KINGSTON, Ont. - Touchdown catches by Giovanni Aprile (Toronto, Ont.) and Tim Godber (Montreal, Que.) led the Queen's Gaels to a 23-9 win over the McGill Redmen in non-conference football action at Richardson Stadium, Sunday afternoon. Aprile opened the scoring on a 56-yard catch-and-run at 8:07 of the first quarter, while Godber found the end zone in the fourth quarter on a 32-yard pass from fellow freshman Austin Geddes (London, Ont.)

After Aprile's score, the Gaels extended their lead to 12-0 after the first quarter on a safety touch and a 47-yard field goal from Dillon Wamsley (London, Ont.). The rookie followed up his field goal with an 85-yard kickoff single.

The only scoring in the second quarter came at 13:07, when the Gaels conceded a safety touch, leaving their halftime lead at 12-2. In the second half, the Gaels got a pair of singles from Aaron Gazendam, both on missed field goal attempts, and another safety touch, to stretch the margin to 23-2. McGill scored their only touchdown of the game with five minutes left, as Mathieu Lepage scored on a 19-yard pass from Dallon Kuprowski.

Gaels starting quarterback Billy McPhee (Burlington, Ont.) played most of the first half and the first series of the second half, and went 12-for-21 for 187 yards. Ryan Mitchell (Toronto, Ont.), Max Townsend (Toronto, Ont.), and Austin Geddes (London, Ont.) all had stints in relief, with Geddes having the most success, going 3-for-3 for 34 yards and a touchdown.

Ryan Granberg (Sherwood Park, Alta.) finished with nine carries for 43 yards, as the Gaels totaled 104 rushing yards in the game. Aprile led the Gaels with four carries for 89 yards, while Justin Chapdelaine (Abbotsford, B.C.) made five catches for 59 yards.

McGill rotated three quarterbacks throughout the game, with Ryne Bondy throwing for 118 yards and Kuprowski going 10-for-18 for 97 yards. Luis-André Guimond-Mota led the Redmen rushers with 24 yards, while Shaquille Jonson caught six passes for 67 yards.

Defensively, 31 different players made tackles for Queen's, led by 4.5 from sophomore Yann Dika-Balotoken (Toronto, Ont.) and a pair of sacks from rookie linebacker Mike Leroux (Kingston, Ont.). The defensive highlight for Queen's came early in the fourth quarter when they stopped the Redmen when they had first and goal from the two-yard line. Until that drive, McGill had advanced no further than the Queen's 42.

Wamsley had a strong initial outing, averaging 44.5 yards on five punts, 68.5 yards on four kickoff attempts, and hitting his only field goal try. Two local products also saw time at kicker, with Holy Cross grad Aaron Gazendam making one punt for 51 yards, a 54-yard kickoff and going 0-for-2 on field goals, while Sydenham's Garnet Peters had a 60-yard kickoff, a 39-yard punt and converted the Gaels' final touchdown.

The Gaels outgained McGill 323 to 242, and made 20 first downs to 18 for the Redmen. McGill took 19 penalties for 148 yards, while Queen's was whistled six times for 65 yards. Each team committed four turnovers.

McGill opens their regular season in one week, as they visit the Laval Rouge et Or on Sunday, September 2. The Gaels kick off the regular season on Monday, September 3, as they host the York Lions. Kickoff at Richardson Stadium is set for 2 p.m.