Golden Hawks hold final practice in Waterloo before national championship game

The Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks are off to Kingston to play in the Vanier Cup on Saturday.

The team held its final practice in Waterloo on Wednesday morning before loading onto coach buses and heading to Kingston.

“Any time you're one of the only two teams still practicing in the country, [there’s] a lot of excitement,” Michael Faulds, head coach of the Golden Hawks said.

“The boys are ready. They know Laval is a great opponent. We have a lot of respect for them. But yeah, just excited all around,” Faulds said.

The Purple and Gold have a perfect 11-0 record this year. Laurier beat rival Western University during the season and in the Yates Cup.

Last week, the Golden Hawks had a dominant full team effort in Quebec, beating Bishop's University in the Uteck Bowl. In the Uteck Bowl, fourth year quarterback Taylor Elgersma threw for 452 yards, and first year defensive lineman Matteo Laquintana recorded two sacks.

“It felt amazing. It's just so great because Laurier has such a great history of D linemen on the team,” Laquintana said.

Saturday will be Laurier’s sixth Vanier Cup appearance in program history. The Golden Hawks have won it twice, beating Mount Allison University in 1991 and the University of Saskatchewan in 2005.

Head Coach Michael Faulds was on the Western roster in 2005. He said it is hard to compare that era of football to now, but one similarity is the 2005 team also had both a great quarterback and outstanding defensive players.

“We're just hoping to be that next team, you know, following in the steps of ‘05 and ‘91 and this university, this community, is craving another Vanier Cup championship,” Faulds said.

Golden Hawks Head Coach Michael Faulds is seen at University Stadium in Waterloo on Nov. 20, 2024. (Colton Wiens/CTV News)

Who are they playing?

The Golden Hawks take on the Laval Rouge et Or for the national title. Laval has the most Vanier Cup wins in history, 11, and lost once through this season

“We just need to be us. We need to execute at our highest level. We need to be the more physical team, and we need to be the more intense team, like we've been talking about all year. Laurier Football has unmatched intensity, unmatched physicality, unmatched execution,” Elgersma said.

“A little scary, to be honest with you. I'm excited about it, but it's also a lot of expectations because it's my first year. I have another four or five chances at going. There's a lot of guys here who this has been years of years of hard work to get here, and they trust in me to be able to get them all the way,” Laquintana said.

Gear was loaded onto a Wilfird Laurier Golden Hawks bus on Nov. 20, 2024. (Colton Wiens/CTV News)

One last chance

The Golden Hawks have six players in their final year of eligibility, guys like running back Tanner Nelmes and Kitchener receiver Raidan Thorne. Elgersma has a fifth year he can pursue, but he is hoping to play professionally after this U Sports season. Elgersma said he knows it may have been his last time practicing at University Stadium but he is only really focused on beating Laval.

“This morning when I got up, I was like, 'You know, this may be my last time game change in this locker room. This might be my last time throwing on this field,' but my mindset is kind of somewhere else right now. I think the focus of that is overriding the emotions of the practice,” Elgersma said.

The team loaded up onto two coach buses around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday afternoon. They plan to practice twice in Kingston before Saturday’s game. The Vanier Cup kicks off at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

Wilfrid Laurier University's Golden Hawks bus left University Stadium in Waterloo on Nov. 20, 2024. (Colton Wiens/CTV News)