Issue 11 - December 2017

Keep Up with Us! Gryphon Football uses our social media to keep you updated with what we’re doing. By using social media, we hope to increase awareness, interest and game/event attendance within the Guelph community and beyond. Through our social media, we offer updates about our program from POP tailgate gatherings to behind-the-scenes looks during our new recruit signings. Read the rest of the article from gryphonfootball.com by clicking here. Pierre Jumping into Track Second-year running back Patrick Pierre has decided to put a little jump into his off- season. Pierre has returned to track and field to compete in long jump events and his first meet was the University of Guelph’s Zoltan Tenke Classic at the Gryphon Field House. Read the rest of the article from gryphonfootball.com by clicking here. Bring in CFC100, Talents from Quebec The University of Guelph Gryphons have been busy recruiting across provincial lines, and they have ensnared the likes of CFC Noah Johns, a wide receiver from London South Collegiate Institute, Philip Charpentier, quarterback from Campus Notre-Dame-de-Foy, and Etienne Roy, an offensive lineman from Cegep de L’Outaouais. Read the rest of the article from canadianfootballchat.com by clicking here. Guelph Coaches are ‘Genuine people,’ says Commit Robert Proner, a defensive end from Holy Trinity Catholic High School, signed with the University of Guelph Gryphons in style, signing in his school’s atrium with his team surrounding him. What better way is there to make it official? Read the rest of the article from canadianfootballchat.com by clicking here. Gordon Better than Ever When the Gryphons played the Western Mustangs at Western’s TD Stadium on Labour Day, running back Brandon Gordon’s fifth and final season was put on hold with a shoulder injury. That’s in Gordon’s mind a little now that the Gryphons are headed back to Western for Saturday’s semifinal game with the Mustangs. Read the rest of the article from gryphonfootball.com by clicking here. Gryphon Football Players of the Game - OUA Semi-Final at Western Jacob Scarfone (offence), Nick Parisotto (defence) and Kosi Onyeka (special teams) have been named the Gryphon Football Players of the Game following the team's OUA semi-final loss to Western on Saturday, November 4. Read the rest of the article from gryphons.ca by clicking here. Football Canada announces First Set of Under-19 National Team Players Football Canada has announced the first set of players which will be part of the national under-19 team that will participate at the 2018 International Bowl in Arlington, Texas this upcoming January. So far, the roster consists of 37 players and come from Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, British Columbia, Alberta and Manitoba. Read the rest of the article from footballcanada.com by clicking here.

The Gryphons are excited to welcome Quarterback Philip Charpentier from Campus Notre Dame de Foy. This 6’6, 220-pound athlete is very excited to start playing for the Gryphons this coming fall.

He will be coming to Guelph from Saint-Augustin de Desmaures in Quebec. He has won the CEGEP Division 1 Bol D’Or in 2016 and he was the Quarterback for Team Quebec in 2015. “I chose Guelph for the amazing coaching staff and opportunities in the program,” the potential sociology student. “The academics at UoG are also very good and the student- athlete support is great.” To read the rest of the article from canadianfootballchat.com, click here. When asked about the recruit class thus far, Todd Galloway, our Director of Recruiting, said: “We’re very excited about the start to the recruit class for 2018. We’ve been very strategic when picking recruits. They’ve begun to address some of the needs at certain positions with level players. However, more importantly, they are all great young men. We are excited to welcome these excellent athletes to our program and I’m really looking forward to the next season.”

"Bruna, Regardless of how this season ended, the boys have a lot to be proud of. I know Lynn and I are proud of the 2017 team, their accomplishments, and the support provided by the POP Group, parents, and friends. I also want to extend a big thank you for all the extra work you provide the parents, especially for us who are far away. You simplified the process for getting tickets, updates, plans, links, etc. All we do is show up and enjoy the festivities with the other parents and players. It is very much appreciated." Murray and Lynn Belyk, Parents of 3rd year Gryphon, Kade Belyk

In the month of November, fifteen of our incredible players joined Offensive Line Coach Mike MacDonald at the Remembrance Eve Dinner at the Royal Canadian Legion in Guelph for the second year in a row. The idea to volunteer at this dinner was presented by Head Coach Kevin MacNeill as a learning opportunity for our Gryphons. Many members of the community are invited to this annual dinner from veterans to Guelph mayor, Cam Guthrie. Our players wore their camouflage jerseys which proudly featured their poppies to help commemorate the veterans at the dinner and the symbolism of this event. Our players had many volunteering roles throughout the evening. Before the beginning of the meal, they acted as receptionists, greeted veterans who came in with their family and friends, checked coats and helped attendees get to their seats. They proudly served the veterans buffet-style and then brought individual desserts to every person. Afterwards, our Gryphons sat down to eat with the Cadets who were in awe of our players. When asking Mike MacDonald what he thought about the night, he said: “We are very grateful for the opportunity to be able to serve our veterans. It’s a unique way to commemorate the veterans and thank them. It’s important to recognize veterans and the sacrifices they made. I can’t say enough about how important it is for our young men to meet and interact with veterans who have done so much for our country. I couldn’t count the number of times veterans came up to me saying thank you and how amazed they were with our boys and grateful. Our boys thoroughly enjoyed the event as well.”

For the month of October, we would like to celebrate our amazing USports All- Canadian, OUA All-Star and All-Rookie players. Our USports All-Canadian players are Gabe Ferraro, Andrew Pickett, and Jacob Scarfone (2nd Team). Gabe Ferraro, Andrew Pickett, and Jacob Scarfone are also OUA All-Canadians, along with Nick Parisotto and Eric Starczala (2nd Team). Gabe Ferraro set a new U Sports single-season record by successfully kicking 33 field goals. The previous record was 26 field goals, made by the older Ferraro brother, Daniel. Jacob Scarfone returned to Guelph for his final year after being selected by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the 2017 CFL Draft and led our team in receptions, receiving yards and touchdown receptions. Andrew Pickett has been named an OUA All-Star 3 years in a row and was ranked No. 13 on the CFL Scouting List in August. For defensive back Nick Parisotto, this is his third consecutive time winning OUA All-Star. Offensive lineman, Eric Starczala, received recognition for the first time as a conference All-Star. Our OUA All-Rookie players are Sandor Mod, Ryan Isenor, Kosi Onyeka and Jared Beeksma. Sandor Mod earned a starting position for the Gryphons in eight games, despite being a rookie, and he has been named to Team Canada’s U19 roster. Ryan Isenor surprised us all when he turned a missed field goal into a 125-yard touchdown. He has finished his season by placing second in the OUA with 460 punt return yards. Kosi Onyeka and Jared Beeksma are both exceptional linebackers who saw an impressive amount of time on special teams.

To learn more about our USports All-Canadian players, click here. To learn more about our OUA All-Star players, click here. To learn more about our OUA All-Rookie players, click here.

Wildman Awards Dinner – January 27th

Gala Dinner – May 5th

To stay updated on our upcoming events, visit gryphonfootball.com by clicking here.

We were very excited to watch our Gryphon alumni face off in the 105th . On the Argonauts team, Defensive Lineman Jeff Finley, Long Snapper Jake Reinhart, Defensive Lineman Cam Walker, Wide Receiver Alex Charette and Linebacker Curtis Newton are Gryphons. On the Stampeders team, Offensive Lineman Cameron Thorn and Rob Maver are Gryphons.

When we talked to Rob Maver before the game, he said, “I’m eager for Sunday. Since last year’s Grey Cup this is where The wanted to be. We’re seeking redemption. Being across the field from other Gryphons will be fun. Being a fellow specialist, I have a deep appreciation for Jake’s skill and contributions to the Argos and their kicking game. Same goes for Cam Walker and what he does on special teams. The emphasis our university places on special teams is reflected in Gryphons playing key roles on that side of the ball Sunday.”

We were glued to the screen watching our Gryphon alumni and it was a tight game. In the end, the Argonauts won a very tight game, 27-24, in the last minute of the game. We are very proud of how well all of our alumni played.

Pat Tracey, a Gryphon alumnus, is first in career shut outs as a Defensive Coordinator (14) and third in overall career wins as a Defensive Coordinator with 140 wins. After playing for Guelph for five seasons and helping the Gryphons win the Yates and Vanier, he went on to coach for the Gryphons. Tracey became Dan McNally’s right-hand man and helped coach Guelph to two more Yates Cup wins in 1992 and 1996.

Randy Dimitroff, Pat Tracey, Mike O’Shea, Stu Lang & Kyle Walters at the 2014 Gala Dinner