On the field, it was billed as a battle of the unbeaten in OUA men's rugby.
But the story off the field was bigger than any game being played on this day, or any day.
The family of the late University of Guelph rugby player Luke MacDonald was on hand Saturday, as the team paid tribute to a teammate who took his own life in August at the age of 19.
A moment of silence was held, and the family was presented a framed Gryphons rugby jersey.
"It's the rugby community, they're strong, it's a strong bond and it's great to see the camaraderie amongst them," said Mike MacDonald, Luke's father. "It's awesome."
"It's a great sport for guys and girls," added Luke's mother Kelly. "The community support that they've provided is pretty fantastic."
The two of them remembered Luke as a happy guy with an infectious laugh, and a love for food and the outdoors.
"He was a big white water kayaker as well," Kelly said.
Luke was going into his third year at U of G, studying environmental science.
Gryphons coach Cory Hector remembers him coming to the team as a rookie during the COVID-19 lost season, when the team was just running practices.
"He was almost like wise beyond his years," he said.
He recalled as a rookie, Luke built a strong relationship with older players on the team through his work ethic and how down to Earth he was.
"Off the field, and around the guys, he was super light hearted, made coming to training enjoyable for everybody around, whether it be players or coaches," Hector said.
"I think that's what the guys liked. They could count on him to be working super hard on the field, but then to keep it really light off the field."
He said the team wanted to recognize Luke in some way this year, and felt the Queen's game made a lot of sense. Queen's is Guelph's biggest rugby rival, a game that tends to draw the team's biggest crowd of the year, and is also a team also coping with the sudden loss of one of their players earlier this year.
Through it, Hector said they've built great relationships with the Queen's players and coaches.
"There's that mutual respect and commemoration from everybody," he said.
All proceeds from ticket sales for the game went to support HeadsUpGuys, an organization studying health strategies to manage and prevent depression.
