From the OUA Office
Hamilton, ON - On Saturday, November 8 at Ivor Wynne Stadium in Hamilton, the 96th Yates Cup Championship will pit the three-time defending champion McMaster Marauders, ranked second in the nation, against the seventh ranked Laurier Golden Hawks. Despite the game being the first time this season that the two teams have played each other, the recent playoff history between the teams will provide a Yates Cup to remember.

In 1999, when McMaster was in the midst of reaching their rebuilding pinnacle, the Golden Hawks ended the Maruaders season in a 42-27 semi-final win. The Hawks ultimately fell to their cross-town rivals, the Waterloo Warriors, 32-20 in the Yates Cup that season. In 2000, the year the Marauders captured their first of three titles; the championship win came against the Hawks 48-23.

Since then, it has taken three years for the Golden Hawks to return to the elite of OUA football. Going 3-4 in 2001 and then just 1-7 and missing the playoffs last season, the Hawks have made a quick turnaround this season. A combination of first-year head coach Gary Jeffries bringing the "one team" philosophy, a healthy quarterback in Ryan Pyear and the breakout season of second-year running back Derek Medler, the Hawks are poised to continue the success that has eluded them over the last few years.

The Marauders, on the other hand, have steamrolled over the entire league this season, defeating teams on average by an astonishing 44 points. With McMaster only being tested once this season, a three-point overtime victory over last year's Yates Cup finalists Queen's, this year's championship will prove to be challenging against the #7 Golden Hawks. Coach Greg Marshall will have to ensure that his team, who outscored opponents 424-87 in the regular season, isn't looking too far ahead to their Vanier Cup dreams.

Both teams depend on their running game, as Jesse Lumsden from McMaster and Laurier's Derek Medler finished one and two respectively in the country for most yards rushing this season. Combined with the change of venue to the turf at Ivor Wynne Stadium, the championship game should provide fans with some outstanding runs. Medler has spent most of the season on the turf at University Stadium as he rushing for 1420 yards in the eight-game regular season. Lumsden, on the other hand, is accustomed to the grass at Les Prince Field, but last week during McMaster's first appearance at Ivor Wynne he racked up 143 yards on just six carries and added a 121-yard punt return for one of his four touchdowns on the day. Both players broke the three-year old OUA record for most yards in a season held by Lumsden's former teammate Kojo Aidoo, with Lumsden ultimately coming out on top with 1497 yards on the season.

In a pedigree twist for this 96th edition of the Yates Cup, the Pyear brothers will face off against each other for Ontario's football crown. For McMaster, the older brother, Kyle, led the nation last season in rushing and was a first team All-Canadian. However, this season in his graduating year and last chance at a Vanier Cup appearance, he has put the team first, moving to fullback and allowing Lumsden to shine.

The younger Pyear, Laurier's Ryan, has returned this season in full strength after suffering from a torn ACL injury that kept him out of the last half of Laurier's 2002 schedule. The 2001 Norm Marshall Award Winner for OUA Rookie of the Year, has been impressive this season, including leading the gutsy overtime comeback win against Queen's in last weekend's semi-final.

McMaster is looking to become the first team to win four consecutive Yates Cup titles since the Western Mustangs 1979-1982 editions that included Marauder coach Greg Marshall. The Hawks on the other hand, have not captured the title since 1991, the same year Laurier took home the Vanier Cup. With two outstanding teams set to take the field Saturday at Ivor Wynne Stadium, their entire season comes down to this single game. The winner moves on and earns the right to host the national semi-final Mitchell Bowl for a shot at the elusive Vanier Cup.

Leading up to Saturday's big game, OUA will announce the 2003 Football All-Stars tomorrow with the major award winners being announced Friday afternoon at a media conference in Hamilton.

Comprised of 18 institutions, the OUA is the governing body of university sport in Ontario. Each year 9,000 student-athletes compete for 40 provincial championships in 24 sports. For more information on Ontario University Athletics, please visit our web site at www.oua.ca.