Marking the halfway point of the regular season, the Gaels defeated their historic rival 48-20, the Ottawa Gee-Gees, on Sept. 14 in Ottawa, recording their 500th all-time win.
The Gaels first took to the gridiron in 1882, since then they’ve been a pioneer leading the way for other football programs nation-wide to look up to, and chase in of legacy and prestige.
For Head Coach of the Men’s Football team, Steve Snyder, the win was more than just an achievement for those who played on the team.
“Anytime you can win a football game, it’s a good feeling. But when you put a bunch of history on top of it, and you’re able to share it with all the people that have played a part in the past that have helped us accumulate to this point, that’s really what 500 was all about. Celebrating the alumni and all the fans,” Snyder said in an interview with The Journal.
Queen’s has been competing against the Gee-Gees since 1889. After winning their last eight games against the grey and garnet, there was pressure to secure the 500th win on the road.
The Gaels came out flying in the first quarter, recording three touchdowns, with the first coming from young phenom Iain St. Arnault ArtSci ’27, who returned yet another missed field goal attempt—making this his third returned field goal attempt in just two games.
Among the other touchdown scorers for the Gaels were Nathan Falconi, ArtSci ’25, Jeremy Hiscox ArtSci ’26, who returned a fumble 19-yards to the endzone, Ethan Dahl ArtSci ’28, Keegan Vanek ArtSci ’25, who recorded a pick-six early in the third quarter, and Jayden Gurzi-MacDonald, ArtSci ’28.
Kicker Tyler Mullan, ArtSci ’26, also recorded another stellar performance, knocking down two field goals, and converting on all of the extra points given to him.
It was a complete effort, both offensively and defensively from the Gaels, capitalizing on the Gee-Gees’ offensive mistakes to return missed field goals, fumbles, and interceptions.
The Gaels’ next matchup is against the Guelph Gryphons; Head Coach Steve Snyder alluded to some of the challenges the team must overcome when playing a team like Guelph, who has an identical record to the Gaels, so close to playoff time.
“Guelph is a really good football team, they’re off to a great start as well. They’re a team with an incredible running back group, a dynamic quarterback group and a very veteran defensive front.” Snyder said, “All the games we’re going to have playoff implications, and they’re all going to be against tough opponents, so this is a big one for sure.”
The Gaels return to Richardson Stadium on Sept. 21 at 3 p.m., make sure to get out and our Gaels!
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