By Dylan Monico – Contributor

It was a brisk Saturday afternoon in Lennoxville on Nov. 4 when the Gaiters faced off against the Mounties of Mount Allison in Atlantic University Sport (AUS) playoff action. After a rough first half being down 15-7, the Gaiters would rally together and claim the victory with a final score of 34-15.

Mason McGriskin (North Bay, ON), the senior signal caller, was a huge factor in the Gaiter’s success. While McGriskin finished with 151 passing yards and a touchdown, where he shined was in the run game. McGriskin had eight rushes for 48 yards and not one, but two majors. McGriskin picked up where he left off in the regular season where he finished second in the AUS with four rushing touchdowns.

Beyond doubt, the Gaiters’ two biggest plays of the game occurred just over a minute apart. With about nine minutes left in the third quarter and the Mounties leading 15-7, senior safety and AUS All-Star Yani Gouadfel (Mitry-Mory, France) would intercept the Mount Allison pass. He then returned it six yards for a touchdown to make it 14-15. Gouadfel was tied for first in the country with four interceptions in the regular season. His performance is one of the key factors in the Gaiters’ success this season. 

Gouadfel was not the only defensive player with eyes for the end zone. With 8.06 minutes left in the third quarter, just two plays after Gouadfel’s touchdown, freshmen corner Mathieu Déry (Lac-Beauport, QC) intercepted another Mount Allison pass and returned it 34 yards for another Gaiters’ score, making it 21-15 in favor of the Gaiters. Taking their strong regular season play to the postseason was the Gaiters’ defense as they were phenomenal against the Mounties.

Their defense was dominant against Mount Allison, having finished the season first in the country in yards allowed per game, third in the country in turnovers and fifth in the country in sacks. The Bishop’s defense was referred to as a “stubborn defense with scrappy dudes,” by major USports media outlet PRSVRE. Furthermore, as previously mentioned, the defense had two pick 6s as well as two sacks, one by second-year defensive back Alex Macdonald (Eastern Passage, N.S) and one by fifth-year defensive end Rene Zeevat (Merksplas, Belgium). 

With the win against Mount Allison, the Gaiters punched their ticket to the AUS Championship game against the fifth-ranked X-Men of StFX. A win against the X-men, and the Gaiters would have played in the National Semi-Final against the winner of the Canada West Conference. In their Saturday game on Nov. 11 in Antigonish, the Gaiters fell short 34-23, putting their stellar season, full of highlights, to an end.