Golden Hawks win nail-biting season opener over Gryphons

GUELPH, Ont. -- The reigning Yates Cup champion Golden Hawks headed down Highway 7 for their season opener against the Guelph Gryphons. The visitors got flashbacks of last season's game as this one came down to the wire.  

In Callum Wither's Golden Hawks debut, it only took him a few minutes to settle in. At 9:48, Wither sent a short pass to two-time All-Canadian Ethan Jordan who took care of the rest, going 71-yards to the house for the Golden Hawks first touchdown of the season. Laurier went up 7-0 early. 

"I was impressed with him," manager of football operations and head coach Michael Faulds said about Wither. "Obviously, he found Ethan Jordan, which, spoiler alert, getting EJ the ball is a good thing. He used his legs, and he has good speed. I think as he gets more comfortable the game will slow down a little bit." 

In the second quarter with the Gryphons threatening, Tristan Aboud aired one out to the endzone, but Maliek Cote timed his jump perfectly to break up the would-be touchdown pass. Cote finished with 5.5 total tackles and two pass break-ups.  

On the same Guelph drive set up at third and three, second-year defensive lineman Joey Edlington was not fooled on the fake hand-off and made himself acquainted with Marshall McCray, wrapping him up for the sack and turnover on downs.  

The Golden Hawks marched the ball back down field, taking 10 plays and 94-yards to strike again. Wither's play-action pass attracted the Gryphons to Tayshaun Jackson, but Wither rolled out of the pocket and found the wide-open Jordan for his second touchdown of the game, putting the Golden Hawks in front 14-0.  

"Hell of a player. When you turn the tape on, you see a fast guy, but when I'm out there, I see a smart football player and somebody that's always reliable," Wither said about Jordan.  

Jordan ended his night with two touchdowns and 125 receiving yards.  

After Guelph conceded the safety, the Golden Hawks would tack on seven more points as Jackson squeezed through the gap for the short-yard touchdown; his first of the season.  

The Golden Hawks went into halftime with a 23-0 lead.  

However, the Gryphons would not go down without a fight. After being shut out in the first half, the Gryphons rallied for 21 unanswered points in the third quarter, cutting Laurier's lead to 23-21.  

At 9:53 in the fourth quarter, the Golden Hawks got a bit more breathing room. With the pocket collapsing, Wither scrambling, Tyler Potvin and Darion Bacik-Hadden teamed up to give Wither enough time to roll out and find Jace Atkinson right on the goal line for Laurier's third major. The Golden Hawks extended their lead by nine at 30-21. 

With 5:23 remaining in the game, the Gryphons had some ground to make up, starting at their own 30-yard line. Aboud looked over the middle and sent a dart right into the hands of Ethan Gregorcic for the interception. 

"He's a dog. He's an amazing player, and me and him, we are salt and pepper; we mix together so well," defensive captain Jessie Wilkins said.  

Wilkins also had himself quite the season opener, padding the stat sheet with a team-high eight tackles and one pass break-up.  

Again, Guelph would not go silently. They brought the game within five points with under a minute on the clock.  

The Golden Hawks had an opportunity to run the remainder out, but Guelph's defense was stout, forcing the three-and-out, giving Aboud and company a chance; albeit a long one.  

On the final play of the game, Aboud sent a hail Mary from midfield. The Guelph fans were on their feet, the Laurier fans held their breath, there was a flurry of red and white in the endzone.  

Three Golden Hawks went up all at once and broke up the pass to secure the 33-28 win.  

"I told them our goal is to go 1-0. When you're up 23-0, you're excited by that. We knew it was going to be a full game, and we ended up winning by five points," said Faulds. "We'll take it, especially early in the year against a quality opponent like Guelph."

"I was happy with how our guys battled. You could tell we were suffering some injuries, but I'm proud of our guys," he continued. "We didn't play our best football on all three phases. We know we need to get a heck of a lot better, but it's nice to know you need to get better after going 1-0." 
 

UP NEXT 

The 1-0 Golden Hawks clash with the Windsor Lancers – who are coming off a week one bye – on August 30 at 7pm for Laurier's home opener.  

Tickets are available here.