Gryphons grind past Lions

By Andrew Soong, September 26th, 2012

The Selwyn House Gryphons downed the CDM Lions 19-7 in Bantam boys' football Friday at Jeanne Mance Park.
“It's good that we finished the way we did and we have a solid foundation to build on,” said Gryphons head coach Matt Connell about the Gryphons' opening game of the season. “I knew that the Lions were a good team from last year and they proved to be today.”
The opening half of the early afternoon game was scoreless with the Lions pushing deep into the visiting team's red zone. Despite floundering for the better part of  the opening half, the Gryphons almost broke the stalemate in closing minutes of the first half with a run into the end zone called back leaving a tie. According to Connell “we had to give the team a talking to.”
“It looked like we were asleep in the first half of the game,” conceded Connell about the opening half of the game. “It was a terrible start, but it could have been worst.”
The Gryphons returned to the field in the second half a seemingly new team opening with a touchdown run into the end zone by Dhandre Weekes. Minutes later Weekes runs into the end zone after a 60 yard reception for his second touchdown reinforcing the Gryphons' lead. In the closing two minutes of the game the Gryphons extended their lead with a 67 yard return followed by successful point after from Christopher William Jones securing the Gryphons' dominance of the grid iron 19-0.
However, the Lions were undaunted on the football field often foiling further attempts by the Gryphons to reach the end zone. With one last thrust into the Gryphons' end zone, the Lions persevered and finished the game with a last defiant touchdown into the end zone followed with a successful point after ending the game 19-7. According to Lions head coach Michel Cardinal “I am really satisfied with the game because we have a young team.”
“The number of players of the other team made a difference,” said Cardinal about his team's first match of the season. “Most of our players don't have any experience playing football and I'm really happy with the outcome [despite the loss].”