Hawks triumph
Laurier Golden Hawks receiver Kurleigh Gittens Jr. runs back a kickoff for a touchdown during the Battle of Waterloo on Saturday at UW Warrior Field. Laurier trounced the Waterloo Warriors, 71-24.
WATERLOO — The university football universe in Waterloo continues to unfold as it should.
That’s according to the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks, who remain lords of the local realm after a 71-24 walloping of the previously unbeaten Waterloo Warriors.
The win came before 2,794 fans who braved 33C temperatures and harrowing humidity to take in Saturday afternoon’s contest at Warrior Field. It was WLU’s 14th straight win in the series en route to an overall 42-14-1 won-lost-tied record.
“Yeah, I feel like everything’s back to normal,” Laurier running back Levondre Gordon said with a smile, after rushing for 106 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries.
“Of course, while we respected them, we wanted to show them who owns Waterloo,” added Hawks receiver Brentyn Hall.
Thanks in part to Waterloo’s concentration on his fellow receiver, Kurleigh Gittens Jr., Hall hauled in TD passes of 44 and 89 yards from quarterback Michael Knevel, who completed 14 of 25 tosses for 270 yards, three TDs and one interception.
The No. 5 nationally-ranked defending Yates Cup champion Hawks came in 3-0 against the No. 9 ranked Warriors, 4-0.
Yet the Hawks felt disrespected, given the media and the city’s fixation with the Warriors. That’s based on the fact that after a two-year, 16-game losing streak, the Warriors were finally, under the patient guidance of third-year coach Chris Bertoia, walking among the winning football programs. Their ranking was the first time since 2007 that Waterloo appeared in national ratings.
It’s an arguably irresistible rags to possible riches story. But it rankled the Hawks, who understood the nature of the story, but were also keen to set things straight in terms of local bragging rights.
And they never took a foot off the gas pedal in preparation for their next challenge, a homecoming date with the 5-0 Western Mustangs on Saturday at University Stadium.
WLU coaches in press row were overheard, in the game’s late stages, calling for the team to cross the 70-point barrier, which the Hawks did with 52 seconds left. Backup quarterback Tristan Arndt hit Daniel Bennett with a 34-yard TD toss to close out the scoring.
It was the type of late-game pass in a blowout that might have caused controversy, but Waterloo coach Bertoia dismissed it as, simply, a blown coverage against a backup QB trying to make an impression.
That’s because it’s the way of coaches and players to almost immediately park a previous performance and move on to the next game, as Laurier head coach Michael Faulds was overheard doing in exhorting his troops, in a postgame huddle, to enjoy the big win, but look toward Western.
“We’re going to have to play a damn near perfect game to win (against Western),” Faulds told reporters.
But a quick look back at Saturday’s slaughter was satisfying for Laurier.
“I give lots of credit to the media,” Faulds said, deadpan, following the flogging. “We’re the defending Yates Cup champion and ... we had a huge chip on our shoulder.”
Yet the game was still in doubt until late in the first half when, with Waterloo having rallied from an early 12-0 deficit to within 19-15, the Hawks unleashed an assault from which the Warriors would not recover.
An impressive 74-yard Laurier drive resulted in a three-yard rushing TD by Osayi Iginuan, his first of two on the day. (The other a 66-yard run.” His short plunge made it 26-15 Hawks with 27 seconds left before halftime — and was back-breaker enough.
But then Gittens returned a subsequent Waterloo punt 65 yards to pay dirt with no time on the clock and it was 33-15 Laurier at halftime. Game, essentially, over. “I was getting frustrated being double-teamed,” he said.
“But you realize you can help the team in other ways, and the other receivers are going to make plays because it’s a team game,” said Gittens, who added another score on a 5-yard reception. “It was a good thing for us and I think the turning point of the game.”
Gordon’s one-yard run early in the second half made it 41-15 en route to the scoreboard getting completely out of hand.
“Those 90 seconds at the end of the first half really killed us,” Bertoia said. “If we go in down just 19-15, then there’s a little bit of self-doubt in (Laurier’s) minds. But they’re an elite team, kudos to them.
“One game will not define our season, but it’s a bit of a reality check for us.”
And the reality is, this is a different Waterloo team, the Warriors believe. Bertoia said he saw some bad body language on the Waterloo sideline as the Hawks took flight, something he addressed at halftime and continues to try to consign to history. He has carefully cultivated a culture whose goal is to leave behind defeatist attitudes from the recent past. Last year’s result against Laurier was a 68-7 loss. While Saturday’s score was similar, the vibe is not.
“I definitely agree with him,” said fourth-year Waterloo receiver Richmond Nketiah, who scored one of the Warrior touchdowns. “This was a tough loss, but honestly, we just have to bury it. It’s just one loss.
“This is 100 per cent a new team in terms of attitude. We’ve learned how to win and now we know how to lose. This actually will really motivate us. We have a good thing going, but we just have to be mentally tough and build and sustain our energy.”
Brandon Loewen scored the other Waterloo touchdown, while Caleb Girard added three field goals, two converts and a punt single.
Nathan Mesher kicked nine extra points and a field goal for Laurier while adding a punt single. Waterloo conceded two safeties in punt formation. Laurier rolled to 585 yards net offence, 304 through the air, to Waterloo’s 353. Laurier’s defence had four quarterback sacks, two interceptions and one fumble recovery. Flags were flying all day as the teams combined for 259 yards in penalties, 134 to Waterloo.
Next up for the Warriors is a home date against Guelph on Saturday at 1 p.m.