By Dylan Monico – Contributor

     The 2023 Gaiters football team did not start their campaign the way they intended. On Aug. 26, Bishop’s traveled to Antigonish, Nova Scotia, to face the defending AUS champions, the St. Francis Xavier X-Men.

The Gaiters unfortunately suffered a 22-8 loss on a rainy and windy day in the East Coast. The Gaiters returned to la belle province with one goal in mind: to dominate the Huskies of Saint Mary’s University (SMU). On Sept. 2, the Gaiters would achieve their goal by defeating SMU 38-10. The 28-point win is the second largest margin of victory for Bishop’s during head coach Cherif Nicolas’s era. The recent record runs just behind the 39-8 win against the Acadia Axemen in 2022. 

There were many key plays in the Gaiters’ victory, but one remarkable play would be in the first quarter when second-year receiver Gabin Leux blocked an SMU punt, which would be recovered by Alex MacDonald and returned 22 yards for a touchdown. This was something the Gaiters never looked back from.

David Chaloux was the game’s leading rusher with 96 yards on 16 rushes, as well as a touchdown. Oliver Burnett contributed with four catches for 56 yards and a touchdown too. On the defensive side of the ball, Gabriel Royer had ten tackles as well as a sack. Veteran defensive lineman Brandon-James Poulin-Marques was a force, adding six tackles, also including a sack. Furthermore, Bishop’s kicker Xavier Gervais had 13 points of his own. He was 3/3 on field goals as well as 4/4 on point after attempts. 

The Gaiters are currently being led by breakout signal caller Justin Quirion. Quirion has amassed an impressive 470 passing yards as well as two touchdowns. He has rushed for 93 yards in just two games. Furthermore, another Gaiter who has stood out this season is fourth-year Jake Matheson. He has been excellent in both of Bishop’s games so far. In two games, Matheson has collected six total tackles and five pass break-ups, leading figures in the country.

Bishop’s looks to improve to 2-1 on Saturday, Sept. 16 when the Acadia Axemen visit Coulter Field to play in front of what should be a packed house for Bishop’s Homecoming 2023.