Two games, two wins. So far, so good.
The McMaster football team opened their regular season with a 40-10 win over Canadian Interuniversity Sport no. 9 ranked Carleton, in front of a sellout crowd at Ron Joyce Stadium, most of whom were frosh students getting their first look at Marauder football. One week later, in a Labour day clash at Tim Hortons Field, Mac once again flexed their muscles in a dominating 32-5 victory over Toronto.
Mac’s balanced offence has looked impressive thus far. Quarterback Asher Hastings has shown no signs of rust, leading the way with over 300 yards per game and five touchdowns. Three of these touchdowns have gone to CIS first-team wide receiver Danny Vandervoort, who has registered over 100 yards receiving over the first two games of the season while making big-time plays (including a deep one-handed grab against Toronto) and making opposing defences helpless.
The excellent chemistry between the two has grown even more since the end of last season.
“We basically picked up where we started off,” Vandervoort said, after their victory over Carleton. “We had good chemistry at East-West [Bowl] too, we were actually roommates there. Hopefully it carries on for the rest of the season.
Chris Pezzetta – returning from an ACL injury that kept him out of the 2015 campaign – has balanced the offensive attack on the ground, rushing for over 100 yards against Toronto this past Monday behind a powerful offensive line.
Even after all these years (Pezzetta started in 2011, the same year McMaster won the Vanier), the team still relies on him to carry the load on his back.
“The o-line was big today, especially in the second half,” Pezzetta noted after the win on Monday. “They created holes and made my job a lot easier.”
Perhaps more impressivehas been the dominance of the Marauder defence. The defensive schemes created by Knox and co-defensive coordinators Joe Sardo and Mark Forsyth, have held teams to 54 rushing yards per game (2nd best in the OUA) and 15 points over two games (4th best).
“One thing that’s helped us has been playing with a lead, which allows us to be a little more conservative and make the offense move the ball in small chunks rather than over the top,” Knox said. “Probably our biggest success has been limiting explosion plays, which are really the only things that will hurt us. So [we are] making offenses work for everything they get.”
An improvement from the 2015 season has been the special teams, specifically the performance from first year kicker Adam Preocanin, who thus far has remained perfect in field goal attempts, tallying 15 and 20 points respectively in his first two games.
“He showed a great deal of poise for us for a young man,” Knox said. “He’s stepped up, vand right now we have a lot of confidence in him.”
McMaster hits the road this Saturday for the first time this season against the 1-0 Ottawa Gee-Gees. While only two games in, all signs point to optimism for a successful season, and for Mac fans, hopefully a deep playoff run in November.
It is the same unfortunate story as a year ago.
Last season, head coach Brett Mosen and the women’s soccer team had plenty of reasons to be optimistic. They had a healthy mix of talented veterans, along with some fresh recruits who could make an immediate impact while getting acclimatized to the more physical style of play in the OUA. But injuries quickly ravaged the roster and young players were forced to play big minutes. Experienced members of the team were moved into different positions in order to compensate for the lack of bodies.
Mosen was encouraged because of the team’s offseason progress in 2014, saying that the squad broke fitness test records and played well within the team’s style. His optimism was short-lived.
“Out 25 players on our roster, eight of our players are injured,” said Mosen.
Some of the injuries are significant losses to the squad. Marisa Bremner, an OUA first-team all-star in her rookie season, has suffered a serious injury to her ACL. Rookie central defender Taylor McIvor tore her ACL also and will not use a year of eligibility while she is in rehab.
Another player has a concussion; one has a possible serious injury in her foot. It is too early to call it a lost season, but with the concise schedule and back-to-back games, it is not looking to be a campaign to remember.
“We’re back to square one. We started off so excited about the season and the style of play that we were going to bring forward, but now we’re into a similar scenario as last year where we are asking ‘how can we steal results?’” said Mosen.
With two consecutive seasons marred by injuries, the coaching staff has begun to look into their own practice and recovery methods. There are a variety of factors in play about why McMaster has struggled to stay healthy.
“The easiest thing to criticize is turf, then cleats come into it, and I think we need to look at those things for sure. But we need to look at our strength and conditioning program too. Are we recovering the right way? Are we doing a good enough assessment on players come in individually?” said Mosen.
“I don’t think you can just point your finger at one specific thing. But it’s got everybody’s attention because this is the second year in a row that this is happening to us.”
Turf play has become a controversial issue as people question the safety of playing on the surfaces. A study of young female soccer players published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that there was “similar” risk of acute injury on both artificial turf and natural grass.
A 2010 study found more non-contact ACL injuries happen on turf than on natural grass, but did not account for variables like the type of cleats being worn.
The CIS soccer season is also relatively condensed: teams play 16 games over the span of Aug. 30 to Oct. 19. Eight of those games come in back-to-back scenarios.
And because of that short schedule, McMaster has no time to dwell on losses, both to the roster and in the standings. Another season could come and goes quietly if the team does not rally.
After week one, McMaster football is 1-0. It was not as methodical of a win as the team has seen the past few seasons – 26-2 over Queen’s in 2011, 50-9 over Guelph in 2012, 51-24 over Ottawa last year – but it showed the team’s holes while still getting a positive result over the Guelph Gryphons.
It’s worth mentioning that McMaster played Waterloo on Sept. 6 – the Marauders won, 66-0 – but given the weakness of the Warriors squad, the statistics in those games have very little significance when trying to draw any conclusions. 66 points and 650 yards look good on paper, but it is not indicative of future performance. In order to analyze the areas for improvement, it is better to stick to games against top talent.
From the Guelph game, Mac’s most glaring hole is a familiar one. First down production was not an area of strength last year, and the Marauders did not instill confidence through the opening half of the 2014 season either. At the half, Mac had 58 yards on 17 first down attempts, or 3.4 yards per play. The struggle put the Marauders in a 13-9 hole.
“In a perfect world, a first-down win for us is five or more yards [gained],” said Jon Behie, assistant head coach and offensive coordinator for the football program. “We weren’t overly pleased with how we did. We did not think it was as terrible as it seemed on the sideline – we were driving the ball a little bit but not consistently.
First down production improved in the second, and with that, Mac put together more point-lucrative drives. On 20 first-down plays, McMaster gained 104 yards on 20 plays, meaning 5.2 yards per play. (Or, a first-down win by the coaching staff’s definition.)
Mac outscored Guelph 18-14 in the second half, and won the game in overtime.
Guelph was piling more players on the defensive line – a stand-up seven-man front on many plays – something that McMaster had not game planned for. Mac’s half-time adjustments to the increased pocket pressure gave the team a second-half edge.
“The defence [Guelph] was playing was not what we prepped for. And that’s the problem with week one, you don’t know. You don’t have film to go off of, you’re relying on last year’s stuff and rumours. When they came up in the seven-man front, it was not where we spent a lot of our practice time in the past week,” said Behie.
To combat Guelph’s blitzing style, Mac moved towards bootleg passes, play-action throws, and quick passing attempts involving a few reads and finding the open receiver. That is evident in the play-by-play of the third quarter, where quarterback Marshall Ferguson completed passes to a variety of receivers for gains of 4, 7 (twice), 10, and 11 yards before stretching it out for a couple of 20+ yard plays later in the game.
Behie says the offence loves their quick passing game but do not expect the second half success they achieved against Guelph to last week after week. But there are so many weapons that even if teams scheme to take away some options, there will be players who can escape coverage.
If Mac can continue winning first downs – which will require an improved rushing game, a whole different beast in itself – then a deep playoff run should be well within reach for the No. 5 CIS-ranked team.
After being rained out of their first game of the season, the Marauders women’s rugby team is still looking for their opportunity to show off the hard work they have been putting in over the summer.
In their first game against Trent University, they got to play for 21 minutes before the first strike of lightning hit.
The Marauders were up on Trent with a score of 24-3, scoring four tries in the first 20 minutes.
Although the OUA is still determining the final result of this game, the Marauders proved their dominant skill early on in the match.
Their success in their first showing of the season resulted from the hard work the Marauders put into training camp the week before, and the emphasis they have put on their fitness training throughout the winter.
“Our players from the end of last season to this year completely dedicated themselves through strength and conditioning, their prep coming into this season was phenomenal,” said Allen.
“We keep the historical fitness testing standards, and we had a bunch of records broken this year in camp, so the biggest improvement of the team is the bulk of the team has gotten a year older, a year stronger, and a year fitter, and they played some good rugby,” added Allen.
Over the summer, four players represented the senior women’s provincial team, four players represented the Canadian U-20 team, three players represented the Olympic Games U-18 national team, and Captain Cindy Nelles went to the World Cup as a replacement player.
Along with all of the hard work the other players have been putting in to their training, the Marauders have a very skilled and determined roster this year. It is also one of the biggest rosters in the OUA, made up of 37 players.
“Everyone that was invited to that training camp is still on our roster so we haven’t really made cuts at this point. There are some girls that are much more developmental. They won’t play in the OUA this year,” said Allen.
The final roster that Allen will be submitting to the OUA will have 34 athletes.
Allen himself is new to the team, having taken helm of the program in January 2014.
The rookies on the team are also making a swift transition into their first year, creating bonds with one another that were established during training camp.
“The camaraderie amongst our team is fantastic. Our upper year players have been very open to all of the first year players; it’s been very good over the last couple of weeks because we’ve been training so much and the girls have been around each other so much, so they’ve started to create those bonds,” said Allen.
The large contingent of first years has the Marauders excited for the future of the team, as the majority of them will not be competing, but rather working over the year to make the starting line-up in upcoming seasons.
With such a big roster, Allen has some decisions to make on who he will be bringing to each away game.
“We have quite a few first years this year, so when they improve their strength and conditioning they can come in next year or the year after,” said Allen.
For each game, the Marauders will be selecting 22 athletes, made up of 15 starters and seven subs.
The team will continue to train hard throughout the next week before they take on the No. 1 OUA ranked team, the Queen’s Gaels at the Back Ten Field this Sunday, Sept. 14.
The kick off will be at 1 p.m.
After week one, McMaster football is 1-0. It was not as methodical of a win as the team has seen the past few seasons - 26-2 over Queen’s in 2011, 50-9 over Guelph in 2012, 51-24 over Ottawa last year – but it showed the team’s holes while still getting a positive result over the Guelph Gryphons.
Mac’s most glaring hole is a familiar one. First down-production was not an area of strength last year, and the Marauders did not instill confidence through the opening half of the 2014 season either. At the half, Mac had 58 yards on 17 first down attempts, or 3.4 yards per play. The struggle put the Marauders in a 13-9 hole.
“In a perfect world, a first-down win for us is five or more yards [gained],” said Jon Behie, assistant head coach and offensive coordinator for the football program. “We weren’t overly pleased with how we did. We did not think it was as terrible as it seemed on the sideline - we were driving the ball a little bit but not consistently.”
First down production improved in the second, and with that, Mac put together more point-lucrative drives. On 20 first-down plays, McMaster gained 104 yards on 20 plays, meaning 5.2 yards per play. (Or, a first-down win by the coaching staff’s definition.)
Mac would outscore Guelph 18-14 in the second half, and win the game in overtime.
Guelph was piling more players on the defensive line - a stand-up seven-man front on many plays - something that McMaster had not game planned for. Mac’s half-time adjustments to the increased pocket pressure gave the team a second-half edge.
“The defence [Guelph] was playing was not what we prepped for. And that’s the problem with week one, you don’t know. You don’t have film to go off of, you’re relying on last year’s stuff and rumours. When they came up in the seven-man front, it was not where we spent a lot of our practice time in the past week,” said Behie.
To combat Guelph’s blitzing style, Mac moved towards bootleg passes, play-action throws and quick passing attempts involving a few reads and finding the open receiver. That is evident in the play-by-play of the third quarter, where quarterback Marshall Ferguson completed passes to a variety of receivers for gains of 4, 7 (twice), 10 and 11 yards before stretching it out for a couple of 20+ yard plays later in the game.
Behie says the offence loves their quick passing game but do not expect the second half success they achieved against Guelph to last week after week. There are so many weapons, though, that even if teams scheme to take away some options, there will be players who can escape coverage.
If Mac can continue winning first downs - which will require an improved rushing game, a whole different beast in itself - then a deep playoff run should be well within reach for the No. 5 CIS-ranked team.
“GLEN GRUNWALD?!” is the exact text I received from a handful of people when they heard the news.
Initially reported by Ted Michaels at CHML 900 and Scott Radley at The Hamilton Spectator, Glen Grunwald, former Toronto Raptors and New York Knicks general manager, will be McMaster University’s new Athletic Director. The University made the announcement official on Thursday morning.
In terms of newsworthiness, this story trumps any CIS announcement in recent memory. Grunwald was working for one of the largest sports brands in the world in the Knicks at the start of the previous school year, but come September he’ll be in an office at the David Braley Athletic Centre.
A former NBA front office executive’s mere acknowledgment of the CIS’s existence is a good thing, but for him to take helm of a program elevates the story. People who would otherwise never care about the hiring of an athletic director are paying attention.
But it will be interesting to hear about why Grunwald took the job and, although it will be littered with corporate buzzwords, the details of his role could offer insight into the future of the role of athletic directors in Canadian university athletics. Grunwald has no immediately known affiliation with the CIS prior to the hire – he attended Indiana University for his undergrad and MBA, while going to Northwestern for law school. He then became a Canadian citizen in 1999, five years after he was brought on to work for the Raptors. Grunwald was previously on the Board of Directors at Canada Basketball.
The person who used to hold the role, Jeff Giles, told the Spectator that the majority of his work was to secure funding – either from corporate partners or out of the pockets of alumni.
Putting someone with a recognizable name in charge could help do that, and Mac could use the money. The 13th man campaign launched by the athletic department has not gotten the cash influx that was required, and the school will need to lock down more money if it wants to maintain its status as one of the strongest athletic programs in the country.
It is easy to see the name and, as McMaster students and alumni, pat ourselves on the back for being apart of the headline-grabbing move, but until we hear some tangible and concrete plans, I would refrain from popping bottles in the name of Grunwald. There’s still a ton of work to be done before we know if the splashy hire will bear any championship-winning fruit.
There is no reason to be anything but optimistic about the move. It is a big name coming to an already strong department, and members of the McMaster community should be thrilled with the choice. This will raise the program up, but the question is: how high?
Tyler Crapigna, Aram Eisho and Kevin Malcolm have been selected in the fifth and seventh rounds respectively, and for Assistant Coach Jon Behie, these selections are well-deserved.
“It’s certainly not a shock that any of those guys got selected,” said Behie.
The highest-scouted CFL prospect of the three was Tyler Crapigna, who was selected 40th overall by the Calgary Stampeders.
His success and drafting eligibility is something that the coaches saw coming early on in his collegiate career.
“Tyler was one of the highest-scouted recruits as a kicker that we’ve ever brought in, and he certainly lived up to that billing” said Behie.
“We had assumed throughout his career that he would be selected for the CFL draft at some point.”
Behie notes Crapigna’s ability to keep calm under pressure as a valuable asset that he is carrying with him in to the draft.
This quality of his was on full display in the 2011 Vanier Cup Championship final when his dramatic final kick is ultimately what got them to win the Cup.
“He missed that first (kick) in regulation, and then bounced back and kicked the winner probably 15 minutes later, that’s a good attribute for a kicker is a short memory and he’s got that.”
Crapigna’s potential was recognized by the coaching staff years ago, and his preparation, skill and experience in high-pressured situations are an added bonus for him in the draft.
“He’s been preparing for this for a long time and he’s definitely ready,” added Behie.
Aram Eisho, on the other hand, was picked 56th overall in the final round by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Eisho, who was named to the Marauders roster for three years, brings both accolades and lots of energy to the 2014 draft.
“He’s very, very accomplished,” said Behie.
Eisho was a standout linebacker in high school, and was the CJFL defensive player of the year for three years in a row.
More recently he was named the OUA defensive player of the year and President’s trophy recipient in 2012.
“He’s a straight-up gamer, and a guy that’s going to bring a lot of energy to the next level , and his enthusiasm for the game is definitely on display anytime he steps onto the field,” said Behie.
The Marauders have benefitted from Eisho’s competitive drive and enthusiasm in their consecutive Vanier Cup final runs, and his heart and passion for the game of football is something that will not go unnoticed by the Blue Bombers coaching staff.
Lastly, offensive lineman Kevin Malcolm was the final player chosen in the draft, selected 65th overall by the Ottawa Redblacks.
“Kevin does one of the hardest things to do, and that’s throw a football between your legs while upside down, fifteen yards, and he does it very, very, very well,” said Behie.
Malcolm has never missed a snap in his four seasons as a Marauder, which is something that the Ottawa Redblacks have recognized and appreciate.
“It’s such a valuable thing, and some teams may take it for granted,” said Behie.
“But I’m glad Ottawa saw that and understands that it is a difficult thing, and that (Kevin) could have a great career just snapping a football,” added Behie.
Over the last two years, the Marauders have been able to produce eight CFL prospects, with last year’s draft consisting of Matt Sewell, Ben D’Aguilar, Mike DiCroce, Spencer Moore and Michael Daly.
Behie credits the athletes for their dedication and hard work that they have put in that has led to their recognition from the CFL.
“It’s safe to say that they might have been in this position, and probably would have been in this position no matter what school they chose, and that’s because they’re extremely talented football players and great guys,” said Behie.
The players have also been able to maximize their potential through the renowned facilities and programs that McMaster has in place.
“We offer opportunity through our systems that we run and through our schemes to prepare them mentally for the next level, and the way we structure our strength and conditioning and the facilities that we have to offer are all considered world-class, and that certainly contributes to them reaching their potential as well” added Behie.
The ability of the Marauders coaching staff to recruit these accomplished and talented athletes also does not go unnoticed, as the coaches showing an interest in these players has given them both confidence and interest to come to McMaster in the first place and to work hard to make the roster.
Once they make the roster, the rest is up to them.
For Crapigna, Eisho and Malcolm, the hardest part of the draft is underway.
They are currently trying out for their respective teams and need to make an impression early.
Although they will have to work extremely hard at try-outs to prove themselves and to stand-out as players and people, Assistant Coach Behie has all the faith in the world for his athletes.
“They just have to keep doing what they’ve been doing. They’ve gotten to this point through hard work and perseverance and dedication to the game of football, so if they just keep going with that, they’re going to be just fine, because all three are extremely talented young guys.”
Those looking to catch a basketball or volleyball game in Burridge Gymnasium this year could be in for a shock as they try to walk through the doors.
For the past three years, McMaster students who wore maroon and presented their student card were given free admittance to basketball or volleyball games. The no-cost event was part of the Athletics and Recreation department’s Colour Your Passion campaign.
But as the department puts down the crayons and launches The McMaster Way initiative, the free admittance is falling to the wayside and students will now be charged $5. Parrish Offer, manager of Athletic and Recreation’s marketing, says that this fee is about much more than trying to bolster revenue figures.
“The thought process behind this is that we had devalued our tickets. For our students, the value of our tickets was zero and it didn’t feel like we were putting on a valuable show,” said Offer.
The athletic director, Jeff Giles, associate director, Mark Alfano, and Offer collectively made the decision over the summer. The free admittance did not drastically impact attendance figures, as the three years saw virtually no increase, according to the athletic department.
But as tuition costs rise and students are more reluctant to drop dollars, the $5 ticket has the potential to be the tipping point for someone who is undecided on whether to attend a game or not. However, the head of marketing does not see it that way.
“There’s a perception out there that students are poor – that they don’t have money. I don’t think that’s necessarily true, I think they are on budgets and they will spend for good value,” said Offer.
The opportunity to free admittance has not completely disappeared, however. The department launched the McMaster Marauders Mobile App towards the end of August, which rewards students for checking in at places either on campus or the surrounding area.
Every check-in is worth one Maroon Point, and it takes ten Maroon Points to receive free entry to a basketball or volleyball game for free.
While the opportunity for free entry is a good alternative, the impact on attendance numbers will be an interesting story to follow. The casual Marauder fan is getting the short end of the stick here, with the die-hard being rewarded for their dedication.
The change has the potential to chase away fans from the brand, but the department has addressed this by adding more vendor rewards in their app than just athletics.
“The app has TwelvEighty, the Campus Store, the Phoenix, who are all on campus and you can get points. Then you can go off campus to places like the Snooty Fox and Pita Pit to earn rewards there,” said Offer.
Currently, football has a $5 cost for students and the fee has not deterred students from going to games. The athletic department says it is optimistic that on-court success mixed with stronger brand affinity from students will bolster attendance figures in the coming years.
