Birchmount Stadium in Scarborough came alive Saturday for the 33rd annual Red and Blue Bowl between the York Yeomen (1-1) and U of T Varsity Blues (0-2). The Yeomen had taken the previous seven decisions against the Blues, dating all the way back to 1995.

The Blues came into the game Saturday hungry for a win, as they had suffered losses in their first two contests against Ottawa and Guelph. The Ottawa game turned into a 43-0 blowout win for the Gee Gees, while the match with Guelph was a much more respectable 32-16 loss.

“We just have to keep working hard. That’s the key to success and winning games,” said Derek Wheeler, inside linebacker for the Blues. “To win we have to be intense and play our system for the full game.”

U of T kicker George Chilakos opened the scoring midway through the first quarter with a thirteen-yard field goal. This came shortly after York kicker Gianfranco Rocca missed on a long attempt on York’s first possession of the game. Chilakos’ 3 point play was the only scoring in the first quarter.

The second frame was dominated by the Yeomen. Quarterback Billy Barbosa got York on the board with a 14-yard touchdown throw to wide receiver Ian De Coteau.

Rocca connected for a field goal on the very next drive. The Yeomen took a 10-3 lead into the dressing room at half time.

The second half yielded very little in the way of scoring, with the Blues picking up a lone field goal and York gaining four points off two safeties. The Yeomen were able to stop a last-second Blues drive and held on to win the game 14-6, capturing the Argo Cup.

“There were a lot of little things we didn’t do,” commented Wheeler after the game. “The guys gave it their all today on a hot day, though, the defence, the offence and special teams.”

A solid performance in a losing effort was put in by the Blues’ defence, which was highlighted by two interceptions and a blocked punt. Linebacker Emeka Ugwu and defensive back Jalal Shah each picked off Barbosa’s passes, while Shah also blocked a Rocca punt in the third quarter.

On the other hand, it was a very long day for the offence, who were not able to put a single major up on the scoreboard. Chilakos also missed two field goal attempts and quarterback Carter Livingstone fumbled the ball on a third-down gamble that did not pay off.

“The last two games we have played well enough to win,” said Rick Kollins, director of football operations for the Blues. “We made critical mistakes at key times and ended up losing because of them.”

One of these mistakes came on a York field goal attempt with less than three minutes left in the game. The kick was wide, but receiver Jason Riff was tackled before he could escape the end zone, resulting in a safety against the Blues. This gave York an eight-point lead with very little time on the clock.

“There is a little lack of confidence among the players late in the game,” observed Kollins. “We need to get that first win, because winning will bring confidence back to this team.

The Blues will continue to search for that first win in their next game, which is on the road against Wilfred Laurier.