Banner Season: Different venue, same teams for 116th Yates Cup powered by BioSteel

Burlington, Ont. – Same teams, different venue.

The setting may have shifted to University Stadium in Waterloo, Ont. – home of the Golden Hawks – but it will be a repeat of the 115th edition of the OUA football championship when Laurier and the Western Mustangs lock horns on November 9th at the Yates Cup Championship, presented by BioSteel.

North America’s oldest football trophy will once again be handed out, but determining which side will get to hoist the iconic prize is anything but a forgone conclusion.

A year ago, it was Western getting the better of the Hawks, using a strong second half push and a flurry of field goals from Dalt White Trophy winner Brian Garrity to overcome Laurier’s early edge. That win marked Western’s third straight Yates Cup title, and 35th overall, but their recent string of success in this head-to-head matchup came to a halt earlier this season.

In the teams’ Week 4 clash, it was Laurier earning the edge on the scoreboard – ultimately leading to their undefeated mark, No. 1 seed in the conference, and hosting duties for the conference finale. The triumph marked their first regular season win over Western since 2006.

Both quarterbacks performed well under centre for their squads, but ultimately, it was the dual attack of back-to-back OUA most valuable player Taylor Elgersma that proved to be the difference in Laurier’s 43-28 win. The fourth-year pivot threw for 385 yards and two touchdowns through the air, while adding another pair of majors on the ground.

Western’s Evan Hillock countered with 322 yards on 18-of-31 passing and three touchdowns, while Keon Edwards paced the Mustangs’ ground game with 80 yards on 13 carries.

While the senior pivot was once again as steady as they come for the London squad, it was Edwards, Keanu Yazbeck, and the unyielding ground game the helped the Western offence shine this season.

The team, backed by top-10 totals from both of their backs, led the OUA in rushing with 227.8 yards per game. The relentless efforts also helped them rack up a league-best 25 rushing touchdowns. And while Edwards (6) and Yazbeck (5) were instrumental therein, it was backup quarterback Jerome Rancourt, who paced the province with nine rushing TDs.

While Laurier also unleashed a reputable rushing attack of their own, contributing to their over 500 total yards per game (1st in OUA), much of their damage came through the air, with the two-time Larry Haylor Award winner at the forefront once again.

Elgersma’s MVP season culminated in conference-topping marks in several statistical categories. He led the OUA with 330.4 yards per game, 20 touchdowns, and a 74.5 completion percentage. Much of that damage came via connections with his dynamic receiving duo.

Fellow first team all-stars Ethan Jordan and Raidan Thorne were consistent threats, with the former finishing as the league’s lone 1,000-yard receiver. His accomplishment also marked the first time a Laurier pass-catcher reached the milestone in program history.

Regardless of the offensive talent, going up against the league’s stingiest defence will be no easy task for the host side. Western surrendered just 16.1 points per contest, including just 181.6 yards through the air. They were also among the biggest ball hawks, hauling in 12 interceptions (2nd in OUA), including four who came away with multiple picks on the year.

Anchoring the defensive side of the ball, however, remains President’s Award winner Jackson Findlay, along with all-stars like defensive tackle Max von Muehldorfer, linebacker Riley MacLeod, and cornerback Richard Aduboffour.

Much like the Western defence counters Laurier’s offensive strengths, the Golden Hawks run defence aligns well with the potent Mustangs’ run game.

Laurier held teams to just 134.6 yards on the ground in 2024, good for third in the province, and like years past, the team is able to turn to any number of standouts to keep the opposition at bay. All-star Johari Hastings was among the best and brightest from this year’s defensive unit, racking up nearly 30 tackles, two interceptions, and a forced fumble, but the likes of Maliek Cote, Jessie Wilkins, Tristan Miller, and Ethan Gregorcic also wreaked consistent havoc for the purple and gold.

Gregorcic, in fact, played a starring role in the team’s stiff semifinal challenge from Queen’s a week ago. The sophomore linebacker picked up an interception, as well as three of the team’s eight total pass breakups on the afternoon to help them overcome a slow start and ultimately secure the 29-21 win over the Gaels.

Western, after handling McMaster in their quarterfinal clash, also found themselves in a closely-contested semifinal last weekend. In that 30-19 victory over the Gryphons, Hillock connected with both Brayden Misseri and Seth Robertson for touchdowns, while Edwards ran one in on the ground. Findlay’s 8.5 tackles, meanwhile, led the way for the vaunted Mustangs defence that gave up just one Guelph major on the day.

Despite combining for just one loss on the year, both teams come in battle-tested and ready for another clash on the championship stage. Having gone head-to-head three times already in Yates Cup competition over the last seven seasons, the narrative is nothing new for either side, and head coaches Michael Faulds and Greg Marshall will have their sides ready for the occasion. 

Laurier will step onto the banner season stage hoping for a repeat performance from their win over Western earlier this season, while the three-time defending champs will eye an encore of last year’s finale instead. But when push comes to shove, neither side will grace the University Stadium gridiron thinking about anything other than their team’s ability to win and triumphantly hoist the iconic Yates Cup trophy. 

Fans can tune into the game live on Saturday, November 9th at 1:00pm on OUA.tv, cbcsports.ca and CBC Gem, Game+, and local Rogers TV.