Sports

Sports SPORTS EDITOR VACANT sports@thecord.ca

FOOTBALL

Laurier Golden Hawks Soar Above Carleton Ravens in Quarterfinal Win

NATASHA GIANNANTONIO

SPORTS CONTRIBUTER

The #9 Laurier Golden Hawks hosted the unseeded Carleton Ravens in round one of the OUA football playoffs on Saturday.

Having not seen the Ravens since the 2019 season, where Laurier hosted and lost 22-10, expectations were sky high in a door-die matchup.

The Hawks scored early and their points kept multiplying as they ended Carleton’s season in a decisive 41-13 victory.

The Hawks were polar opposites from their last regular season matchup seven days prior where they fell to Queen’s 30-11, in a game where the offense could not produce. A game Coach Michael Faulds called a “hiccup”.

Against Carleton, the Hawks could not be stopped. Tanner Nelmes opened the scoring early inthe first quarter with a single yard run into the endzone, Dawson Hodge converting the extrapoint to put the Hawks up 7-0.

This start was one of the best all season, seeing the Hawks put up 14 points at the end of the first quarter.

Quarterback Taylor Elgersma put on a clinic, totalling 303 passing yards and two touchdown throws.

Faulds praised Elgersma post game saying, “I told Taylor pregame ... there’s a lot ofpressure on the position of quarterback ... He’s our toughest player. He’s our best leader.”

The defensive line shut down any attempts by the Ravens in the second quarter, swatting the ballmidair and forcing fumbles.

Ife Onyemenam led the team with four tackles, and Brandon Omonuwa took charge on the lone sack.

Still early in the second quarter, Elgersma and Ethan Jordan connected on a 44 yard pass right into the endzone, 21-0 Hawks. Jordan ended the game with 93 receiving yards and one touchdown.

A couple plays later, now late in the second, Luke Brubacher forced the fumble on a Carleton drive and James Fleurissaint recovered the ball to give Laurier possession. On the ensuing drive of 68 yards and nine plays, Elgersma found Raidan Thorne for the short touchdown pass, 28-0 Hawks.

The Ravens came out after halftime with some heat, keeping the Hawks just below half in the opening drive. “Supernatural” Dawson Hodge responded with a successful 25 yard field goal toincrease the Hawks lead to 31-0. Finishing off the third quarter, the Ravens stopped on theLaurier 5 yard line, and started the fourth quarter with a six point score, but unable to convert the field goal on an offside call putting the Ravens back in throwing position where the steady Laurier defensive line shut the attempt down.

Elgersma ended his afternoon with a hand-off to Nelmes for a six yard carry resulting in anothertouchdown.

The Ravens would not go away silently, adding another touchdown with seven minutes left in the fourth, making the score 38-13.

Hodge sealed the victory with a mighty 46 yard field goal to end the game 41-13.

Four other teams were in action Saturday. Windsor visited Ottawa and Toronto visited Queen’s for their quarter final matches.

Both Windsor and Toronto would have had to pull off the upsetsfor the Hawks to secure home field in the semi finals, and delay playing against the 8-0 WesternMustangs. Toronto and Windsor would go on to lose their matches, setting the stage for Hawksversus Mustangs Nov. 5 in London.

Looking forward to that game, both teams have not seen each other since week one, where theMustangs won 34-19.

Faulds broke down the team’s anticipation saying, “We’re a better footballteam [than nine weeks ago]. I also know they’re a better football team ... We got to play ourbest.”

Senior Brandon Omonuwa said the team:

“Has to stay focused for Western” after their win, and having never beaten the Mustangs in his time at Laurier, he is looking forward to the

“head onhead, old school football, we are here for it ... we have improved throughout the year ... we area much better team from week one.”

Faulds said being on the road doesn’t faze the team.

“We are going to watch a lot of film ...they’re going to do the same so there’ll be two really well prepared football teams that are going to battle it out.”

With confidence high, both lines producing, and a goal in mind, “It’s just put your chin strap on and let’s go play football.”

BRONTE BEHLING/MANAGING EDITOR