HIGH ACHIEVERS WEEKEND WRAP: Late field goal drama kicks Pedro the Panda Trophy back to the Gee-Gees

By Martin Cleary

The University of Ottawa Gee-Gees and their celebratory fans got ‘a kick’ out of winning the 57th Panda football game at TD Place Stadium.

Meanwhile, the Carleton University Ravens and their disappointed supporters felt like they were ‘kicked’ in the mid section, after missing a chance to tie the game and force overtime for another opportunity to defend their rivalry title.

The annual hometown Gee-Gees vs Ravens football clash at high-noon on Sunday produced plenty of rushing and passing yardage as well as points, but it came down to a late fourth-quarter kicking duel to decide the 2026-27 home for the Pedro the Panda Trophy.

The seesaw battle saw Carleton score two touchdowns for a 14-3 advantage after the first quarter. But Ottawa stormed back in the middle two quarters to secure a 32-17 lead. Carleton responded with two touchdowns, including an all-important two-point convert run by Matthew Morin, to tie the game at 32-32.

As the clock ticked down and overtime was a possibility in front of a sold-out crowd of 24,000, the Gee-Gees quickly went to work to regain the trophy they owned from 2019 through 2024.

On the ninth play of a 67-yard drive, placement kicker Zachary Copeland kicked a 13-yard field goal to put the Gee-Gees ahead 35-32. But there were still 64 seconds left in regulation time.

Carleton took the kickoff and moved the ball to the Gee-Gees’ 42-yard line. On the final play of the game, backup placement kicker Ethan Farahani attempted a 49-yard field goal. It initially appeared to have enough oomph to go through the goal posts, but it landed a few feet short.

The Gee-Gees, 4-2, celebrated. The Ravens, 0-5, consoled each other.

Farahani was in a tough situation. Regular Ravens placement kick Carlton Thai missed the game because of injury. Thai, who’s making his Ravens debut this season after attending Merrimack College, had made seven of eight field goal attempts this season with his longest being 43 yards.

Earlier in the Panda Game, Farahani kicked a 37-yard field goal in the second quarter and was successful on all three of his convert attempts.

Panda Game fans are familiar with last-minute field goal kicking drama. During the eight Panda matches between 2015 and 2023, three games were decided by a late, and in two cases, lengthy field goal.

Campbell Fair authored two of those game-winning boots, connecting on a record 55-yard field goal as time expired to give the Gee-Gees an 18-16 win in 2023, and again in 2021 with a 45-yard field goal with less than a minute to play for a 19-17 victory.

In 2015, Michael Domagala’s 17-yard field goal on the final play of overtime gave Carleton a 48-45 victory.

The pass-catch team of quarterback Josh Janssen and receiver Devaughn Blackwood combined for three touchdowns in the second quarter to provide the bulk of the Gee-Gees’ scoring. Blackwood, who played four years at St. Francis Xavier University before transferring to uOttawa this season, had touchdown catches and runs of nine, 31 and 13 yards and a total of six receptions for 83 yards.

“(Panda) is one of the biggest environments I’ve ever played in. It’s a little different scoring in front of 25,000,” Blackwood told The Charlatan, Carleton University’s student newspaper.

The Panda Game is the largest attended U Sports event of the Canadian university season and considered one of the nation’s greatest college rivalries.

The Gee-Gees’ other touchdown came from Souleymane Camara, one of the country’s top university running backs. He had a one-yard touchdown run, which was a small part of his 131-yard, 21-carry day.

Copeland also contributed a 33-yard field goal, two converts and a single before his game-clinching field goal.

Carleton scored its touchdowns three different ways. In the first quarter, Zacharie Georges ran one yard for a six-pointer and Joshua Awoodzie intercepted a Janssen pass and ran 30 yards for a touchdown.

Quarterback Elijah Barnes went to the air in the second half for touchdown passes to Frederick Hachey, 15 yards, and Benjamin Huckabone, 14 yards.

Janssen completed 25 of 31 passes for 334 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions, while Barnes was almost identical at 25 for 32, 316 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

Besides Blackwood, Janssen looked to three other receivers, hitting Emyl Gregoire for 72 yards off five catches, Camara for 72 yards from three catches and Robin Collioud for 68 yards off seven catches. Huckabone and Hachey were Barnes’ two best targets with six catches each for 90 and 81 yards respectively.

Defensively, Jaxxon Brashear was a big force for the Gee-Gees with eight solo tackles and six assists, while Patrick Cumberbatch had five tackles and two assists. Carleton’s best defenders were Jake Henderson with four tackles and four assists and Andrew Christie with 10 assisted tackles.

GEE-GEES WOMEN’S SOCCER TEAM POSTS TWO SHUTOUT WINS

The undefeated University of Ottawa Gee-Gees women’s soccer team posted a pair of one-sided, shutout victories to improve its OUA East Division lead to six points at eight wins and one tie.

Sabrina Mangiaracina counted one goal and added two assists as the Gee-Gees blanked the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks 5-0. Heidi Miles scored twice, while Erica Tsang and Elianne Gervais counted one goal each. Goaltender Paige Robert earned the one-save shutout.

Seven players shared in the scoring as uOttawa turned back the Trent University Excalibur 9-0. Tsang and Gracie Somers had two goals apiece, while single goals went to Chloe Murphy, Eva Bouity, Mangiaracina, Celina Bensebaa and Gervais. The shutout was shared by Robert and Isabella Vandenberg.

The Carleton University Ravens split their two games. The Ravens defeated Trent 2-0 on goals by Sydney Lytle and Georgia Miller, while Tyler Dukart had the shutout. But the Ravens lost to Toronto Metropolitan University Bold 3-1 with Ava Mills connecting for Carleton.

In men’s OUA soccer, Carleton defeated Trent 4-1, but lost to the Bold 2-1. Adam Ross, Xavier-Etienne Patry, Caden Tomy and John Aldiban scored for Carleton in the win. Anthony Aweya had the Ravens’ goal in the loss.

At the Gee-Gees’ Preseason Classic women’s volleyball tournament, uOttawa dropped its first two games 25-18, 22-25, 25-18 to the Waterloo University Warriors and the Université de Montréal Carabins 25-27, 25-16.

But on the second day, the Gee-Gees rebounded to defeat the Memorial University Sea-Hawks 25-21, 25-22 and the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack 25-15, 25-19.

The Carleton men’s basketball team won two of three games in the Ron and Jane Graham Shootout at the University of Saskatchewan.

After losing their opening game 77-70 to the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds, the Ravens rebounded to defeat the University of Alberta Golden Bears 89-78 and the host Saskatchewan Huskies 92-79.

The top scorers for Carleton were Dylan Kayijuka with a combined 68 points and Augustas Brazdeikis with 57 points.

The Gee-Gees dropped a pair of exhibition women’s basketball games to the Montréal Carabins 70-69 and Saint Mary’s Huskies 75-48. Brooke Gruhn led uOttawa with a total of 30 points.

At the prestigious Park Shin-Ja Cup women’s basketball tournament in Busan, South Korea, the Ravens got a true taste of playing professional teams. In its first two games, Carleton lost 99-47 to Yongin Samsung Life Insurance and 103-41 to Busan BNK Sum W. Carleton is scheduled to play Fujitsu Red Wave in its third of four group matches Wednesday.

Extra time was needed in uOttawa’s two women’s hockey games as the Gee-Gees lost in overtime 5-4 to the McGill University Redbirds and 3-2 in a shootout to the Université Laval Rouge et Or.

Erica Buckley, Avery Krawchuk, Macyn Driver and Silken Nicholas scored in regulation for the Gee-Gees against McGill. The uOttawa goal scorers in the Laval game were Kennedy Vickers and Anya Misner.

In RSEQ rugby, Carleton fell 73-0 to McGill in the men’s game and 67-0 to Laval in the women’s match.

SOPHIA JENSEN EXPERIENCES PADDLING’S MANY DISCIPLINES

World 500-metre champion Sophia Jensen of Chelsea and the Cascades Canoe Club finished her 2026 sprint canoe season competing halfway around the world, paddling in a rule-altered, chaotic race and wearing a bronze medal around her neck.

And her story wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t mention her introduction to slalom canoe and dragon boat racing.

Jensen was the only Canadian invited to compete in the Hangzhou Super Cup. She was hoping to sign off her season with a more relaxed race, after winning gold and silver medals in her respective 500- and 200-metre events at the pressure-packed world championships in Poland.

But regatta organizers fiddled with the regatta rules by modifying some race regulations, including ignoring what lane you’re in at the end of the race.

Despite the new approach and feeling unclear about the rules, Jensen responded by finishing the women’s C1 500 metres in two minutes, 18.72 seconds, which earned her the bronze medal. Mengya Sun of China finished 3.54 seconds ahead of Jensen in first place, while Hungary’s Agnes Anna Kiss was second and only 0.83 seconds behind the winner.

“I think the goal is to bring together several paddle sports within a single event and to try new things,” Jensen, who recently turned 25, told Louis-Michel Lelievre of Sportcom. “Even if the stakes are lower, I remain competitive and I still want to win.

“It was a great race at the C1 500 metres even though I didn’t have the best preparation, to be honest. There were practically no rules either. I think you could do pretty much anything, finish in any lane. It was chaotic and different. I don’t think I particularly like this format.”

Jensen’s other canoe race saw her team with Spain’s Jaime Duro for the 5,000-metre mixed relay. They placed fifth about 10 seconds outside a podium result.

Jensen was right when she said the regatta brought several paddle disciplines together. She had the opportunity to practise whitewater canoe and kayak in a training pool. When she moved onto the real course with its choppy waters and quick turns in fast flowing water, she managed to go about 100 metres “before completely losing control.”

The regatta also was home for the Dragon Boat World Championships and when a Canadian boat needed one more athlete, Jensen was recruited to fill the spot.

“It was so much harder than I expected, but I absolutely loved the experience,” she added.

BIG GAME FOR YALE RUNNING BACK HUGO DJEUMENI KEMENI

Running back Hugo Djeumeni Kemeni of Ottawa had a breakout game in his second year with the Yale University Bulldogs, who rallied to defeat Merrimack College Warriors 41-24.

Djeumeni Kemeni, who was a star for his two years at Tabor Academy prep school in Marion, Massachusetts, had a full day at the office, gaining a personal-best 132 yards off 30 carries. He also scored his second touchdown of the season off a nine-yard run to complete the Bulldogs’ scoring.

His effort, which helped the Bulldogs post their 10th straight win in the Yale Bowl dating back to 2024, elevated his personal stats to 242 yards from 56 carries in three games this season. He also has had six receptions for 24 yards.

“Today was a day we had to get it done,” Dejumeni Kemeni said in a Yale press release. “I think that really brought us closer. Give that extra five per cent, go the extra mile, push for the extra yard. It all mattered today.”

RUNNING BACKS MARVYN LAROZAR, SHILOH MUKENDI TOUGH TO STOP

A pair of talented running backs from the Cumberland Panthers’ minor football system are doing some serious damage when it comes to gaining yards on both sides of the 49th parallel.

Marvyn Larozar and Shiloh Mukendi played together for many years before following the prep-school route and attending Asheville School in Asheville, North Carolina.

When Larozar graduated in the spring, he headed to the University of British Columbia and has made headlines in his rookie season.

In his second game with UBC, Larozar ran for a stunning 285 yards on 22 carries and collected four touchdowns against the University of Alberta Golden Bears.

He played his fifth game for the Thunderbirds on the weekend and recorded 137 yards off 26 carries and one touchdown along with 27 yards from four receptions in UBC’s 34-24 loss to the University of Saskatchewan Huskies.

About halfway through his season, Larozar is a serious candidate for the U Sports rookie of the year with these stats – No. 1 nationally ranked in yards rushing at 722, No. 2 in carries at 93 (behind University of Ottawa’s Souleymane Camara at 104), nine touchdowns, 870 all-purpose yards, and No. 2 nationally in yards per game at 144.8.

Meanwhile, Mukendi is ranked No. 2 among high school running backs in the United States based on total rushing yards.

In the first six games of his senior high school season, he has accumulated 1,609 yards for an average of 12.19 yards a carry and 268.2 yards a game. Mukendi has recorded two 300-yard-plus games, including a 399-yard performance on Saturday.

His work has been noticed as he already has seven NCAA Division 1 athletic scholarship offers.

Not only is Mukendi a running back and a receiver, but he also plays outside linebacker. A multi-talented player, he has made 15 solo tackles and has earned two interceptions.

NEPEAN KNIGHTS SCORE TWO WINS AT NCSSAA BOYS’ GOLF FINAL

The winds blew hard on Monday, but Chase Jerome of Nepean High School emerged as a double champion at the National Capital Secondary School Athletic Association boys’ golf championship at the Rideau View Golf Club.

Not only did Jerome win the open singles division competition with an even-par 72 on the 7,000-yard-plus Manotick course, but also he sparked the Knights to the team title.

Jerome was joined on the Nepean team by Brooks Chase at 81, Christopher Runia at 82 and Jerome Ryder at 89. Nepean finished with a 10-stroke victory and a 235 total.

Sacred Heart placed second at 245 with four consistent scores from Colin Dunning, who won the high school singles division competition at 80, Felix Leblanc at 81, Charlie Aris at 84 and Blake Scott at 86. Leblanc was second in the high school standings.

The St. Mark squad of Tristan Henderson at 80, Calvin Smith at 83, Ben Hamilton at 84 and Calvin Shulha at 91 was third at 247.

Sawyer Scatcherd of St. Francis Xavier finished second to Jerome in the open singles flight at 78.

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