Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks prepare for Vanier Cup showdown

Wilfrid Laurier University’s football team snagged a major victory over the weekend, but players won’t have time to rest on their laurels.

The Laurier Golden Hawks soundly thumped the Bishop University Gaitors 48-24 during the Uteck Bowl in Lennoxville, Quebec on Saturday.

With that decisive victory, the Golden Hawks are heading to Vanier Cup in Kingston, Ont.

The Vanier Cup is awarded to Canada’s top university football team every year.

In its almost 60-year history, Laurier has only claimed victory twice. The last time was in 2005.

Getting ready for the Vanier Cup

The Golden Hawks were hard at work at University Stadium on Monday, preparing for Saturday’s game.

The team certainly has momentum behind them; aside from the UTeck Bowl win, the team has been unstoppable this season with a 10-0 record.

However, their opponent is a titan on the gridiron.

Laurier will be facing off against Laval University’s Rouge et Or, the winningest team in Vanier history. Laval has hoisted the cup 11 times, including a win over the Saskatchewan Huskies in 2022.

On Monday, the Hawks seemed prepared to meet their competitors.

“The team that’s won the most Yates Cups in the history of Yates Cups is the Western Mustangs, and we had to go through them to win the Yates Cup,” said Michael Faulds, the Golden Hawks’ head coach. “The team that has won the most Vanier Cups is the Laval Rouge et Or and that’s who we’re facing in the Vanier Cup. They’re a well-coached team. I have a lot of respect for Coach Constantin. They have outstanding players.”

Laurier’s players are also focused on the challenge ahead.

“We know that we’re playing against a very complete team,” said WLU quarterback Taylor Elgersma. “They’ve been here many times before and that’s because they play football well together. They’re complete. They know their assignments and they’re confident in their systems.”

Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Queen’s University.