The Wilfrid Laurier University men’s football team didn’t make things easy for themselves Saturday afternoon.
Taking on the winless York Lions in their fifth game of the season, the Hawks held on to a minimal 13-7 lead going into the fourth quarter before exploding on touchdowns from Dillon Campbell and Scott Campbell to take a 27-10 victory and improve to 4-1 on the season.
The Hawks now sit in a four-way tie for second place in the Ontario University Athletics conference along with the Guelph Gryphons, the Windsor Lancers and the Western Mustangs.
Despite a slow start to the game, which included just one touchdown from D. Campbell in the first quarter and a rouge from a punt, the Hawks still managed to find the win.
“We came out flat. We weren’t driving the ball; we weren’t moving the ball and the defence kept us in it. Shout out to the defence for doing their job, and we started clicking in the fourth quarter,” D. Campbell said.
The second quarter, York Lions quarterback Jahmari Bennett led his squad on an offensive surge, which resulted in two field goals and a rouge — almost tying the amount of points York has had all season.
He finished 14-for-27 for 255 yards. His counterpart, Laurier’s James Fracas, went 13-for-24, one interception and 95 yards.
D. Campbell once again highlighted the Hawks offence, eclipsing 1,000 yards on the season. Sitting at 1,021 yards in five games, Campbell smashed his 2013 record of 867 and added two more touchdowns to his impressive season, sitting at 10 majors — the second most in a single season for Laurier. He quietly gained 171 yards — his lowest total yet this season.
“He’s a good leader for us, and he gained a lot of tough yards today. He popped through on two runs, but most of the runs were really tough runs,” head coach Michael Faulds said
Defensive lineman Ese Mrabure-Ajufo finished the game with 5.5 tackles, and 2.5 sacks.
Campbell also added some flare to the game with a beautiful 71-yard reception for a touchdown to finish off the scoring.
Kicker Ronnie Pfeffer kicked one field goal in the third quarter, which was the 50th of his career — his 49th field goal against Carleton put him first all-time for most field goals in a career at Laurier.
The Hawks have a short week before they travel down to London to take on the Western Mustangs. Western, who lost to the McMaster Marauders Saturday 32-29, will be looking for redemption and a statement after almost losing their last matchup against Laurier last season.
“The four years I’ve been here, Western’s always been my favourite team to play, just because they always give us a real serious task every time,” Mrabure-Ajufo said. “I like to get challenged, so it’s going to be a good battle. “
