Issue 9 - October 2017 Great Beginning for Cimankinda Alain Cimankinda had pretty much a dream start to his OUA football career with the Gryphons last weekend. The 6-foot-1, 245-pound defensive lineman had three solo and six assisted tackles, three and a half sacks for a loss of 22 yards and he broke up a pass in the overtime loss to the Ottawa Gee-Gees to be named the league’s defensive player of the week. Read the rest of the article from gryphonfootball.com by clicking here. Pierre Moving up the Chart Running back Patrick Pierre should serve as a great example for the players who are currently on the Gryphons’ scout team. He was one of them last year and began this season as the starting running back. The scout team are the players who usually don’t play in the games, but they’re there every practice trying to behave the way the Gryphons’ next opponent will act on the field. They’re usually third, fourth or even fifth on the depth chart for their position. Read the rest of the article from gryphonfootball.com by clicking here. Zeph Fraser Here to Stay Receiver Zeph Fraser got the result he wanted when he was hoping that being reunited with Gryphon offensive coordinator Jean Francois Joncas would lead to good things. A transfer from the Laurier Golden Hawks who last played in the OUA in 2015, Fraser was named the league’s offensive player of the week for his performance in Monday night’s game against the Western Mustangs. Read the rest of the article from gryphonfootball.com by clicking here. Di Renzo Keeping Gryphon Traditions Alive The busiest person at last weekend’s Gryphons’ win over the Windsor Lancers just might have been Dario Di Renzo. Dario’s the guy who runs the big Gryphon flag around the Alumni Stadium track, stopping halfway to do 10 push-ups in front of the stands, after every Gryphon touchdown. In the game against Windsor, he did 10 laps and 100 push-ups. Read the rest of the article from gryphonfootball.com by clicking here. Isenor Setting Records Rookie Ryan Isenor is the latest Returning Ryan for the Gryphons. Isenor set a Gryphon single-game record of 222 punt return yards in last weekend’s 81-10 whitewash of the Windsor Lancers and he also had 22 kickoff return yards to be named the OUA league’s special teams player of the week. “I’m so honoured to get it because one of our Gryphons has got it every week,” he said. “It shows what we can do and it shows that we’re a team not to be overlooked on all (aspects of the game).” Read the rest of the article from gryphonfootball.com by clicking here. Metchie Ready for Homecoming The Gryphons are ready to face their largest crowd of the year, their Homecoming crowd. And every Gryphon will be swayed by the noise the usually vocal crowd makes. Even the quiet ones will try to use the emotion of the crowd to their benefit. “I kind of put it aside and try to focus on what needs to be done,” veteran free safety Royce Metchie says. “Realistically, I try to think of it as just another day at practice because it keeps me calm, keeps my mind focused. Eventually, I let it get to me. As the game goes on, I like to build the energy, but I like to start calm.” Read the rest of the article from gryphonfootball.com by clicking here. Colin Jerome: Knowledgeable and Hard-working Perseverance certainly paid off for Gryphon centre Colin Jerome. Now in his fourth season with the team, the North Bay native spent two years on the scout team before getting to suit up for league play last year. This year he’s the starting centre. “It was just my love for the game,” he said after a practice session this week. Read the rest of the article from gryphonfootball.com by clicking here. Two Gryphon Superfans If you’ve been at a Gryphon game at Alumni Stadium during the past two or three decades, there’s a good chance you’ve seen Brenda Pilon or Eleanor Marriott. They’re long-time fans who usually sit at the top of the hill on the east side of the facility, quite often with cow bells in hand. This is the 35th season they’ve been at the games cheering for the Gryphons. Read the rest of the article from gryphonfootball.com by clicking here. Football Gryphs Break Out against Windsor The Guelph Gryphons felt they were due a breakout game and they did it in a record way Saturday afternoon at the expense of the Windsor Lancers. The Gryphs, who suffered losses in overtime in their first two games of the OUA football season, scores 10 touchdowns as they destroyed Windsor 82-10 at Alumni Stadium. Read the rest of the article from guelphsportsjournal.com by clicking here. Isenor Named Gryphons Special Teams Player of the Week after Setting Record TD Run It’s little surprise to those that have seen Ryan Isenor play football that he would make an immediate impact wherever he decided to go play at the next level. The University of Guelph Gryphons are finding that out firsthand. Read the rest of the article from norfolknews.ca by clicking here. Guelph Football Gryphons Too Much for Toronto in Road Win The Guelph Gryphons improved to 2-2 in OUA football play with a 43-6 road win over Toronto on Saturday. The Gryphon defence forced four turnovers on the day (two interceptions and two fumbles) and held the Varsity Blues to just 21 yards rushing and 142 yards passing, said a news release. Read the rest of the article from guelphmercury.com by clicking here. Guelph Gryphons Football Homecoming Game a Hot Ticket with Students A huge number of University of Guelph students turned out this morning and waited in line at the Gryphon Fieldhouse to get their hands on tickets to the Gryphons football team's 2017 Homecoming game. The student sale for the big game started at 11 a.m. and the doors to the Fieldhouse opened at 9 a.m. Read the rest of the article from guelphmercury.com by clicking here. Pavilion Grand Opening A new home for alumni and current players that will also help attract top student athletes opened today at the University of Guelph. The new Pavilion, connected to Alumni Stadium on College Avenue, is located on a campus road that has been renamed Lang Way in honour of the facility’s benefactors, including the former Gryphon’s head football coach. Stu and Kim Lang provided funding for the Pavilion through their Angel Gabriel Foundation. As well, several of the rooms in the Pavilion were named by donors. During the opening ceremony, U of G president, Franco Vaccarino, said the Pavilion symbolizes the University’s commitment to “the whole student” and to “connecting communities”. Read the rest of the article from new.uoguelph.ca by clicking here. To see pictures of the Grand Opening event, click here. To see a video of the Grand Opening event, click here. The Gryphons are excited to welcome linebacker Uriel Kalenga from Camplain College Lennoxville in Quebec. Kalenga dreams of playing professional football and he thinks Gryphon Football is an excellent stepping stone to help him achieve his goals. “Guelph prepares a lot of athletes to get to the professional level,” Kalenga said. “The facilities are incredible. I felt like (it was) a Division 1 NCAA university, but in Canada. I was really impressed. Guelph make me feel like I was home!” “I really enjoy watching how the coaches at Guelph re like brothers. Family is important to me and they send that vibes to the players,” he said. “I think that’s how you gain the trust of the coaches. It makes a better and stronger team.” Kalenga has been playing football for 10 years and won a Bol D’or after an undefeated season with his team, the Champlain College Lennoxville Cougars. Before the Cougars, he played with Académie les Estacades. He is from Gatineau, Quebec and committed before our training camp start for 2018. At the University, he would like to take leadership and organizational management with a minor in sports management. Original article from Canadian Football Chat. “The Gryphons POP Group means the world to me. I packed up my 17 year old baby boy and moved him 2600 kms away from home without knowing anyone in Guelph. My son and I both instantly felt the love and support from the team and the POP Group. From finding a place for my son to park his car while he was home for Christmas to making me feel like I was a part of the team from so far away... you went above and beyond to make us feel at home. You guys are a special group and I will never forget your kindness and commitment to the boys and their families. Thank you!” Cara Hooker, Mom of 3rd year Gryphon, Jamal Hooker This month’s Gryphons in the Community include high school players, Kalen Fraser from the Bishop Macdonell Celtics and Dakota Brown from the Centennial Spartans in Guelph. Both of these young men are preparing to play varsity in the fall of 2018 and as part of their training over the summer, they participated in summer football training coached by Coach Matt Nesbitt. “I love playing football so I can stay fit and it’s a really fun sport.