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Have the Laurier Golden Hawks finally settled on a starting quarterback six games into their season? Maybe. Maybe not. After surviving a couple years without an authentic starter, the Hawks now appear to have two.
We have great confidence in both kids. Its kind of a week-to-week deal, said a decidedly non-committal football coach Gary Jeffries, whose No. 10 Hawks visit the No. 6 Ottawa Gee-Gees in this afternoons Ontario conference play. After losing his job to American new arrival Shane Kelly in training camp, Lauriers Evan Pawliuk is poised to make his third consecutive start. And thats welcome news for the purple and golds receivers and linemen alike. Consistency is critical in making plays and keeping (Lauriers) offence on the field, said Jeffries. Ottawas offence, which features the premier quarterback in Canadian university football, Brad Sinopoli, can be lethal. Sinopoli sits atop the leader board in virtually all offensive categories, from touchdown passes (18) to passing yardage (373.8 per game). Its going to be imperative that we be on the field and we move the football, said Jeffries. To have their best chance against the 5-1(won-lost) Gee-Gees, the Hawks need to win the battle for field position, Jeffries said. Relegated to clipboard duty to start the season, Pawliuk crept back into the picture following Kellys unfortunate spate of injuries. Pawliuk, a fourth-year business major from Kingston, has now engineered three straight wins for the 3-2 Hawks. Hes a wheeling and dealing southpaw, tough as nails and is most effective while hes scrambling. Kelly, a missile launcher who started for Columbia University in New York two seasons ago, is big, strong and poised. But, because of his successive foot, arm and shoulder injuries, he has yet to find his groove in the Canadian game. Kelly is reportedly ready to play this weekend. Each provides a different look for defences, so maybe two arms are better than one. Its coming along really well, Pawliuk said after Lauriers 36-2 romp over Guelph last week, adding both pivots have pushed each other in practice. We are going to work together all year to make sure we peak at the right time. Meanwhile, the Gee-Gees look to regain their form after they absorbed a stunning 40-35 defeat to the Toronto Varsity Blues last weekend. I think our players definitely want to prove that last week was a little bit of a mistake, said Gee-Gees rookie head coach Jean-Phillipe Asselin. And that they can play at a way higher level than what they showed (against Toronto). In Thursday nights conference action, McMaster staved off a late charge from Guelph and held on to a 43-35 victory.
crivet@therecord.com
