Rookie receiver Kian Schaffer-Baker had a first game for the Gryphons that he’s not likely to forget.
A true rookie, one who was never on a scout team, Schaffer-Baker caught three passes for a team-high 91 yards in last weekend’s 41-22 victory over the Toronto Varsity Blues.
“It was amazing and it meant a lot to me,” he said of that performance. “I was pretty surprised, actually.”
Schaffer-Baker made the first Gryphon reception of the season when he caught a 35-yarder from quarterback James Roberts three and a half minutes into the game. His other catches were for 29 yards later in the first quarter and for 27 yards in the fourth quarter. The first one was his favourite as he eluded would-be Toronto tacklers for his longest gain.
“That one felt pretty good,” he said.
While 11 true rookies suited up for the game, Schaffer-Baker was the only one who was listed as a starter for the season opener.
“I was a little bit surprised, but I felt like I was working hard for it and I felt I definitely deserved the spot,” he said. "I put in a lot of work.
“You still never know what can happen, but I just wanted to come out and play the best I can.”
Schaffer-Baker came to the Gryphons after playing at Our Lady of Mount Carmel high school in Mississauga. He also played summer football with the Mississauga Warriors where he led the Ontario Varsity Football League’s varsity division team with 31 catches for 437 yards and nine touchdowns.
The 6-foot-3, 180-pound Schaffer-Baker wasn’t fazed by the jump from high school football to the university game.
“(Training camp) was definitely completely different in the amount of hours we had, the film, the meetings we have to go through,” he said. “There’s also a lot more pressure on your body. It’s not like a high school training camp.”
Practices are different, too.
“Not even close,” he said. “With high school, there are a lot of people who will slack off and don’t really care as much but in this, everyone’s 100 per cent in and always want to make everyone better.”
Another big difference is the play book for the university game.
“It’s really overwhelming. The main thing is you’ve got to stay calm and just always be ready to go,” Schaffer-Baker said. "Basically the whole day you’re just thinking about it. It’s always on your mind.
“I still have to look at it from time to time to make sure I know everything. You don’t want to know just your spot, you want to know each spot, every position. It’s a lot.”
Schaffer-Baker felt a small case of the jitters prior to the season opener, but they didn’t last long.
“A little bit before the game I was nervous, but as soon as I got out there I was ready to go,” he said. “It’s football and I’ve been playing football for the past nine years.”
While the Gryphons won their opening game, they’ll be looking for a better performance Labour Day Monday against the Windsor Lancers at Windsor.
“There were definitely a few mistakes that we made and we’re going to work on that to become better,” Schaffer-Baker said. “We still got the win, but it could’ve been a lot better.”
The Gryphons head into this weekend’s game ranked No. 6 in the country, the same ranking they had at the beginning of last year. Windsor isn’t ranked.
Game time Monday at Windsor’s Alumni Field is 1 p.m.