WATERLOO, Ont. - "We're one game away from being Yates Cup champions again, and that's our intent," manager of football operations and head coach Michael Faulds said.
The #1-ranked Golden Hawks hosted, for the third consecutive year, the OUA semifinal match as they met the Guelph Gryphons with a ticket to the Yates Cup on the line.
The Highway 7 rivals last met in the playoffs in the 2021 quarterfinals where Guelph won 31-18, and their last semifinals was in 2007 with Guelph also winning 31-24. It was the fifth semifinal game featuring these teams with each having two wins and two losses.
It was a rematch of the season opener and was eerily similar to the game 10 long weeks ago.
The Golden Hawks got on the board just three minutes into the game. Cal Wither aired a pass out to second-year receiver Keyon Robinson who was tightly guarded but managed to come down with the 31-yard catch. Robinson scored his first career touchdown in the regular season finale and made his playoff debut on Saturday.
On second and goal, Tayshaun Jackson took the hand-off and followed the block of Spencer Walsh right into the end zone. The extra point was up and in, and the Golden Hawks were quickly in front 7-0.
Laurier's defense was explosive to begin the game and limited Guelph's offense to just 35-yards in the first quarter. Guelph's first drive ended with a two-and-out that put Wither and company back on the field.
The Golden Hawks switched up their look on their ensuing possession, opting to go with the run game, and it paid off. Darion Bacik-Hadden had 24 of the team's 31-yards in the drive and led the Golden Hawks to the single yard line where the heavy package took over as Will Russell plowed across the goal line for his first career playoff touchdown.
Halfway through the quarter, the Golden Hawks led 14-0.
The purple and gold continued to show their dominance in the second quarter. With Guelph hemmed in their own 13-yard line, Joey Edlington got around the Gryphon lineman and brought down Tristan Aboud, pushing Guelph back five yards.
Guelph's offensive line has struggled to protect Aboud this year, allowing him to be sacked 22 times during the regular season. The Golden Hawks would get to Guelph's pivot three more times throughout the game.
At 6:44, Dawson Hodge sent a booming punt down field to put a single on the board, and the Golden Hawks were up 15-0.
After Guelph could not get out of their own half and booted the ball away, the Golden Hawks came back for more. Wither faked the hand-off to Jackson, fooling the Guelph defense, and found Ryan Hughes who easily separated himself from the coverage and went 53-yards for the touchdown.
With 1:37 remaining, Laurier was in the driver's seat up 22-0.
"Ryan is one of the best athletes in the country, he's special, and he's gaining that confidence with Cal. They have that link," Faulds said.
The Gryphons would go on to concede the safety and after that, Hodge collected three points from an 18-yard field goal as the Golden Hawks went into the half up big at 27-0.
Going back to the week one matchup, the Gryphons were shutout in the first half and had a massive 21-point third quarter to make it a two-point game before going into the final frame.
And in the third quarter on Saturday, the Gryphons were looking to do it again.
On Guelph's first drive of the second half, and with Marshall McCray in for Aboud, it took the Gryphons just shy of two minutes to reach the end zone for a touchdown and made the two-point conversion for a 27-8 deficit.
The sides would go back and forth without a score for a majority of the quarter until 3:30 when McCray and Harry Varty combined for the 47-yard touchdown and two-point conversion, cutting Laurier's lead to 27-16.
The Golden Hawks responded on the very next drive, and Jesulayomi Ojutalayo was the catalyst. Coming down to two minutes left in the quarter, Wither took a long-shot down field and Ojutalayo, despite the coverage, made an incredible 41-yard catch.
"That's a momentum catch," Wither said. "I trust him more than anyone. If I'm going to throw up a 50/50 ball, my guy on yours, I'm taking mine."
Set up on the Guelph 17 at second and seven, the offensive line dug in to give Wither plenty of time and space to find Hughes wide open in the back of the end zone for the easiest touchdown of his career.
The Golden Hawks regained a more comfortable lead at 34-16.
"All credit to 10 on that. He's able to feel comfortable in the pocket and find his targets, and he's just able to deliver when he needs to," Hughes said.
Hughes, a proven playoff performer, came up big again as he ended the day with 161 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Hodge began and ended Laurier's scoring in the fourth quarter on a 29-yard field goal, making it 37-16. The remainder of the match was fought by the Laurier defense, who did bend but did not break.
Guelph scored touchdowns on back-to-back drives, bringing it to a one-score game at 37-30.
The Golden Hawks got the ball back with a minute and change remaining, and had the opportunity to run out the clock, but Wither and Hughes were unable to connect on second and long, giving Guelph a chance to pull off the upset and dethrone the nation's top team.
The Gryphons were looking for their second straight upset as they walked-off the Western Mustangs in a come-from-behind victory, and they were oh so close to doing it again.
A defensive pass interference flag was thrown on the Golden Hawks just as the clock read zero, moving the Gryphons to about midfield and had one play, one shot, one long run, to advance to the finals.
The pocket closed around McCray as he sent a pass through the crowd of purple jerseys, but it was under thrown and in and out of the hands of Varty, and the Golden Hawks held on to win 37-30.
"We started off pretty good; I was pleased with that. We sputtered a bit in the second quarter, and then the third was a bit of a letdown. We got 10 points there once they made that 16-point charge, but then again, we need to make more plays at the end to close out games. But, ultimately, I'm super proud," Faulds said.
"It was 27-0 at half and we reminded our guys that it was going to be a full four quarter game. But like I said, this time of year, you don't look at if it's a pretty win or if it's an ugly win. Ultimately, one team's cleaning out their lockers and the other team has bought themselves another week."
UP NEXT
The Golden Hawks are going back to the final for a third year in a row, and this time they look to defend the Yates Cup against the #6 Queen's Gaels on Saturday, November 8 at 1pm.
Tickets are going fast, so make sure to join in on the action and get yours here.
