The Carleton Ravens football team came into their final game of the 2014 season needing a team win or a loss from the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees in order to make the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) playoffs, but neither came to be.
In a cold, rainy home game on Oct. 25 against the Queen’s University Gaels, where Ravens players and coaches were decked out in pink to support breast cancer research, nothing went their way from the start.
The Gaels began by marching down the field with Gaels running back Jesse Andrews getting four first downs in a row and taking the ball deep into Carleton territory. Andrews would rack up 221 yards on the ground for the game.
After a few field goals for each side, Ravens quarterback Nick Gorgichuk fumbled the ball on his own 20-yard line, which was scooped up by Gaels defensive lineman Derek Wiggan and ran in for a touchdown, making it 15-3 for the Gaels.
The Ravens offence continued to struggle as the Gaels picked up another fumble by Ravens receiver Wilson Birch on a subsequent drive. The Gaels capitalized on the error with a touchdown at the end of the half giving them a 22-3 lead.
Carleton would fumble the football five times during the game, losing three of them.
“We just beat ourselves. That was definitely a game we could have won,” said Ravens quarterback Jesse Mills, who would come into the game in the third quarter.
Mills came into the game following a red zone interception thrown by Gorgichuk. Mills would end the game with one touchdown pass to receiver Nate Behar, but it would be the only touchdown for the Ravens that day.
For a moment it seemed like the Ravens could chance at a comeback, but with seven minutes to go in the fourth quarter the Ravens turned the ball over yet again and the Gaels marched down and scored their final touchdown, ending the game at 37-15 for the Gaels.
“It’s better than last year, but I can’t say were happy with this,” Birch said.
The Ravens just missed a playoff berth with this loss, and after beating the McMaster Marauders the Gee-Gees will take the fifth spot in the OUA playoffs.
Despite not making the playoffs for the second consecutive season, the Ravens finished the season 4-4, an impressive turnaround from last year’s 0-8 season.
Ravens conditioning and defensive line coach Darrell Adams said he links their improvement to the hard work they put in in the offseason.
“The guys put the time in, right after last season ended we got right to work,” he said. “Players, coaches, and staff, we put our heads down and we knew this was a process, take the lumps from the first year and then invest in the player development and put the time in.”
After the impressive season Adams said Ravens have many memories to look back on.
“Obviously the Panda game was a good memory. Just the commute at (McMaster), the fact we were in the game in the fourth quarter, the fact that we let that one go,” he said. “You remember the ones you lost more than the ones you win sometimes, the whole season in general was great.”
Birch said the team corrected many of the faults they had in last season’s campaign.
“The greatest memory is just running things that we had trouble with last year, and being able to execute them really well, just seeing how far we’ve come is really one of the best things I’ve been a part of.”
Van Wynsberghe said he would miss the practices with all his teammates.
“I just love being out here every night to practice with my best friends, my brothers,” he said.
When asked what he would miss most about the season, Mills said “the fans.”
While those fans may be disappointed they will have to wait until next September to see their team take the field again, Adams said ultimately the Ravens’ sophomore season was a learning process.
“We’re going into year three. Each game was a different lesson and we’ll learn off of this and take it into next season,” he said. “We’ve got to get better on all three phases of the game and we’ve got to make sure that guys are trusting in each other and trusting in their technique.”
