Banner Season: Mustangs, Golden Hawks collide for first head-to-head Yates Cup matchup since 2017

Burlington, Ont. – The last time the Western Mustangs and Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks met for a Yates Cup championship was back in 2017, but on Saturday, November 11, the stage is set for another clash at Ontario University Athletics (OUA) football finale at Western Alumni Stadium.

When: Saturday, November 11th at 1:00pm
Where: Western Alumni Stadium (Western University)
Participating Schools (2): Western Mustangs (host), Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks
Watch: oua.tv / cbcsports.ca / CBC Gem
Defending Champions: Western Mustangs | ALL PAST CHAMPIONS

A matchup that fans have been clamoring for through much of the 2023 OUA season, the Mustangs and Hawks have been pacing the provincial pack for much of the year. And despite pushing for this potent matchup, it was just a few weeks back that OUA followers got a preview of this year’s championship clash.

Their lone regular season matchup came to close out the nine-week stretch, and on the line was the conference’s No. 1 seed, the first round bye, and the right to host the Yates Cup Championship should they advance.

It looked as though Western would run away with the win through the first half of that matchup, taking a 27-0 lead into the break, but a ferocious comeback set Laurier up with a one-point lead late. With starting pivot Evan Hillock out of the game for Western at that point, the ‘Stangs relied on backup QB Jerome Rancourt to save the day, as he connected with Savaughn Magnaye-Jones in the final minutes for what proved to be the game-winning major.

Since that game, Western rode their bye into a semifinal that proved to be a tale of two halves. Tasked with overcoming their opponents from the past two championships to earn the right to host the 2023 edition, the Mustangs turned the page on a closely-contested opening half against Queen’s by pulling away after the break and earning the 47-20 win.

For the Golden Hawks, they played two very different games along their postseason path thus far. In their quarterfinal win over Waterloo, the electrifying offence was featured early and often, en route to a 69-point shut out win over the Warriors. The offence took a back seat to the defence the following week; however, as Windsor was able to keep the Hawks grounded for much of the game, before Taylor Elgersma found Quentin Scott and Raidan Thorne for fourth-quarter touchdowns to send them to their first Yates Cup since 2017.

Regardless of the route, both teams are set to lock horns for the second time in less than a month, and with a little bit of everything in that October 21st meeting, it is anyone's guess as to what the rematch may have in store when the game kicks off in London.

One seemingly safe bet is some unbelievable play under centre, as the contest features both of the OUA’s all-star pivots from 2023. For Hillock, despite missing part of that regular season finale, he continued his calm, cool, and collected play to which Western fans have grown accustomed. The Hamilton, Ont. product finished the year with over 300 yards passing per game, connecting on 70.2% of his passes and racking up 19 touchdowns to just three interceptions.

Not to be outdone, Elgersma, the OUA’s most valuable player, produced an award-worthy season in orchestrating the Laurier offence. His 330.1 yards per game led the league, while his 75.2% completion rate set a new record among OUA quarterbacks. The four-time offensive player of the week also set or matched several school records during his third season with the team, including single season passing yards and single game touchdown passes.

Flanking both quarterbacks are a slew of sure-handed receivers, including Ethan Jordan and Thorne for the visiting Hawks, and the dynamic Mustangs duo of Magnaye-Jones and Mohsen Jamal II. The talented quartet claimed the top four spots among OUA receivers in yards per game, with Jordan leading the way at 93.6, and all but Thorne reeling in five majors this season (T-3rd in OUA). 

The aerial attack featured prominently in the teams’ top-two ranked offences, as the championship hopeful squads combined for over 1,000 yards and just shy of 80 points per game this year. But their ability to thrive offensively cannot overshadow their ability to cause fits defensively as well.

Ranking behind only their semifinal foes in points per game allowed, the stingy Laurier and Western defences served up just 18.1 and 18.9 points per game, respectively. Neither stood out greatly in terms of their yardage allowed, but their bend don’t break mentality kept their opponents off the scoreboard game in and game out.

Anchoring the point-preventing group for the defending champion Mustangs is safety Jackson Findlay, who did just about everything for the purple and white during an all-star season. The third-year standout ranked third on the team with 30.0 total tackles, while also adding in a sack, forced fumble, three interceptions, and five pass breakups. Alongside third-year linebacker Lourenz Bowers-Kane, who was a tackle machine with 36.5 takedowns on the year, and fellow all-star Richard Aduboffour, the Mustangs were able to wreak havoc in a lot of different ways on defence.

Rookie of the year Ethan Gregorcic and all-star Ife Onyemenam make up a stout linebacking corps for the purple and gold, meanwhile, combining for over 70 tackles and the latter leading the team with three interceptions. They are also joined by fellow playmakers like Luke Brubacher and his team-high six sacks, Nico McCarthy, and Brandon Omonuwa, all of whom also took home OUA all-star accolades this season.

Regardless of how the OUA finale ultimately unfolds on the banner season stage, both sides have the star-studded lineups to get themselves in the win column. And with the Golden Hawks and Mustangs meeting for their first head-to-head championship bout in six years, the 115th Yates Cup is sure to be a memorable next chapter for the talent-laden teams and their quest for North America’s oldest football trophy.