The battle of Waterloo: The Waterloo Warriors fall to Laurier Golden Hawks on homecoming weekend

The Waterloo Warriors fell 23-39 to the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks on homecoming weekend at Warrior Field. The Warriors were coming back from a loss against the Ottawa Gees-Gees, hoping to win their first game of the season.

The Warriors were the first to score in the first quarter, with Quinten Springer scoring an eight yard run after the team marched in seven plays, totaling 100 yards. The Golden Hawks responded right away with an 89-yard kickoff return from Tayshaun Jackson to end the first quarter 7-7. 

In the second quarter, the Golden Hawks were the first to score another touchdown, with Jace Atkinson receiving a 15-yard pass from Taylor Elgersma. Towards the end of the second quarter, the Warriors tried to fight back with a couple of field goals, courtesy of Cole Crossett. At 49 and 48 yards, the score was brought within one point. However, the Golden Hawks kept the pressure and marched down the field, scoring another touchdown with less than a minute left, courtesy of Taylor Elder’s one yard run into the end zone. To wrap up the half, the Golden Hawks scored another point with a 28-yard field goal by Dawson Hodge to end the second quarter 24-13. 

The third quarter started with the Golden Hawks adding another point thanks to a team-scored rouge. The Warriors managed to get near 70 yards and scored a 13-yard field goal. The Golden Hawks were in a comfortable position as they pressed on the gas and scored another touchdown, thanks to Raidan Thorne’s five-yard pass from Elgersma. To wrap up the third quarter, Laurier’s Ethan Jordan caught a big pass from Elgersma, leading to a 57-yard touchdown and bringing the score to 39-16. 

With 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Warriors tried to mount a comeback as Arden Martinez made a three-yard pass from Nick Orr to make the score 39-23. This ended up being the final score. Unfortunately, the Warriors couldn’t make the comeback they needed to win the game. The Warriors are back into action on Sept. 28 against the Guelph Gryphons at alumni stadium in Guelph. Kickoff starts at 1 p.m.