WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 30, 2016
THE SPUTNIK
11
SPORTS
DEVON MOMY-GAMACHE| SPORTS@THESPUTNIK.CA | @SPUTNIK_NEWS
Laurier offence struggled in loss to Laval Devon Momy-Gamache
Sports Editor Laurier scoring their first points with 27 seconds left in the game, on their 16th drive, is all you need to know about how rough of a day it was for the Laurier offence. Playing the top team in the country, Laval was always going to be tough especially in Quebec City; Laval is now on a 80-3 run on their home turf. Heading into the game Laurier was already missing their starting running back Eric Guiltinan, who suffered a knee injury against McMaster in the OUA semifinal’s. New starting running back Levondre Gordon was injured early in the second quarter with an apparent concussion. Down to their third string running back, Laurier also lost their leading receiver when Kurleigh Gittens Jr. was injured on their next drive. The offence only managed 75 total yards in the first half putting pressure on the defence to keep the score close. With stars across the defence it was surprising to see Laval move the ball efficiently through the air and on the ground. Laval jumped out to a 29-0 lead by halftime, and scored on five of their first seven possessions. Laval quarterback Hugo Richard spread the ball around, he started the game completing nine of 10 passes. Richard finished the first half 15-21 with 151 yards and two touchdowns, Richard also added 52 yards on the ground, on four carries. Head Coach Michael Faulds appeared to inspire the team during halftime as the defence forced two quick punts and only allowed 10 yards on four plays. Carson Ouellette returned a punt 36 yards to the Laval 54 giv-
ing the offence a chance to get on the board. Osayi Iginuan ran the ball 11 yards on the first play of the drive. A quick pass from Michael Knevel to Brentyn Hall for 25 yards set up the offence inside the Laval 20. On the third play of the drive Iginuan broke off a big run but fumbled at the Laval 6 ending the drive and killing Laurier’s momentum. After the fumble, Laval effectively ran out the clock for the rest of the game. Richard added another scoring run to his total with under two minutes left in the third which extended the Laval lead to 36-0. The Laurier run defence struggled all game and allowed Laval to rush for 267 yards on 36 attempts. Hall was on the receiving end of a Knevel pass that went 26 yards for a touchdown but a failed two-point conversion left Laurier down 36-6 with 1:57 remaining. Knevel finished what could be the final game of his career completing 21 of 45 attempts for 174 yards with a touchdown and interception. The result only tells half the story for this Laurier team that is rebounding from a 1-7 record in 2013. Since Faulds took over as coach in 2013 he has helped rebuild the program and was named USports coach of the year this year for his efforts. The strongest part of this Laurier team under Faulds was the defence, especially the defensive backs. Malcolm Thompson, who was injured against Guelph before the playoffs, and Godfrey Onyeka lead the group and should both be back next year after being named first team All-Canadians. The star on defence though was linebacker Nakas Onyeka who was named OUA defensive
Laurier struggled to break free on offence as Laval kept them off the scoreboard until the final minutes as Laurier lost 36-6
Paige Bush/The Cord
player of the year and was a first team All-Canadian. Onyeka is a top 20 prospect in the CFL draft but could potentially return for one final season. The defensive line will be losing one of Laurier’s top players in school history Kwaku Boateng. Boateng is the second ranked prospect heading into the CFL draft after being named OUA defensive player of the year in 2015. He was also named as a second team All-Canadian for the second consecutive season. Jalen Price, defensive linemen, and Ron Kinga, defensive back, may also be gone after
this season creating more playing time for young players. On offence, the team will be losing Guiltinan, along with Knevel and Julien John, both starting quarterbacks from this season. The team will most likely turn to either Tristan Arndt or Jacob Spinella at quarterback, both are sophomores and were top recruits coming out of high school. Running the ball could also be a problem next year with Laurier projected to lose four of their five starting offensive linemen. The offensive line played a role in the strong running game Laurier had this season averag-
ing 281.4 yards per game on the ground, tops in the OUA. The returning Gordon and Iginuan will be relied upon more to get yards using their skills instead of relying on large holes from the line. The passing game will also benefit from a receiving group that will be returning their top two options, Gittens Jr. and Hall. Next season Laurier will be hoping for another top five ranking and a chance to host the Yates Cup. Also, next year Laurier will be looking to make their first Vanier Cup since 2005 which will be held close to home in Hamilton.
Top sports stories of 2016 Scott Maxwell Staff Writer 2016 is almost over, and it’s impossible to say that it didn’t have its fair share of exciting stories. From the Olympics, to some team’s ending extremely long championship droughts, we saw just about everything in sports, so let’s look at the top 10 stories from this year. Penny Oleksiak and Andre de Grasse dominate the Olympics for Canada: Oleksiak became the first Canadian to win four medals in the same Summer Olympics, while de Grasse brought home three of his own competing against Bolt. Denver wins the Super Bowl in Peyton Manning’s final season: After many seasons in which Manning’s defense let him down, the defense stepped up on route to a win over the nearly unbeatable Carolina Panthers. Usain Bolt and Michael
Phelps retire on top: Bolt swept all three running events with gold for the third consecutive Olympics, while Phelps came out of retirement to win six medals in swimming, five of them gold. Phil Kessel is a Stanley Cup champion: After lots of criticism from the Toronto media as a Maple Leaf, Kessel was traded to the Penguins, proceeded to win the Stanley Cup in his first season there, putting up 22 points along the way. John Scott and the All-Star Game: After the fans elected Scott into the NHL All-Star game, the league tried to outcast him, and he was traded out of the division, and sent to the minors. Scott responded with two goals, winning the game’s MVP award. Kevin Durant signs with the Warriors: One of the biggest stories of the 2015-16 NBA season was the looming free agent
status of Durant, and where he may go. While there was speculation that he’d return to the Thunder, or go to the Raptors or the Celtics, Durant elected to go to the Warriors, who were fresh off a Finals appearance and a 73-9 record, causing controversy similar too Lebron James move to Miami. The 23 minutes that changed hockey: On June 29, with free agency looming, hockey saw a few changes that shook the entire league. First, Taylor Hall was traded to the Devils in exchange for Adam Larsson straight up. Then, Montreal traded defenseman PK Subban to the Predators for captain Shea Weber. Following closely behind, Steven Stamkos, a pending free agent, resigned with Tampa Bay for eight more years. Lebron James gives Cleveland their first championship in 52 years: After getting drafted by his local team, the Cavaliers,
Lebron left the team to go to Miami to win a championship, a move that saw fans in outrage. After winning a couple of titles, he returned to Cleveland, promising a championship there. In his second season in Cleveland, he delivered on that promise, giving the Cavs their first ever championship, beating the 73-9 Warriors after being down 3-1 (the first time a team has ever done that in the NBA Finals). Leicester CIty wins Premier League in the ultimate underdog story: In the team’s second season back in the Premier League, Leicester city was considered a long shot to win the title, with the odds at 5,000-1 for some bookmakers. However, they proved just about everybody wrong, winning their first championship in a fairy tale story. Leister completed the fastest rise to the title, except for Ipswich Town in 1962, advancing from the third tier of the English
Football Association (League One) to Premier League Champions in seven years. Cubs end their 108-year World Series drought: The butt end of jokes for literally centuries, the Cubs could never find success, no matter how close they got. Whether you believe in the Billy goat curse, or have a dire hatred for Steve Bartman, the Cubs always found a way to screw up. After going 103-58 during the season, and making it to the World Series, it seemed like the curses would continue when the Cubs were down 3-1 to Cleveland. But, in storybook fashion, they made a miraculous comeback, and won their first World Series in 108 years. 2016 was a year of underdog stories, amazing comebacks, and star athletes ending their careers on a high note. As we change the calendar to another year, we have a whole new year of exciting stories to look forward to.