Banner Season: Gryphons go for fourth straight Turner Trophy in championship tilt with Gaels
Burlington, Ont. – What better way to close out the conference campaign than with a championship rematch?
For a second straight year, it will be the Guelph Gryphons hosting the Queen’s Gaels in the OUA finale, and in the case of the former, they are eyeing a fourth straight turn at hoisting the Turner Trophy.
To extend their championship streak to three a season ago, Guelph used a fast start to put themselves in the driver’s seat early, with tries coming from the likes of Adam Ford, Kobe Faust, and others. After falling behind 28-3, Queen’s was able to close the gap, but the 2023 runners up weren’t able to ultimately overcome the Gryphons’ sizzling start once the final whistle had blown.
Beyond just making his mark in last year’s finale, Faust continued to find success during his fifth season with the Guelph squad. The marketing management student from Uxbridge, Ont. knows how to step up in a big game, having also scored the game-winning try in last season’s national quarterfinals.
Tomas Dallan is another key performer for the Gryphons, and while he led the team with 68 points scored on the year (four tries, 24 converts), the OUA all-star was perhaps most influential in Guelph’s come-from-behind win over Queen’s earlier in the season.
The third-year winger accounted for 10 points in that one, going a perfect five-for-five on convert attempts, and helped to erase the 24-7 deficit that the team was facing.
Three straight tries from the Gaels – all-star Cameron Bubyn, Ben Greenstein, and Eric Godden – put them ahead 21-0 through the opening 15 minutes, but a flurry of offence from Guelph, including two second-half tries from Owen Williams, was enough to escape with a 35-31 win.
That was the lone blemish on the Queen’s record this season, as they finished with five wins in their six regular season contests. This impressive record was sparked by a tie atop the conference with 365 points scored, compared to 100 points surrendered (third fewest in the OUA).
At the heart of the former was Marcus D’Acre, as the all-star fly half finished just shy of the league lead in points. His three tries, OUA-leading 32 converts, and one penalty goal gave him 82 points on the year – just eight behind the leader – and he will be relied on to put points on the board in the banner season finale as well.
While D’Acre paced the provincial pack in converts, his teammate and first team all-star Owen Lee topped the leaderboard in tries. With 10 on the year, he was a frequent name on the scoresheet for the Tricolour, a feat he continued into the playoffs.
Lee, a third-year commerce major from Fort Erie, Ont., continued his scoring touch in the Gaels’ 67-5 quarterfinal win over Brock, as well as their 57-14 triumph wherein he added a pair of tries.
Much like Queen’s, meanwhile, Guelph was able to comfortably handle their postseason path. Entering as the top seed, the undefeated Gryphons (6-0) earned a bye into the semifinals, and proceeded to take down Waterloo therein by a score of 66-8.
The OUA’s co-scoring leaders (365 points) and stingiest in surrendering points (57) relied on a total team effort in their lone playoff tilt. Seven different Gryphons earned tries, including three from Faust and two from David Scollon.
Despite it being a familiar matchup to close out the OUA season, with one of the two teams being crowned champion in each season since 2011, the Friday night finale between Guelph and Queen’s remains must-see TV.
With two programs well-equipped with championship pedigree and star-studded lineups ready to add to those accolades, the only question remaining is whether it will be the Gryphons grabbing a fourth straight title or Queen’s starting a new streak of their own.
