Gaiters dumped by Vert & Or in Mayor’s Cup

LENNOXVILLE, Que. – Five touchdown passes by Jean-Philippe Shoiry led the Sherbrooke Vert & Or to a 49-11 victory over the Bishop's Gaiters in Quebec University Football League play today at Coulter Field. The 2,173 fans in attendance saw the Vert & Or score 20 points in the second quarter to become the first visiting team to win the Mayor's Cup.

Shoiry finished with 29 completions on 39 attempts, and threw for 372 yards as the Vert & Or avenged the 40-10 loss they suffered at Sherbrooke two weeks ago. Vincent Garwood and Simon Charbonneau-Campeau each caught two touchdown passes, while Alex Poirier caught the final scoring pass. Sherbrooke also scored on a one-yard plunge by Olivier Nassif-Bouchard, a pair of William Dion field goals and a safety touch.

The Gaiters' highlight of the day came in the first quarter, as second-year safety Jermaine Gabriel scored on a 112-yard punt return, a new school record, and the third-longest punt return in QUFL history. After his score and a Josh Maveety (Kingston, Ont.) early in the second quarter, the Gaiters led 10-7, but Sherbrooke rattled off 35 unanswered points.

The Vert & Or outgained Bishop's 486 to 70, and made 34 first downs to the Gaiters' 8. Sherbrooke caused four turnovers by the Gaiters, but committed only two of their own.

Charbonneau-Campeau led the Sherbrooke receivers with nine catches for 140 yards, while Poirier caught eight for 93. David Dumas-Goulet was the leading receiver for the Vert & Or with 15 carries for 82 yards.

For Bishop's, starting quarterback Jesse Andrews struggled, going 7-for-14 for 65 yards. He was replaced by Jordan Heather in the third quarter, who went 4-for-10 for 37 yards. Stephen Adekolu (Brampton, Ont.) was the Gaiters' leading receiver with five catches for 40 yards.

Defensively, Tyler Jutras (Chateauguay, Que.) led the Gaiters with eight tackles, while Zak Buis (North Delta, B.C.) made one sack and forced a fumble. Dan West (Ajax, Ont.) made his second interception of the season.

With the win, Sherbrooke moves into sole possession of fourth place in the QUFL, and needs only a win or a Concordia loss next week to clinch a playoff berth. The Gaiters, meanwhile, remain tied for second place with the Montreal Carabins at 5-3.

Sherbrooke's (4-4) next game is next Saturday, as they head to McGill to play the Redmen (0-8). The Gaiters (5-3) close out the regular season next Saturday, as they visit the Carabins (5-3). The winner of that game will clinch second place in the QUFL, and host a semi-final game. Kickoff at the CEPSUM stadium is set for 1 p.m., and the game will be shown live on Radio-Canada, the French-language television service of the CBC.