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Player Diaries Week 3 Gilles Colon is the Gaiters most dangerous weapon. On the field the athletic superstar has gotten the attention of defensive coordinators everywhere, constantly receiving double teams and still managing to beat up on opposing teams. Last week against the Saint Mary's Huskies, Colon scored on an impressive 73 yard catch and once again was over the 130 yard mark. Colon, from Annandale, Virginia, came to Bishop's in 1999 never having played a down of football. Today he is a star on and off the field, and this season has allowed Gaiter fans to get that much closer to the team, by providing a season diary during the 2003 campaign. Here is the third installment of what should be an interesting series:
It is often said that football players don’t cry. Well, that isn’t always the case. In fact, one of the last times I remember crying was in 2000 after our playoff game with Laval. We had played our hearts out for 60 minutes and fell just short. But losing a football game wasn’t the reason that caused a bunch of grown men to cry. The reason was that we had so much pride and team spirit, and no one was playing for themselves. By losing we felt as if they had let each other down. In that playoff game I was so “PROUD TO BE A GAITER”. That feeling had been noticeably absent since then, until this past weekend during the first half against Saint Mary’s. Last week, before the game, the atmosphere through the locker room was amazing. We had nothing to lose and we felt confident. We were playing the number one team in the country and we came out firing. If you weren’t there let me fill you in: Coach Legault called a great first half as the offensive coordinator. We were driving the ball and were playing like we knew we could. Our offensive line played so well that I honestly cannot remember any allowed sacks. Our defense was also stepping it up and you could look into the eyes of Steve Panella, Saint Mary’s QB, and see the respect that they were starting to gain for us. At one point the score was 10 – 9 Bishop’s and you could look into the stands and see how badly our fans also wanted the upset. When we got into the locker room the score was 19 -10 Saint Mary’s. And this is when I had never felt so PROUD TO BE A GAITER. It was the same feeling that I had felt in 2000 for that playoff game. Except this time I was the Vet. I was the fifth year guy. The guy that the first and second year guys were looking up to. The other fifth year guys on the team, Sylvain Desrochers and Andre Bynoe, also looked more confident then ever. I was used to the Bynoe that was nervous, quiet and in his zone. But this day he was loud, motivating and extra confident. For the first time Sly and I were exactly on the same page. We were just playing pith and catch. You may be wondering what point I am trying to get at here. Well - it is interesting to see how players can mature (as Sylvain, Bynoe and I have since our first year). But maturity doesn’t always take 4 or 5 years. Sometimes maturity is just a state of mind or a mentality. Within the last two weeks I feel as if our team has matured greatly. We are facing Laval this weekend in front of what is supposed to be 17,000 fans. We saw what we could do against the best team in the country. But unlike the Saint Mary’s game this Sunday we have to play a full 60 minutes of football. But we take it one play at a time, and once again, and the outcome will take care of itself. In my 4 years here, I have beaten Mcgill, Concordia, Montreal and Sherbrooke. The only team left on my “to beat list” is Laval.
Let’s do it in Style # 03 Gilles Colon
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