferguson and Chris Pezzetta, the 2014 Marauder football program shoehorned their way into the Vanier Cup. There are handfuls of other players that contributed to the run, but these players were the leaders.
The 2014 Vanier Cup featured only one lead change after the 0-0 score was broken, and that change would prove to be the fatal one. McMaster lost 20-19 after a 13-yard field goal from Montreal’s Louis-Philippe Simoneau gave the Carabins the lead.
McMaster used a drive with three minutes left to march down and set Tyler Crapigna up for a 31-yard field goal attempt. Montreal’s Mathieu Girard broke through to block the kick and ended Mac’s chances to win their second Vanier Cup in school history.
Now, that play will probably be discussed to no end. McMaster had the ball with only half a yard to go, and Mac had already pushed the ball for a first down in two situations prior. The percent of kicks that get blocked at that distance is just above zero. If Mac makes the kick, they lead 22-20 and the Carabins have to move the ball down the whole field with 58 seconds left. The Marauders have one of the best passing defences in the country, so it is a gamble that made sense.
The counter-argument is that Mac moves the ball, gets the first down and runs the clock down. Maybe they score a touchdown; maybe they get a field goal but they likely end up with a lead and Montreal has even less time, if any. There is a possibility they don’t the first down, and Mac is in the same spot as if they have their kick blocked. There’s no definitive answer to that situation, but it is important to at least hear the logic.
And let’s not act like Montreal wasn’t a better team. In front of 22,649 fans – mostly Carabins supporters – they weathered a lackluster first half and took advantage of good field position. On the Carabins' game-winning drive, they were given a short field after Mac conceded a no-yards penalty on the punt return. Converting on the short field against Mac isn’t easy though, and Montreal set up a tee-shot for the win.
McMaster has made three Vanier Cup trips in four years, a respectable and significant mark. For the players, that does not mean anything, at least not right now. In the locker room, there was just red eyes and silence. The only breaks in the quiet were some murmurs and the sound of pats on the back as players and coaches embraced.
This group was not supposed to be here. Head coach Stefan Ptaszek said that his group isn’t as physically talented as the teams from 2011 or 2012, but they had more heart and toughness. You cannot cheat the football gods for this long, though. Without the ability to get the ball into the endzone, it is hard to win championships. Yet, McMaster came within a point of doing just that.
As this championship window closes, another may be opening. The team is deep and talented at skill positions, and the coaching staff has shown the ability to transition teams well. 2013 was a season littered with injuries to key pieces, a defensive co-ordinator change and they still made the playoffs. 2014 saw the insertion of a ton of young talent. Between Ptaszek, Jon Behie and Greg Knox, they make the pieces fit and any regression will be short lived.
That isn’t supposed to make this any easier – to lose on a blocked kick is rare and especially heartbreaking. But the McMaster Marauders looked adversity in the face and beat it time after time. For that, the Maroon family should raise their glass and cherish the ride.
Photo credit: Fraser Caldwell
McMaster knows the conference well, but not this opponent.
In the 2014 Vanier Cup, Mac will take on the Montreal Carabins, in Montreal. The Carabins, who compete in the RSEQ conference, have never played the Marauders. McMaster has played RSEQ powerhouse Laval in their two previous Vanier games.
The new opponent won’t bother Montreal, though. This whole scene is brand new for the program. It’s a storybook scenario for the Carabins: this is their first Vanier game and they get to play it at home in front of their fans. They topped Laval while neutering the Rouge et Or’s stud quarterback. Now, they can hop on a subway and hit up practice.
It won’t bother Mac, either. As offensive co-ordinator Jon Behie says, the team has been there before. But there are still inherent differences that come when you’re preparing for a non-OUA team.
“When you play out-of-conference, you don’t have a ton of context. You can’t really tell from film what you’re seeing,” said Behie. “When you see Western, and they just played Guelph and we have already played Guelph, there’s a measurable there for us.”
“We know the kids at Guelph – we recruited them too. We know Western’s personnel better. Instantly, you get better context. Now, we’re watching Montreal play Manitoba on film. There aren’t a ton of players that we know well and so we are trying to figure out who is stronger or weaker.”
Behie’s point offers great insight into the coaching struggle of a Vanier-bound team. Between Behie, head coach Ptaszek, defensive co-ordinator Greg Knox and a handful of other coaches, they are trying to figure out a number of different variables at once while also picking up on schemes that they do not typically see. Mac isn’t without their own personal struggles though – the team has only scored one offensive touchdown in their last two games.
“It’s tough because ultimately, the goal is to win the game, and we’ve won our games. Are we happy with where we’ve been the past two weeks? No, not at all,” said Behie. “I simply think we have to better. We have to do better than one touchdown, I know that and our guys know that.”
Make no mistake, the Marauders seem like a conservative offence because they are one. Behie says they do not want to turn the ball over or give the opposing team good field position because their defence has been playing so well.
“There’s some people who still have [our old play style] in their mind, where we aired it out like we did in 2011 and 2012,” said Behie. There were some deep shots taken in the Mitchell Bowl that hit the receiver but were not caught. Behie agrees that if those are caught then the conversation about the offence is different.
Regardless, this is the game plan right now: hold on to the ball, give the defenders rest and if you can’t score points, pin the opponent deep in their own territory. No one is saying it is the most inspiring brand of football to watch, but it is inarguably effective.
The question becomes how effective Marshall Ferguson and the rest of the offense will be against Montreal.
The front seven of the Carabins is among the best in the country. Mount Allison was given similar praise last week, but they had inflated stats because of an easy schedule. The Carabins have played seven games against ranked teams.qMontreal has sixth-round CFL pick Mathieu Girard on the defensive line, as well as two other players that Behie says will be CFL prospects. In seven games against ranked opponents, the Carabins have allowed 135.3 rushing yards per game. Five of those games came against teams who finished in the top ten for rushing yards per game.
Where they struggle is defending the pass. In seven games against ranked opponents, they allowed 302.5 yards through the air per game. Six of those seven games were against top ten passing offences, and Mac finished second in passing yards per game this season. If the Marauders can get their passing game figured out, they will be in great shape.
Montreal’s offence has come around too. It hasn’t been consistent to start the year, but they figured it out as the season went along.
29 points against Manitoba is an impressive mark, but they needed 421 passing yards to get there. That will be a problem for the Carabins, though. Mac’s passing defence is peaking at the most important part of the season and shutting down passing attacks. If the Carabins get in an early hole and have to pass, the Marauders will be playing with house money.
The offence doesn’t inspire confidence, but the defence – led by defensive backs Joey Cupido and Steven Ventresca, linebacker Nick Shorthill, as well as linemen Mark Mackie and Mike Kashak – is one of the most dominant groups to don the Maroon and Grey in any sport.
How this all comes together is the difference maker. Mac has not been consistent, but they look good now. This is different than the 2011 and 2012 Vanier Cup games: the Marauders control their own destiny. If McMaster weaves everything together – something more likely than not – the Vanier could be coming back to Hamilton for the second time in school history.
When the Marauders beat the Guelph Gryphons 20-15 on Nov. 15, they did more than win a trophy or earn a berth in the Mitchell Bowl. They solidified the McMaster football program’s place in history.
With the Yates Cup win, McMaster can rightfully say that they are the most consistent program of the new millennium. Since 2000, Mac has won seven Yates Cups in eight championship game appearances — three more than Western, the next closest program.
The team is undefeated in Yates Cup finals under head coach Stefan Ptaszek and has won three championships in the last four years. Achieving “dynasty” status in sports is incredibly difficult, yet here we are. And of all the squads to win a Yates, this one may have had the toughest road.
The team came into the season as relatively unknown given a less-than-stellar campaign the year before. Winning the OUA was a goal, not an expectation like in previous years, and that showed in the celebra- tion. The post-game scene was emotional chaos.
Players yelling, screaming about the win, finding family and loved ones to embrace and running toward the stage — it was an outpour of feelings. No one really had a direction; players darted between runs to the stage and the people calling their names.
As someone who has witnessed Yates Cup wins by the Marauders before, it was interesting to see the confusion. This group has a handful of players who have won the Yates before, and they still have players who won the 2011 Vanier Cup, too. But you couldn’t tell that anyone had been there before, because in a way, they never have.
Recent Marauder generations had dominated the competition, running through Yates Cup opponents with little regard for who lined up on the opposite side of the ball. Now though, the league talent has caught up and the Marauders were not as balanced.
This game encapsulated all of that. Mac’s passing game was non-existent: Marshall Ferguson (one of the 2011 Vanier Cup winners) completed 24-34 passing for only 191 yards, throwing three interceptions in the process.
The ground game was effective, but running back Chris Pezzetta could not get every first down. He tried, though. Pezzetta, who tore his ACL twice in the past two years, rumbled for 144 yards. Guelph, while under-manned due to injuries to Jazz Lindsey and A’Dre Fraser, put together good drives and stymied Mac’s attack. The only Maroon touchdown of the game came from defensive lineman Mike Kashak, picking off a James Roberts screen pass, stiff-arming the Guelph QB and running for 30 yards to put six on the board.
It was the defence that brought the Yates back to McMaster. Joey Cupido picked off the Gryphons twice in the game — once in Mac’s endzone — and has 14 interceptions in 14 career playoff games. The CIS does not know who the all-time leader in post-season interceptions is, but let’s just give it to Cupido.
It was a performance so good, there is little risk of time stretching the truth and exaggerating just how well Cupido played. A crucial break-up in the fourth quarter solidified his spot as the Yates Cup MVP.
As the players ran around in post-win delirium, it seems like they were running with a bit more freedom. There has been nothing convincing about this season and most of the games against real competition have been ugly affairs.
The season, up until now, left something to be desired because we had experienced the best teams in school history.
But all the talk about being a team that can make a run at the Vanier was validated when that Yates Cup was hoisted.
This new brand of football delivered a Yates and really, that is all that matters. This team is playing with house money, escaping the toughest conference in the country and looking like they still have another gear. The rest of the CIS is wide open too. Laval lost to Montreal in a 12-9 kicker’s duel. Mac’s opponent Mt. Allison made it through a transitioning AUS conference, playing few, if any, games against national contenders.
“It’s okay to be proud. It’s not okay to be satisfied,” said Ptaszek after the game. And watching that group celebrate while taking the group photo, banner and trophy in the centre of the team, you saw the pride. You didn’t see satisfaction. You talk to the players, and you hear that pride but you don’t hear satisfaction.
Players like Pezzetta, Ferguson, Cupido — you could see that they do not want to be a checkpoint on the 2014 Vanier Cup bracket.
They want to be there at the very end.
For the third time in four years, the McMaster Marauders will be playing for a Yates Cup after topping the Ottawa Gee-Gees 42-31.
The wet, windy, and near-freezing conditions set the stage for the Nov. 8 OUA semi-final game between McMaster and Ottawa, with the winner punching their ticket to the 107th Yates Cup.
These two teams previously met on Oct. 25th in Ottawa, where the Gee-Gees won 38-18, ending McMaster’s bid for a perfect 8-0 season.
The game started off slow, with both teams trading two-and-outs and McMaster turning the ball over twice. Ottawa’s strategy was apparent early on as QB Derek Wendel threw deep multiple times attempting to stretch McMaster’s secondary to keep the Marauders defence honest.
It was not until the middle of the second quarter that the deadlock was broken with a Marauders field goal by Tyler Crapigna.
This was the beginning of a second quarter spurt by Mac and was followed by a Steven Ventresca interception, a Danny Vandervoort touchdown, a rouge and a Declan Cross score to put McMaster up 18-0 near the half.
The game looked as if it was turning into a blowout until Gee-Gees quarterback Derek Wendel unleashed a 58-yard touchdown pass to receiver Ian Stewart. A pair of two late field goals from Ottawa kicker Lewis Ward narrowed the margin and brought the score to 18-13 McMaster at half.
The Gee-Gees took advantage of their option to defer to receive the second-half kickoff by ending their opening drive with a 32-yard touchdown pass. Wendel found receiver Tristan Bailey in the endzone to give Ottawa their first lead of the game, 20-18.
Related: Highlights from McMaster's victory over Ottawa
At this point, the atmosphere in Ron Joyce Stadium began to change and the momentum was slowly shifting in Ottawa’s favour, but McMaster remained composed.
While Ottawa’s strength clearly lay in their aerial as- sault, McMaster turned to their ground game to pound the opposing defence. The two- pronged Marauder rushing attack of Chris Pezzetta and Wayne Moore overwhelmed the Gee-Gees front seven drive after drive.
Pezzetta had 17 carries for 143 yards and a touchdown. Moore has similar numbers with 16 carries for 99 yards and a touchdown. The Marauders ground game racked up a dominating 7.5 yards per carry.
The clincher for Mac came at 6:57 in the fourth when Marshall Ferguson lobbed a perfectly placed pass to the middle of the endzone for a diving touchdown reception by receiver Josh Vandeweerd to put Mac up 35-28.
Late in the fourth quarter, after the Marauders defence forced a huge third-down stop on the Gee-Gees, running back Chris Pezzetta put the game on ice with a 5-yard touchdown run to secure McMaster’s 42-31 victory.
Up next for the Marauders is arguably the hottest team in the country, the Guelph Gryphons. Since their week one loss at the hands of McMaster, Guelph has won eight straight, and made quick work of the Western Mustangs last weekend, 51-26. Granted, Western was nursing a myriad of injuries at key skill positions. Guelph has been on a rampage.
The Gryphons present themselves as a worthy opponent and obstacle standing in front of McMaster’s potential OUA championship since 2011.
Mac made a terrific comeback to beat Guelph 34-27 in the first week, but Guelph led for majority of the game before giving up the lead and losing the game in overtime. The Marauders are well aware that this Gryphons team is one that will give them a run for their money.
Trying to predict the outcome based on the original meeting between these two teams would be a mistake. Both squads have changed and matured in different ways over the past two months and are aware that new looks and schemes will be shown by both squads in Saturday’s heavyweight tilt.
Guelph blitzed the Marauders early and often, stymying the Mac offence and forcing halftime adjustments. Since then, their defensive line has grown and the Gryphons believe they can get pressure without constant blitzing.
Treat this as a totally different game between two totally different teams from the ones seen in Week 1. Both teams
are playing well and coming in with identical records.
It remains to be seen whether Gryphon QB Jazz Lindsey will be able to suit up, after leaving the Western game with a shoulder injury that has nagged him all season, according to the Guelph Mercury.
Kickoff time for the 107th Yates Cup is set for 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 15 at Ron Joyce Stadium.
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The OUA regular season wrapped up on Saturday, Oct. 25 but the only real changes happened in the middle of table. McMaster’s football team lost to Ottawa 38-18, but the starters did not play in the second half and this game had no impact on the Marauders finish in the standings. Mac sealed home- field advantage through the playoffs in the previous week.
Now, the team has a quarterfinal bye before facing off against the lowest-remaining seed. Typically, quarterfinals are not worth watching because they usually end in blowouts. However, the developments of young players combined with injuries to major teams make this weekend intriguing.
The separation between these two is negligible. Ottawa took the nearly eight-hour trip to Windsor in early October and lost 39-29. This looks close on paper, but Ottawa clawed back at the end to make the score look better than it was. Using that game as a predictor for the outcome of this playoff game would be a mistake though, as Ottawa was forced to throw the ball because they faced a 24-1 deficit.
The quarterback for the Gee-Gees, Derek Wendel, is a third-year tosser capable of running the offence efficiently. He is essentially a replacement-level QB, which may be all Ottawa needs.
Their offence is built around running, and Ottawa sits at fifth in the country for rushing yards per game. The Lancers allow 167.9 rushing yards per game.
Windsor is an offence at the other end of the spectrum. Quarterback Austin Kennedy tied the record for most touchdown passes in an OUA career, and he’s fifth in the country for passing yards per game.
He also has the most passing attempts in the country, although other conferences still have a regular season game to play. The Gee-Gees middling pass defence (14th of 27 teams for passing yards allowed per game) cannot afford to concede any early points.
This will be a shoot-out, but if Ottawa gets in a hole early, Wendel will be leaned on heavily to move the ball. That could be too much for his first playoff game.
This is a weird one. Western hung 61 points on Laurier, and muzzled their offence until a 14-point fourth quarter. But the Mustangs have been rocked by injuries. Their secondary has seen significant hits, forcing the squad to play multiple defensive backs for the first time in their careers.
Laurier’s running back Dillon Campbell is the most talented player at his position in the OUA, if not the country. He could finish the season with the most rushing yards, playing against a handful of top-ten teams. Campbell averages 7.9 yards per rushing attempt. While Western’s run defence is still strong, Campbell rumbled for 111 rushes on 18 attempts.
Western’s star QB, Will Finch, will not play in this game after suffering a concussion in the final regular season game. This is his second concussion in a month, although Western originally described the first concussion as a “upper body injury” before calling it a “head injury.”
The injury means Stevenson Bone will line-up under centre. He played in the regular season match-up between these two teams, tossing three touchdowns for 285 yards. But his main responsibility will be to hand the ball off to running backs Garrett Sanvido and Yannick Harou. The Mustangs rushed for 431 yards against the Golden Hawks.
Western should win this one, but it could be high-scoring. Laurier’s quarterback James Fracas is young and needs to make quicker decisions with the ball, especially when scrambling.
His deficiencies were on full-display against McMaster, where he went 13-28 for 117 yards. If Fracas can make smart decisions and keep his offence on the field, there could be an upset brewing for the Mustangs.
Anyone who has had the pleasure of savouring ćevapi adorned with ajvar knows that good things come out of the Balkans. But for some time, a problem has been threatening the favourite sport of the southeastern European nations.
Soccer has always been plagued by organized fan violence, but it is in former Yugoslav nations like Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, and Albania that a bevy of right-wing nationalistic hooligans have been wreaking havoc.
If you’re any of the aforementioned nationalities, you’ll know about the 1990 riot that occurred at Zagreb’s Stadion Maksimir between not just the players of Dinamo Zagreb and Crvena Zvezda, but the thousands of Croatian and Serbian supporters there. Tensions had been rising to a boiling point, with Croatia electing a president favouring independence from the Yugoslavian communist state and the riot — which saw Dinamo’s Zvonomir Boban rise to the defence of a fan and kick a police officer in the chest — marked the turning point that saw Yugoslavia enter into a brutal war.
Being Croatian and a Dinamo Zagreb supporter myself, I’ve heard laudatory talk of Boban’s kick at family gatherings after everyone’s had a few shots of rakija. I never thought anything of it until recently when I’ve begun to grow increasingly disgusted with such nationalism. As I’m sure other Serbians, Bosnians, and Albanians raised in Canada by diaspora parents can attest to, they’ve been conditioned by their family to, if not hate, then dislike their former neighbour.
What happened at the match last week was avoidable and shouldn’t have happened. I had grimaced upon hearing that the two had been drawn in the same group, but having seen the Croatia-Serbia World Cup qualification matches go off without a hitch — with the exception of Josip Šimunić’s cynical clattering of Sulejmani — I was optimistic about the chances of these two nations sharing the same luck. UEFA, European soccer’s governing body, took no chances and allowed no away fans into the match held in Belgdrade. But all that did was create an even more toxic atmosphere in which flares were numerous and laser pointers where shone at Albanian players.
Near the end of the first half, a drone was flown over the field with a flag bearing the Greater Albania insignia. When it dipped towards the players, Serbia’s Stefan Mitrovic pulled down the flag, eager to restart play. He was subsequently rushed by several Albanian players who objected to his actions. From there, both benches erupted, and dozens of hardcore fans took to the field to throw chairs at the Albanian players and get punches in where they could.
One of the fans present on the field was Ivan Bogdanov, a Serbian member of Crvena Zvezda’s hooligan firm, the Deljie. Bogdanov is notorious for leading a massive riot in Serbia’s Euro qualification match against Italy in Genoa, and the question remains as to how such a volatile figure was allowed into the stadium let alone onto the pitch.
While the hooligans and even some of the stadium stewards were assaulting the Albanian players, most of the Serbian players gathered round the Albanians to shield them from the violence, and others like Serbian fullback Aleksander Kolarov voiced their displeasure directly to the fans who were infiltrating the field.
Despite how admirable the Serbian team’s reaction was, it should not have been needed. Allegations against Olif Rama, the Albanian prime minister’s brother, have surfaced, claiming that he controlled the drone. While nothing concrete has been established, whoever flew the drone should be ashamed of themselves. There is a place for political statements, and a soccer pitch is not one of them. The act was a rash one that endangered both sets of players and will ultimately lead to heavy fines being levied against both federations.
It is time for the Balkans to look inwards instead of finger-pointing any longer. While each nation romanticizes their past, all of their histories have been built on a dangerous brand of nationalism that is no longer needed and should be stifled at whatever cost. Although there was a heavy police presence at the match, the hooligans were able to take the field all too easily, which raises questions of corruption that may answer how Bogdanov got into the stadium.
My reaction toward the riot was similar to the one that Serbian midfielder Nemanja Matić had as he lingered on the field after both teams had disappeared down the tunnel — one of disbelief and disappointment at what had just happened. Ethnic tensions will probably always be there, but it’s the responsibility of the more levelheaded members of each Balkan country to take the moral high road and attempt to separate soccer from state feuds.
By: Jaycee Cruz
Since 2009, Mac and Western have split their rivalry pretty evenly, but on Oct. 4 the Marauders got the most recent victory in this heated rivalry, upsetting the Mustangs on the road in a 32-29 thriller.
Very few saw this upset coming.
Mac’s game plan going in wasn’t to be pass-heavy on offense but that’s the way the game went. Offensive coordinator and assistant coach Jon Behie remarked, “We thought we’d have to sling the ball around a little bit, but 52 times is a lot…but that’s the way the game flowed. We’re not looking at those stats mid-game. What we prepare on the sideline and what we call is based on how the game’s going.”
The Marauders offense didn’t feel like they had to prove anything to anybody going in and entered the Western game with an attitude of confidence despite having the underdog status.
Coach Behie commented that an important part of their game plan was to control the clock and time of possession.
“I think we controlled the time of possession against them. We won that battle and kept our defense in good spots for the most part. We told our quarterbacks to take as much time out of the play clock as they could, control what we could control on our specific side of the ball,” said Behie. By doing that successfully, Western was limited in points just enough to secure the McMaster victory while also keeping their perfect season intact.
With the victory moving McMaster from No. 4 to No. 3 in the country, Mac now has a bye week and two regular season games left against Laurier and Ottawa.
“The main thing for the players is to rest up and get as healthy as we can for the home stretch. We are practicing three times this week and focusing more on self-reflection on who we are and what we can do better rather than worrying about an opponent,” said Behie.
“It’s a great time to have a bye on Thanksgiving because we can send our players home to their families where they can spend some quality time with their loved ones at home and come back refreshed, ready to get after this stretch run of two regular season games and then they count.”
The timing of the bye week could not have been any better as the No.3 McMaster Marauders head into the weekend with a 6-0 record and plenty to be thankful for. The coaching staff hopes this week of team self-reflection and self-examination will iron out any kinks that need to be polished and refined before Mac makes their run at the Yates Cup.
The McMaster Marauders traveled to Western University last Saturday to take on the Mustangs. The match showcased a clash of the two remaining undefeated teams in the OUA, ranking third (Western) and fourth (McMaster) in the CIS.
The first half featured a see-saw affair. Western jumped out to an 11-5 lead after the first quarter, but McMaster scored a touchdown and a field goal in the second to narrow the gap. Western led 17-15 by halftime.
McMaster's second quarter field goal was the 78th of kicker Tyler Crapigna's career, breaking the OUA record for most career field goals. The previous record of 77 was held by now Winnipeg Blue Bomber Lirim Hajrullahu. Crapigna added another tally in the fourth quarter to set the new record at 79.
Western stretched their lead to seven points before Marauders quarterback Marshall Ferguson found wide receiver Declan Cross for a two-yard touchdown pass. The Mustangs regained their lead early in the fourth quarter with a touchdown by wide receiver Shaquille Johnson and carried a four-point advantage into the final three minutes of the game.
Disaster struck for Western late in the fourth. Marauders defensive back Zachary Ismael picked off an errant pass from Western quarterback Will Finch, thus handing possession back to McMaster. The ensuing drive saw Ferguson systematically march the Marauders' offense down the field, capped off by a last-minute touchdown to wide receiver Max Cameron to secure the win.
The victory pushes McMaster's record to 6-0 on the year, whereas Western drops to 4-1. Ferguson collected 351 yards, tossing for three touchdowns. Running back Wayne Moore picked up 55 rushing yards and Cameron caught for 97 yards including the game-winning touchdown.
If McMaster can win-out the season - and with games against Laurier and Ottawa, that is a real possibility - Mac should be poised for a run through the playoffs while Western and Guelph may meet in semi-final action.
McMaster football is 5-0 heading into a match-up with No. 3 ranked Western Mustangs. These are the glory days for the Marauder program, where student and alumni have come to expect the team to be in contention for the Yate Cup year in and year out.
These are the glory days, so enjoy them while you can, because it is not built to last.
It is no fault of Mac’s, nor are they alone in their fate. The CIS football scene has become a financial arms race, and only a handful of schools have the firepower to be successful long-term. Laval is the poster program for their privately funded program has upended conventional athletic department spending, but their success has not gone unnoticed. Carleton is right there with them, building a program off the wallet of keen alumni and local fans. Guelph has Stu Lang serving as their head coach and, more importantly, the person signing the majority of cheques that fund the program.
The athletic department knows this, and that is why the 13th man program was launched. The call for collective financial support in the neighbourhood of $200,000 – the number given in the initial release of the campaign – has not been answered. Former athletic director Jeff Giles told the Hamilton Spectator in June that the program is off to a sluggish start.
Other, much less successful programs are already feeling that squeeze. Canada Football Chat, a site dedicated to coverage of the amateur Canadian football scene, reported that three independent sources informed them there is a “strong chance the Waterloo football program will be folding after the 2014 season.” Waterloo athletic director Roly Webster denied the report, but did say “if we can’t justify our investment, I’d say (folding a team) is absolutely a consideration. I’d be lying if I said it’s not.”
The cost to justify investment is increasingly rising, depending on your justification. For Waterloo, a team that is 0-5 with 275 points against and only 21 points for, they may define success by making OUA playoffs. At McMaster, a different standard has been set.
The Marauders are in the race for the Yates with eyes on the Vanier, or the fan base becomes indifferent. Look at last season, where stands were empty after a less-than-stellar start to the season.
CIS football has been a league of haves and have-nots for a long time. As the price competing trends towards million dollar budgets, the list of haves is going the shrink. McMaster is one of the teams who could be switching sides, along with many other perennial powers like Laurier and Queen’s.
Solutions are bleak, too. The CIS could mandate some kind of spending cap, but that would require policing and resources that the governing body does not have. Many CIS infractions are actually self-disclosed, not a independent discovery from the CIS. Queen’s football academic ineligibility, Calgary’s academic ineligibility, Dalhousie’s men’s rugby hazing investigation, Saskatchewan’s doping violation and McGill’s running back domestic violence case were all issues in the month of September. All of them were self-disclosed.
Do not expect Mac to reach the lows of programs like Toronto, York or Waterloo. The coaching staff is too talented for that to happen, and there are only so many roster spots on those other rich programs. But a regression is in the cards unless alumni and corporate sponsors are willing to take out theirs.
The football team remains undefeated in a 28-19 win over Queen’s in front of a sellout crowd. Quarterback Marshall Ferguson spread the ball to eight different receivers to toss 376 total yards with two touchdowns. Chris Pezzetta also tallied a solid 154 yards rushing. Kicker Tyler Crapigna hit a 41-yarder to give him 76 all-time, and is just one below the record set by Western’s Lirim Hajrullahu for OUA’s all-time career leader in field goals. Sherbrooke’s William Dion holds the CIS record with 82 career field goals. The Marauders travel next to Western in a battle of undefeated teams.
Both men’s and women’s soccer went to Guelph. The men suffered their first loss on Saturday in a 2-1 effort as Mark Reilly scored his team-leading sixth goal of the season with the hope of a comeback in the 77th minute. Sunday’s game at McMaster fared much better in a 3-1 victory over Waterloo with a convincing second half with goals at the 65th, 79th, and 80th minute marks. They slip to third with a 6-1-2 record in the West OUA division.
The women lost the lead late in a 1-1 draw with midfielder Maureen Mai having an unrelenting offensive attack with the team’s lone goal, and five shots with three of those on target. A 74th-minute strike by Guelph resulted in the draw. The return back to McMaster did not fare better as the team was not able to complete the comeback, losing 4-3 to Waterloo. An explosive start to the second half to put Waterloo up 4-1 was nearly nullified with two late-game goals, but it was too little, too late. They slip to sixth with a 3-5-1 record, and travel with the men’s team to face Brock next.
Men’s rugby improved to 5-0 while handing Queen’s their first loss of the season in an 18-13 game. The team was able to respond quickly to offensive pressure in an extremely back-and-forth effort by both teams. With their 18 points, the Marauders surpassed the total of 17 that Queen’s had conceded through their first four games of the season. McMaster travels to face Brock next.
Women’s rugby gave up a 17-point lead to draw against Guelph 27-27. With McMaster captain Cindy Nelles in the penalty box, Guelph capitalized with two tries and one hit convert to make it 27-22. In the dying moments of the game, Guelph made the try, but the potentially game-winning convert hit the upright and bounced wide. The team faces Toronto next at McMaster’s Back Ten field.
