Alexandra Reilly

Assistant Sports Editor

 

McMaster’s 2013 Vanier Cup loss to the Laval Rouge et Or proved to be not just a scoreboard loss for the squad; rather, it symbolized so much more. It marked the end of an era for the McMaster football program. After taking his last knee in the maroon uniform, #12 played his last game as a Marauder and finished his five-year leadership role with the McMaster Football Program. After five years behind the high-powered Marauder, McMaster will face their first season without their superstar Quarterback.

 

With Quinlan bowing out for the first time in five years, Marshall Ferguson will now take over as the leader of the squad for the 2013-14 Season. In his three seasons as the back up, this Kingston native will quickly become an important figure for the Marauder football family.

 

Not only has Ferguson proven to be an effective member of the Marauder football organization but also has major skill to back him up as he has thrown for over 1,600 yards total in his time with the Marauders. Ferguson also proved his skill after he was asked to attend the annual East-West Bowl this year.

 

During this year’s off-season, Ferguson was able to attend training camp with the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders where he was able to gain valuable skill and knowledge from Calgary’s offensive coordinator Dave Dickenson. With a more skilled playbook in his hands and a once-in-a-life-time experience at CFL training camp, Ferguson will come into the start of the season stronger than ever, with a Vanier Cup caliber team to back him up.

 

After sitting down with the Marauders own #67 Bryce Hudson I was able to gain some valuable insight into the upcoming season without Quinlan and his thoughts about his new leader Marshall Ferguson.

 

“Marsh is a great guy and an excellent leader,” Hudson enthused. “He has a full understanding of our offence and is definitely the guy that we need after losing Kyle Quinlan.”

 

Not only does Ferguson possess a fighting personality but he proved himself to the world when he was given the grueling duty of stepping in for a suspended Kyle Quinlan during the 2011-12 season.

 

“He clearly held the ability to start two years ago when he lead us to a 3-0 record versus Guelph, Windsor and Waterloo while Kyle was out,” said Hudson. “Since then, he has only gotten more practice reps, more game snaps and the ability to experience the CFL, as he attended the Calgary Stampeder's training camp,” he added.

 

Although Quinlan will not be gearing for this 2013-14 football season, Quinlan’s valuable CIS experience will prove to a useful tool in the molding of this year’s squad. Opting for a coaching role this year at McMaster, Quinlan will use his valuable knowledge of the game to once again lead the Marauders. Since Ferguson has spent the better part of his football career at McMaster being led by Quinlan, it will only guarantee him success to have his long-time leader remain near by.

 

Now that the torch has finally been passed down to #2 in maroon, Ferguson will soon begin to deal with the pressures of leading an entire squad, a pressure that a now-coach Quinlan is all too familiar with.

 

The team is looking forward to their new beginning under the leadership of a new hardworking Marauder. Although all good things must come to an end, this end is now the start of a new beginning for the boys in maroon and for our former Quarterback and school hero Kyle Quinlan.

 

 

McMaster Marauders quarterback Kyle Quinlan has signed with the CFL's Montreal Alouettes.

“I'm definitely excited to have an opportunity to keep playing football,” said the quarterback to McMaster's athletics and recreation department. “I'm glad it's in Montreal, because my short time with the Alouettes last year was such a positive experience."

The deal was completed on Thursday evening.

If Quinlan makes the Alouettes, he will likely be in a back-up role behind Anthony Calvillo, who announced this week that he would be back with the team for the 2013 season. Calvillo holds the all-time record for passing yards in the CFL.

Quinlan attended the Alouettes training camp in May, but was cut from the team, leading him back to McMaster to play out his final season of university football eligibility.

Alouettes general manager Jim Popp told media outlets that Quinlan would have a real chance to make the team this time around.

Quinlan earned national attention during his time with McMaster's football squad, leading the Marauders to their first national championship with 2011's Vanier Cup victory. Although the Marauders fell to the Laval Rouge et Or in 2012's Vanier Cup rematch, Quinlan was awarded the Hec Crighton Trophy for being the top player in the CIS.

The McMaster Marauders are headed to the Vanier Cup for the second straight season after beating the Calgary Dinos on Saturday by a score of 45-6.

The Nov. 17 Mitchell Bowl at Ron Joyce Stadium in Hamilton marked the first ever meeting between the two teams.

A crowd of 5,442 packed the stadium to watch one of the most anticipated matchups of the year in the CIS.

Mac’s Kyle Quinlan took over the game in the first half despite struggling early, scoring two touchdowns on the ground and throwing another to receiver Bradley Fochesato for 61 yards. After two frames, the Marauders were up 24-4 over the Hardy Cup champion from the west.

The visiting Dinos racked up a costly 97 yards of penalties in the first half, which helped Mac sustain drives and get good into good scoring position.

The Marauders defense neutralized the nation’s number-one offense, holding Calgary to their lowest halftime point total of the season.

In the second half, the Marauders extended their lead early. Quinlan scored his third rushing touchdown to make the score 31-4 with 11:49 left in the third quarter.

Receiver Robert Babic had a strong third quarter, catching the ball six times for 95 yards in the frame. Babic added a 31-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter for his ninth catch of the game, making the score 38-4. He would finish with an outstanding 10 catches for 156 yards and a touchdown.

Drive after drive, Calgary could not seem to penetrate the home team’s defense. On the other side of the ball, the Dinos could not stop Kyle Quinlan and the McMaster air attack.

With the Laval Rouge et Or winning the Uteck Bowl by a score of 42-7 earlier in the day, it looked as though a rematch of the 2011 Vanier Cup final was inevitable.

The 13th man was alive and well for the Marauders as the Ron Joyce crowd made constant noise.

Both quarterbacks in the Mitchell Bowl game are candidates for the Hec Creighton trophy, awarded yearly to the most outstanding player in the CIS. Calgary’s Eric Dzwilewski finished 10 of 21. Quinlan, who will be taking his team to a second straight Vanier Cup game, with one of his best games of the season, completed 25 of 35 passes for 412 yards, three TDs. Quinlan also added 50 more yards and three scores on the ground.

By the time all was said and done, McMaster had crushed the Dinos, not allowing a single touchdown while scoring six times, extending their winning streak to 21.

Only Laval, St. Mary’s and Western have ever repeated as national champions, and the Marauders have a chance to join that exclusive company next week.

The 48th Vanier Cup will be played on Nov. 23 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. The game will be a rematch of the 2011 final between the Laval Rouge et Or and the McMaster Marauders. Last year, Mac won in double overtime by a score of 41-38

Medeiros and Quinlan leave behind an all-star Marauders offense, which took the Vanier by storm.

After the news broke of quarterback Kyle Quinlan’s recent signing with the Canadian Football League’s Montreal Alouettes, McMaster’s football community, still on the highs of 2011’s historic Vanier Cup-winning season, has been confronted with the harsh reality that has long been entrenched in collegiate athletics: players of the highest calibre will eventually leave, ready or not, to begin their professional careers.

After leading his team to national football supremacy, Quinlan will now be expected to work at a much higher level. From such a successful team, one deemed to be among the best in CIS history, surely more than one player would be considered to have “next-level” talent.

Enter All-Canadian guard Jason Medeiros, who has recently signed with the Hamilton Tiger Cats.

Medeiros, a Hamilton native, will get a chance to fulfill a lifelong dream of any athlete: to make the roster of his hometown team. Keeping things truly close to home, Medeiros attended the May 31 TiCats rookie camp on some familiar soil, as the camp was held at McMaster’s Ron Joyce Stadium.

Full training camp began on June 3 and it can be expected that the 6’4”, 315-lbs. sociology major will make a strong showing throughout the duration of the pre-season.

Marauder head Coach Stefan Ptaszek weighed in on Medeiros’ readiness, saying that the third-year lineman will make McMaster proud at the very least.

“I am so happy that Jay has earned the opportunity at a professional career. I know he will be a positive representative of the McMaster Marauder Football program.”

Now, supporters of the defending champion Maroon and Greys may be experiencing some mixed emotions. On one hand, Medeiros and Quinlan have a shot at joining the six CFL players who started their playing careers out of McMaster’s program. On the other, one of the country’s best offenses in 2011 could lose at least two of its players to the pros, one of whom was arguably the best player on that offense.

In fact, both Medeiros and Quinlan have one year of CIS eligibility remaining. So, if neither makes the roster of their new team, Mac can expect to have them return for the defense of both provincial and national football titles.

If successful, the two players would join the ranks of receiver Mike Bradwell, safety Jason Arakgi, linebacker Jay Pottinger and offensive linemen Andrew Jones, Chris Van Zeyl and Kyle Koch in Canada’s proleague.

A notable name missing from this CFL list is former Marauder running back Jesse Lumsden, whose career was cut short due to injury.

Now a member of the Canadian National Bobsledding team, Lumsden holds several offensive records at Mac, though he was never able to bring a national championship back to the Steel City, despite his illustrious career.

The success of both Medeiros and Quinlan as part of the 2011-12 Marauder squad that won the Vanier Cup sets them apart from those who have blazed the path from Mac to the ranks of professional football.

That note on their football resume might be indicative of a promising career for both players – one that raises the bar of excellence for those graduating out of Canada’s top university football program.

Either way, whether they don the colors of their new team, or come home to once again wear numbers 61 and 12, respectively, the future is bright for Jason Medeiros and Kyle Quinlan.

Brandon Meawasige

Assistant Sports Editor
It’s been nearly a decade since McMaster last hosted the penultimate round of the OUA playoffs, but that drought has officially come to an end.

The seemingly unstoppable Marauders earned the right to host the conference semifinal on Nov. 5 after clinching second place in the province and the accompanying first round playoff bye with a victory over the Ottawa Gee-Gees on Oct. 22.

The win, which extended McMaster’s streak to six games, featured stellar play from the Marauder defence, a unit that has been responsible for picking off opposing quarterbacks more times than any other team in the country with 15 interceptions in 2011.

However it was the offence carrying the team to victory on Saturday, utterly dominating an Ottawa secondary that appeared unprepared to face a McMaster group that leads the CIS with an average of 530.5 yards per game.

By half-time the score was 45-10 thanks in part to a spectacular performance from the duo of quarterback Kyle Quinlan – who threw for 367 yards and four touchdowns – and CIS receiving yardage leader Michael Dicroce who caught six passes for 124 yards, including one a touchdown.

Never looking back after their offensive showcase in the first half, the Marauders would rest some starters for the second half en route to an eventual result of 51-24. The game, loaded with playoff ramifications, was part of an interesting day across the OUA.

In Kingston, the Queen’s Gaels laid a beating on the Western Mustangs, who were the top-ranked team in the country entering play on Oct. 22. The final score of 37-0 in favour of the home team was not only Western’s first loss of the season but it marked the first time the Mustangs have been shut out by an opponent in 38 years.

Before the game, having clinched first place in the OUA, Mustangs’ coach Greg Marshall decided to sit 11 regular starters. That decision, in combination with a Gaels’ defence ranked first in the OUA, played a significant role in the contest’s shocking score line.

Although the game had no impact on the Mustangs’ playoff standing, it certainly impacted their national ranking. In the CIS top ten rankings of Oct. 25, Western fell to no. 4 behind undefeated Calgary, defending Vanier Cup champion Laval and McMaster.

The quarterfinal match-ups will take place on Oct. 29 with the sixth-seeded Laurier Golden Hawks visiting Kingston to take on three-seed Queens, and fifth-seeded Windsor travelling across the province to face Ottawa.

Both games will kick off at 1 p.m. and will have an audience from across the province as the winner will move on to face either McMaster or Western in the following week.

A bye week traditionally involves the resting of key playmakers, the installment of new blitz packages and offensive running schemes. However, for McMaster this weekend will be the first since Sept. 10 where they do not win a football game.

Since that loss against Western in the second game of the season, the Marauders have overcome a plethora of obstacles. The campaign saw several key playmakers miss time on the playing field including running back Joey Nemet, quarterback Kyle Quinlan, defensive back Joey Cupido and receiver Jarred Jones.

The resilience and depth demonstrated by the Maroon and Grey this season make them ideal contenders. But they will have to wait another week to resume that contention.

The Nov. 5 contest at Ron Joyce will be the first time McMaster will host a semifinal since 2002. When that season was said and done, the Marauders were Yates Cup Champions.

Richard Zazulak

 

Photo C/O Richard Zazulak

Brandon Meawasige

Assistant Sports Editor

Passes wobbled through the air, receivers dropped footballs that would normally be caught and special teams play was interesting to say the least as the Marauders looked to continue their win streak in Waterloo on Oct. 15.

Touted as the matchup of the two premier passing offences in the OUA, the Saturday contest against the Laurier Golden Hawks was supposed to feature highlight reel performances from the quarterbacks and receivers on both teams.

However, rain, wind and frigid temperatures created less-than-ideal conditions for either team to develop any sort of aerial attack. With both squads also struggling to make any headway on the ground, the promised offensive matchup quickly turned into a gritty battle against both opponents and the elements – a battle Mac would prevail in, defeating Laurier 25-6 and moving to 6-1 on the season.

Kyle Quinlan led the Mac offence with 230 passing and a touchdown. Mike DiCroce’s fifth touchdown of the year gave Mac a 10-point lead late in the third quarter they would not relinquish, and Chris Pezzetta put the icing on the cake with a one-yard TD run with less than a minute left.

DiCroce’s catch was the only touchdown reception of the quasi-apocalyptic day, of note considering the game featured the CIS total passing yards leader in Hawks QB Shane Kelly and the yards per game leader in Quinlan.

The Mac defence, which once again showcased its talent in the secondary, picked off Kelly twice, including a massive snag in the end zone by Mike Daly, his CIS-leading fifth of the year. The other pick was nabbed by Joey Cupido, playing in his first game after returning from injury.

Holding an opposing team to less than ten points for the second time this season, Coach Stefan Ptaszek’s defensive unit can attribute their big game to shutting down the Laurier receiving core.

Combined, Shamawd Chambers and Dillon Heap, two of the conference’s top receivers, managed only 10 receptions for 94 yards and no touchdowns, a result that was far less dominant than that of the expected passing clinic.

By the final whistle, the Marauders had secured a convincing victory, extending their win streak to five games in a row and solidifying their place in the OUA standings. It was also the first victory for the team while visiting Laurier in 10 seasons.

With a record of 6-1, McMaster currently sits second in the OUA behind the undefeated Western Mustangs (7-0) who handed McMaster their first and only loss of the season thus far back on Sept. 10.

The Mustangs have established themselves not only as the front-runner for the Yates Cup, but for the Vanier Cup as well. The most recent CIS top-ten rankings feature UWO at the top spot with McMaster also receiving national attention, ranking no. 6 in the country.

Now on the doorstep of the playoffs, the Marauders have a chance to earn a first-round bye with a win against Ottawa in the season’s last game.

The Gee-gees could also earn a playoff bye with a win as they visit McMaster currently tied for third place in the OUA.

Ottawa’s squad brings with it the dazzling duo of quarterback Aaron Colbon, who is the conference’s second leading passer and Simon La Marquand, who trails only Mac’s DiCroce in receiving yardage.

However, unlike Laurier, the Gee-gees have a serious threat on the ground with running back Brian Gillanders sitting third in OUA rushing and backup Franck Ngandui also in the top ten.

McMaster’s defence appears to be up to the task of stopping these threats. The unit has held their last two opponents to 20 points while the offence scored 75 in those games.

The season-ending contest will kick off at 1 p.m. Coverage of the game can be seen on Hamilton’s Cable 14 or heard on campus radio CMFU 93.3.

Kyle Quinlan returned from a three-game suspension and threw for 455 yards in a 50-14 win

Brandon Meawasige

Assistant Sports Editor

Under the lights of Ron Joyce Stadium, with his arms crossed in pride, Kyle Quinlan turned to pose triumphantly for the crowd after a powerful 12-yard run.

Seeing the playing field for the first time in three games after a suspension, Quinlan received a warm welcome from the Marauder faithful.

Although it was not his first game, his last or a contest featuring a top-ranked opponent, Oct. 6 presented the fourth year star a unique opportunity to remind the CIS why he is widely considered to be one of the best quarterbacks in the country.

By the time Quinlan was taken out of the game, with almost an entire quarter remaining, he had lit up the scoreboard for five touchdowns and 455 yards passing. The yardage was spread out with seven different receivers getting at least one catch.

"Kyle did not look even a little bit rusty, it was as good a football game as you can play, he stretched the field vertically, horizontally and that’s as good as our offense has worked in a while,” said coach Stefan Ptaszek.

Perhaps the Toronto Varsity Blues were the victims of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.             Quinlan’s return seemed to add tremendous electricity not only to the passing game, but to the entire team as well. Rallying around the all-star performance of their quarterback, McMaster won the game handily by a score of 50-14.

Once again the defence chipped in with a dominating performance, intercepting Toronto’s quarterback Andrew Gillis three times.

"The defense has come back from getting their nose bloody in the second week to playing four solid games, they've really helped carry our team through this win streak and hopefully it continues not only for the next two games but after that as well" said Ptaszek.

The victory brings the Marauders winning streak to four games after beginning the season 1-1. Not that the good news ends there, but up next on the schedule are two of the more formidable opponents in the OUA.

The Laurier Golden Hawks, whom the Marauders play on Oct. 15 in Waterloo, possess one of the strongest passing attacks in the conference. Shamawd Chambers and Dillon Heap are both having tremendous seasons receiving the ball.

Each player has also had personal success against the Marauders as well. In the two games the teams have played against each other in since 2009, Chambers has recorded 10 catches for 200 yards and a touchdown. Heap has had even more success also making 10 receptions for 226 yards while torching Mac on kick and punt returns.

The Marauders have not had good luck visiting the Tri-City area, something that pre-dates Ptaszek as head coach of the team.

“[Laurier] have athletes from top to bottom, we haven't won there since 2001, that’s a decade ago" says the coach currently in his sixth year with the team.

Ptaszek has weapons of his own to use. This week marks the return of all-star running back Joey Nemet from injury opening the possibility for the Marauders to have a triple-pronged attack in the backfield.

Running backs Jimmy Hill and rookie Chris Pezetta shared the load effectively while Nemet was out. Now the coaching staff is charged with the task of getting them the ball on Saturday.

"We’re a better football team with all three of those kids getting their fair share of touches, Joey is probably the best pass protector on the team and he’ll keep Kyle (Quinlan) off his back, while the burst and change of pace that we get from Jimmy and Chris means they will still have to touch the ball,” said Ptaszek of his running game plan for the weekend.

With such consistent play coming from both sides of the line of scrimmage, Ptaszek expects that a pair of regular players will have big games.

“[Kick returner Gary] Spero is due for a big return, he's been playing wonderful at receiver, he's going to have a breakout game and Joey Cupido has been resting, and he’ll have an All-Canadian receiver [in Heap] across from him.”

After a shaky start and numerous injuries to key players, the Marauders look better than ever. The return of Kyle Quinlan adds veteran leadership and championship caliber play at pivot, while the defense looks ready to take on any challenge.

The matchup with the Hawks can be seen on the Score’s University Rush. Game time for the Oct. 15 clash is 1 p.m.

 

 

 

 

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