Alexander Colle | Sports Editor
Featured Image: York wins their first Argo Cup in five years by a score of 41-16. | Basma Elbahnasawy
There was a murder reported at Alumni Field on Saturday afternoon. The police were not called, despite an abundance of witnesses, as the victim turned out to be the U of T Varsity Blues’ Red & Blue Bowl winning streak.
The main suspect was our very own football team—the Lions—as they orchestrated a 41-16 blowout to capture the Argo Cup.
The Lions were led by quarterback Brett Hunchak, who finished the game going 19 for 27, with 244 yards and three touchdowns.
The game began on a low note for the Lions, as U of T sent defensive pressure while the Lions were pinned deep in their own end, which resulted in an 11-yard safety less than two minutes into the game.
However, this was the Blues’ only lead of the game, as York managed to score a field goal five minutes later off the foot of kicker Dante Mastroguiseppe, his first of two successful attempts.
It was in the final three minutes of the quarter when the floodgates opened, as York blocked a punt in U of T territory, which set the Lions up in excellent field position. On the ensuing drive, Hunchak found receiver Alex Daley, who finished the game with 94 receiving yards and a single touchdown, for an eight-yard major.
York kept the pressure coming in the second quarter, as running back Jesse Amankwaa capped off a seven-play 100-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown, giving the Lions a 15-point lead. The drive was highlighted by an incredible Eli Manning-esque maneuver by Hunchak to avoid a sack before finding Daley for a 59-yard bomb, bringing the Lions deep into U of T territory.
On U of T’s next drive, the Lion defence decided to get in on the scoring, as they strip-sacked Blues quarterback Connor Ennis, then jumped on the loose ball and returned it to the house.
This gave the Lions a 22-point lead in a half that featured York’s most dominant performance all year on both sides of the ball.
The second half began with a discouraged U of T squad that saw their quarterback woes continue, as they allowed a turnover on downs after a sack and a failed third down conversion.
The ensuing drive by York failed to build upon their success in the first half, as a completed 10-yard pass from Hunchak was quickly turned into a forced fumble, courtesy of Austin Rosbrook, which was recovered by U of T at their own 32-yard line.
The following drive began with a 40-yard pass from Blues quarterback Clay Sequeira, and ended in a Sequeira touchdown run after six plays and 78 yards. The U of T quarterback completed 10 of 19 passes with 225 passing yards, a touchdown, and an interception.
Fortunately for the Lions, these mistakes were corrected in the fourth quarter, as their first drive lasted over five minutes and took 10 plays to finally reach the end zone, via a 17-yard pass to Adam Adeboboye for the touchdown.
Rather than playing dead in the final minutes, U of T fought back on the next drive with an 85-yard bomb to Jaykwon Thompson on the first play of the drive.
However, it was too little too late for the Blues, as York’s offensive prowess proved too much for the U of T defence, who allowed one more touchdown and a field goal in the last three minutes of the game. This made the score 41-16, which would end up the final, giving York their first Argo Cup win since the 2012 campaign.
“It was great,” commented Adeboboye after the game, who finished with 140 yards rushing and two touchdowns. “We knew what we wanted to do and we wanted to show that we know who we are and that we can play and compete against other teams.
“I really wanted this. I woke up this morning and said, ‘I can’t leave this field until I have a victory today,’ so I made sure of it.”
The next game is on September 30, and features a 3-1 McMaster squad that defeated York 64-2 last season. Kick-off is at 1:00 p.m. in Hamilton.
