The Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks will be looking for their 10th OUA Championship in school history, as they welcome the Queen’s Gaels for the 117th Yates Cup.
After finishing the season with a perfect 8-0 record, Laurier received the bye to the OUA semifinal, where they defeated the Guelph Gryphons 37-30. Meanwhile, Queen’s is coming off their 36-25 victory over the Windsor Lancers.
Last season, the Golden Hawks defeated the Western Mustangs in the 116th Yates Cup 51-31. Laurier would advance all the way to the 59th Vanier Cup, where they were defeated 22-17 by the Laval Rouge Et Or.
Speaking on the Mike Farwell Show on Friday, Laurier head coach Michael Faulds said despite the strong season, this year was even tougher because they were returning as champions.
“It wasn’t an easy path,” said Faulds. “It was a close game last week against Guelph and we had a close game up in Ottawa halfway through the season. Our guys have proven to be resilient and we’re asking them to do it again against a good Queen’s Gaels team.”
On Thursday, several Laurier players and staff were honoured at the OUA awards luncheon in Hamilton.
Wide receiver Ethan Jordan was named the OUA Most Valuable Player after finishing the season with 1,066 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also broke the school’s records for career touchdowns with 30.
Linebacker Jessie Wilkins was named the Outstanding Stand-Up Defensive Player award with his team-leading 40.5 tackles in the regular season, putting him in the league’s top 15 in solo, assisted, and total tackles. He also lead the OUA in forced fumbles with four.
For the third season in a row, Faulds was awarded with the David “Tuffy” Knight Award, given to the OUA coach of the year. He is now the second OUA coach in history to win the award three times in a row, joining Laurier’s Gary Jeffries from 2003-2005.
It is the first time in school history that the team has won all three awards in the same season.
Kickoff is at 1 p.m.
