Mon, September 6, 2004 Ottawa Sun - by CHRIS OCCHIUZZI "GGs' labour rewarded - Ottawa rallies to produce double-overtime victory in thriller" Gee-Gees 25, Warriors (2OT) 24, CIS university football Working overtime on the Labour Day weekend paid off for the Ottawa Gee-Gees. Make that double overtime. The Gee-Gees kicked off their university football season by edging the Waterloo Warriors 25-24 in the second extra session last night at Frank Clair Stadium. The back-and-forth tilt was decided when Gee-Gees kicker Ara Tchobanian of Nepean scored a single off a missed 10-yard field-goal attempt. "The score doesn't indicate the way the game went," said Gee-Gees coach Denis Piche. "I feel we dominated. But commend Waterloo. They're tough and they played hard." Tchobanian finished the night with 13 points, going 3-for-6 on field-goal attempts. The defences dominated in the first half, which ended with the Warriors up 7-6. "The defence did a good job of keeping us in the game," said Gee-Gees quarterback Michael Crabtree, who completed 13-of-24 passes for 226 yards and a touchdown, and rushed for 21 yards on six carries. Fourth-year wide receiver Kenneth Branco caught the touchdown pass, finishing the night with three receptions for 95 yards. Ottawa's tailbacks also sparkled. Derek Belvedere carried 24 times for 161 yards while Shonari Knibbs collected 55 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. Ottawa had to rally to send the game into overtime. Leading 17-16, the Gee-Gees forced Waterloo to punt with just over 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter. But a Gee-Gees fumble was recovered by the Warriors. That led to the go-ahead points when Waterloo quarterback Jon Morbey hit wide receiver Kyle Raymond for a 20-yard score. A successful two-point conversion put the visitors up 24-17 with about nine minutes left. "On special teams, we have to be a bit smarter," said Piche. The teams exchanged possessions, then Crabtree marched the Gee-Gees down the field to the Waterloo two-yard line. From there, Knibbs took the ball in for a major. The ensuing convert tied the game with 4:28 remaining. "I'm really pleased with the effort," said Piche. "I challenged the guys at the half and they responded.'' After the clubs exchanged field goals in the second half, Ottawa took a 16-10 lead when Crabtree found Branco alone in the end zone for a major. The Gee-Gees then added a single. Waterloo closed the deficit early in the fourth quarter, scoring a TD from the Gee-Gees' five-yard line on a third-down gamble. However, the snap for the convert was missed, allowing the Gee-Gees to retain a 17-16 lead. Morbey completed 16-of-36 passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns. EXTRA POINTS: Canadian Interuniversity Sport uses the same shoot-out overtime format as the CFL, with both teams beginning series at the 35-yard line ... The Gee-Gees (1-0) meet York (0-0) next Saturday in Toronto. chris.occhiuzzi@ott.sunpub.com