The first Battle of Waterloo for the 2023 football season could not have gone any better for the Laurier Golden Hawks who trounced cross-town rivals Waterloo Warriors 47-20. The Hawks, coming off a blowout win against Guelph, improved their record to 4-0, keeping a three-way tie for first place in the OUA alongside Western and Windsor.
Laurier Quarterback Taylor Elgersma kept his dominant season performance going against the Warriors, throwing for 318 yards with five touchdown passes. Additionally, First-year linebacker Ethan Gregorcic stunned the Warrior’s offence.
The Hawks got on the scoreboard first with Elgersma springing Quentin Scott for the touchdown, and Dawson Hodge adding the extra point. The Hawks scored on all three drives in the opening quarter as Jace Atkinson and Tanner Nelmes found the endzone. The Warriors would opt for a safety giving the Hawks two extra points.
The first quarter ended 23-0 in favour of the home side Golden hawks.
Elgersma used the first drive of the second quarter to complete a 25-yard pass to Jesulayomi Ojutalayo for another touchdown to bury the Warriors in a 30-0 deficit.
Not long after, the Warriors would add three to the board from Cole Crossett’s 49 yard field goal and do it again later in the quarter to make the score 30-6.
By the end of the quarter, the Elgersma pass found Ryan Speight for another touchdown to go into halftime up 37-6.
The Warriors did not back down however, scoring their first touchdown of the game. Elgersma would squash that hope as Jaxon Stebbings made a fantastic catch in the Warriors endzone for a lead of 44-13.
Hodge completed the 45-yard field goal in the early stages of the fourth quarter while the Warriors managed to get one more touchdown late in the game, but it would not be close enough to catch the Hawks as they soared to a 47-20 victory.
Elgersma capped his performance with eight different receivers on the end of his passes: “My weapons are the best in the league … It’s easy [for me] out there.” He denied thinking about the records he could have matched, Elgersma’s goal is simple; “I’m thinking about winning,” he said.
Head Coach Michael Faulds broke the game down, saying, “The game started off really well. Obviously an explosive first quarter … I told the guys though; I was disappointed that we did take our foot off the gas.”
Faulds credited Elgersma, who combined for 769 yards over two games. “He’s special. What’s making it difficult for opposing defences is … him spreading the ball around. He doesn’t have favouritism. His favourite guy is the guy that’s open.”
The Hawks face the 1-3 McMaster Marauders on Sept. 23 for Homecoming.