The Carleton Ravens football team is heading to the OUA semi-finals for the second straight season following a decisive 45-9 victory over their archrivals the Ottawa Gee-Gees in the OUA quarter-finals.
With the Ravens having already earned a 43-23 victory over the Gee-Gees at this year’s Panda Game, tensions were running high between both teams. Prior to the opening coin toss, the teams got into a shoving match to set the tone for the rest of the game.
In the first quarter, Carleton took an early 10-0 lead after a touchdown pass from quarterback Jesse Mills to receiver Wilson Birch.
Once the Ravens grabbed the lead they didn’t let go the rest of the way due to a strong running game and a stingy defence.
Carleton’s running backs couldn’t be stopped as they combined for a total of 315 rushing yards against the Gee-Gees defence. Ravens running back Christian Battistelli ran for 131 yards on 15 carries with a touchdown, while his teammate Jayde Rowe ran for 125 yards on 15 carries with two touchdowns.
The Ravens defence did their part in shutting down a Gee-Gees offence that ranked second in the OUA this season by averaging 531 yards per game. The Gee-Gees were held to 278 yards of total offence and turned the ball over twice on interceptions.
Carleton now moves to the OUA semi-finals, where the Ravens will take on the Western Mustangs this Saturday, Nov. 5, in London. Western finished tied for first in the OUA this season with a 7-1 record.
The Mustangs will be looking for revenge against the Ravens as Western’s only loss of the season came during Carleton’s home opener, when the Ravens won 38-31.