Banner Season: Laurier defeats Western for ninth Yates Cup in program history

Waterloo, Ont. (c/o Laurier Golden Hawks) – "We knew we were going to be back here. We knew we were coming to get the trophy. This year, we leave with it," title game and two-time OUA MVP Taylor Elgersma said after he and the Laurier Golden Hawks treated the 5,000 fans in attendance at the 116th Yates Cup, powered by BioSteel, to a football game only seen in the movies.

As the final whistle sounded at Knight-Newbrough Field, the #2-ranked Golden Hawks hoisted the trophy for the first time since 2016 and the ninth time in program history after defeating their rivals, the #4 Western Mustangs, 51-31.
 
The Mustangs entered the championship game with a chip on their shoulders and a chance for redemption as they fell to the Golden Hawks in the regular season on the same turf. History favoured the Mustangs, and it almost looked like they would capture their fourth straight title.
 
Western struck first on the opening drive. Six plays totaling 97-yards was capped off by Keanu Yazbeck's 62-yard rushing touchdown, putting the Golden Hawks behind 7-0 with 12:01 remaining in the first quarter.
 
But the Golden Hawks responded right away. Facing third down and a single yard, Darion Bacik-Hadden ploughed through the Mustangs defensive line, keeping the Laurier drive alive.

Elgersma had Tayshaun Jackson in the back field, until he didn't. Jackson turned on the jets and played wide receiver, taking Elgersma's pass 59-yards to the house, tying the score at 7 after Dawson Hodge's extra point was good. Jackson only caught one pass earlier this year and earned his first career receiving touchdown.
 
Marcus Tenney and Jayden Griffiths combined to force the Mustangs into a two-and-out, sending the nation's top offence back to work.
 
Starting deep in their own zone, the Golden Hawks marched down field. Elgersma found Layomi Ojutalayo through a tight window, moving the sticks 16-yards. At the Western 26, Elgersma targeted Ryan Hughes, but Jackson Findlay was able to interrupt the attempt. The second time proved to be the charm. Cooper Hamilton's block allowed Elgersma to step out of the pocket and connect with Hughes for the 26-yard touchdown at 3:32, jumping in front 14-7.
 
After Hughes went without a major in the regular season, he collected the first of his career a week prior, and now has his second in as many games. Hughes ended his day with a career and playoff best 113 receiving yards.
 
To begin the second quarter, Elgersma called his own number picking up the first down on a 12-yard rush. It would not be a game without the Elgersma-Ethan Jordan powerhouse not showing off their connection. Jordan, deep in the end zone with tight coverage, brought down the bullseye pass, increasing the Golden Hawks lead to three scores.
 
The Mustangs faced their shot at a third down conversion, but Tristan Miller and Ethan Gregorcic stopped Jerome Rancourt right in his tracks as the Mustangs turned the ball over on downs.
 
Laurier's offence capitalized immediately. Ojutalayo set up his team by catching Elgersma's 23-yard pass. The offensive line opened a wide enough gap for the shifty Tanner Nelmes to sprint across the goal line. The Golden Hawks put Western in a 28-7 hole with 5:59 left in the first half.

Nelmes had the best playoff performance of his career in his final game on home turf. Not only did the fifth year veteran leave a champion, he dominated the run game with his all-time high of 170 rushing yards.
 
But the Mustangs would not stay stalled for long. Evan Hillock sent Seth Robertson for 47-yards before Mohsen Jamal II caught the touchdown pass at 2:49, cutting the Golden Hawks lead to 28-14.
 
On Laurier's ensuing drive, Soren Hallschmid picked off Elgersma where Yazbeck would eventually convert on the 14-yard rushing touchdown. Suddenly, the Mustangs looked like they would turn the tides the same way they did in the 115th Yates Cup. Almost.
 
The teams went into the locker rooms at halftime with Laurier up 28-21.
 
Elgersma said it best on Thursday: "We need to make sure that we dominate for four quarters, it can't be a two quarter explosion … it has to be full, complete four quarters of football."
 
After the Golden Hawks 28-point first half, their engines kept revving. At second and nine from Western's 10, Bacik-Hadden dashed to the outside and brought the pass into the end zone. He scored his first touchdown of the year and his first career playoff major. With 10:03 on the clock, the purple and gold went up 35-21.
 
Bacik-Hadden was not quite finished, and like Jackson, he dabbled in the quarterback experience. On what seemed to be an attempt at a rushing touchdown, Bacik-Hadden took the hand-off from Elgersma and sent a chip-shot over the middle to Khalil Derman who was left wide-open. The Golden Hawks doubled-up on the Mustangs 42-21.
 
Hodge sent the field goal from 40-yards out through the uprights, adding three. On the other end, Marcus Tenney made a crucial sack on Hillock, preventing what could have been a touchdown pass, and making Western settle for their own field goal.
 
Hodge kept busy in the fourth quarter, nailing back-to-back three-pointers, one from 36 and the other from 42-yards out.
 
OUA all-rookie Matteo Laquintana joined the sack party not once, but twice, taking Hillock to the turf on consecutive Mustang drives, the losses totaling to 11-yards. Laquintana recorded his first ever multi-sack game.
 
The Mustangs added a touchdown at 4:48, but time slipped away faster than sand through an hourglass, and the three-time defending OUA champions could only watch as the clock expired.
 
Knight-Newbrough Field had not hosted a title game since 2005 when, coincidentally enough, the Golden Hawks beat Western en route to a national championship.
 
The fans rushed the field, the Golden Hawks embraced each other, the roar could be heard for miles. The Cup was lifted in Waterloo, Ont., and Laurier was crowned OUA champions.
 
"This is something we've been building for four years," said Elgersma. "We've been working our asses off to get to this spot."
 
"All season we've played our best football against the best opponents. Our two best games of the year were against those Western Mustangs. A tip of the cap to them, they're an amazing football program. But our group rose to the occasion." Manager of football operations and head coach Michael Faulds said.
 
"The guys played their hardest, and now we're Yates Cup champions."