Axemen outlast Gaiters on rainy Homecoming Saturday in Lennoxville
The No. 7-ranked Acadia Axemen spoiled the Bishop's Gaiters 2019 unblemished home record and their homecoming celebrations with a 24-12 victory on Coulter Field on Saturday.
Axeman quarterback Hunter Guenard was 17-31 for 298 yards and a touchdown. His favourite target, Cordell Hastings, caught five passes for 103 yards. Meanwhile Dale Wright rushed 20 times for 88 yards.
For Bishop's pivot, Charles Aubry (Laval, Que./college Lionel-groulx) was 21-33 for 248 yards. He added 22 yards on the ground. Zach Graveson (Sherbrooke, Que./champlain-lennoxville) caught seven balls for 81 yards while Nathan Walker (Brampton, Ont./st. Roch C.S.S.) caught four balls for 50 yards and a touchdown, part of his 202 all-purpose yards. Walker was the Subway Player of the Game
The rainy Lennoxville Saturday did not deter the rowdy crowd of 1635 from turning up at Coulter Field. It did have an effect on the first half.
Bishop's received the opening kickoff and went two-and-out. Acadia responded with a seven-play, 57-yard drive that cumulated with a Duncan Patterson 1-yard plunge. That was the only score in the stanza.
Bishop's kicker Noah Laursen (Calgary, Alta./bishop Carroll H.S.) booted through a 10-yard field goal to get the Gaiters on the board 3:25 into the second quarter.
The Gaiters tacked on a single. Acadia's Ben George kicked a 31-yard field goal at the 12:34 mark to make it 10-4 in favour of the visitors at halftime.
Acadia conceded a safety to open the third quarter but the 10-6 mark was as close as Bishop's got. Patterson scored his second major of the day, another 1-yard sneak, with 10:14 remaining in the third. Guenard connected with Glodin Mulaili for 45 yards that put the game all but out of reach early in the fourth.
The Gaiters scored their touchdown with two seconds remaining when Liam Kennedy (Nepean, Ont./st. Joseph H.S.) connected with Walker for a 13-yard catch and run, the two-point conversion failed for a final of 24-12 in favour of the nation's seventh-ranked Axemen.
Next up, Bishop's heads to St. Francis Xavier on Friday, Oct. 4.
Acadia has the bye.
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