Box Score The Waterloo Warriors football team could have just enjoyed 3-0 while it lasted.
They were already leaps and bounds ahead of the external expectations: 3-0 for the first time in a decade, after back-to-back 0-8 seasons. And they were already behind the adversarial eight-ball on Saturday afternoon in Ottawa: On the road, in a hostile homecoming environment, against the Carleton Ravens – a team that's received at least one vote in 18 of the last 21 national top-10 polls. And they were already dealing with some gameplan-changing injuries: one half of the ultra-effective quarterbacking platoon, rookie Tre Ford (Niagara Falls/), was inactive due to an injury, as was veteran fullback Mitch Kernick (Elmira/).
Then, at halftime, they were already behind – and behind big – on the scoreboard. There were poorly-timed penalties. Costly turnovers. A freight train in the Carleton backfield named Nathan Carter, who rushed for 224 yards in the half. So, trailing 30-10 after two quarters, the Warriors could have just enjoyed 3-0 while it lasted.
But they were already orchestrating a program-defining comeback for the ages.
When the dust settled on a frenetic second half, the Warriors had roared all the way back to claim an impossible 45-43 victory over the Ravens at MNP field, moving to 4-0 for the first time since 1998.
"We had a terrible first half," said Waterloo head coach Chris Bertoia. "(But) our players answered the challenge in the second half. It validated our staff's belief in their ability and their character. These guys are playing for each other, while believing in their own abilities."
Taking every snap in the absence of Ford, veteran Lucas McConnell (Waterford/) played likely his finest game in four years as a Warrior, connecting on 29 of 43 passes for 477 yards and three touchdowns, while adding a major score on the ground. Behind McConnell, Dion Pellerin (Abbotsford/) exploded in the second half, scoring on runs of 52 and 60 yards – in back-to-back drives – en route to 138 yards rushing.
Receiver Tyler Ternowski (Hamilton/) returned from injury to haul in 10 passes for 185 yards and a touchdown, while Richmond Nketiah (Brampton/) caught 7 balls for 114 yards and his league-leading fourth receiving touchdown of the year. On the defensive side of the ball, Michael Reid (Sault Ste. Marie/) and Kurtis Gray (Waterloo/) were wrecking balls from the linebacker spot, notching a combined 14.5 tackles.
Meanwhile, the Ravens lost their chance to claw back to .500, dropping to 1-3 on the season. Carter finished with a single-game school record 274 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns, but was held to just 50 yards and no scores in the second half. Carleton pivot Michael Arruda went 20-39 for 348 yards and 3 TD, while Phil Iloki made 5 catches for 147 yards and a score in a losing cause.
Buried in the gaudy stat lines and comeback narratives was a dominant first half from the Ravens. Waterloo was not without its chances, but when the youthful Warriors made mistakes, Carleton was quick to capitalize. In a three-drive span overlapping the first and second quarters, the Ravens' defence turned three turnovers (one via downs and two via fumbles) into 17 unanswered points.
Nketiah's 6-yard touchdown reception made the score 20-10 with two minutes to play in the half, but Carter took exactly one play – an 87-yard touchdown run – to steal back the momentum. Another turnover on downs and a field goal later, and the Warriors were down by 20 at the half.
After the clubs combined for three punts to start the third quarter, Waterloo turned the contest on its head. In a game that included 1,314 offensive yards, none ended up being bigger than the eight that McConnell earned on a do-or-die, third-and-goal scramble to the goal line to make it 30-17. It opened the floodgates for Waterloo, and was the catalyst to an outrageous stretch of offensive football that rendered MNP park silent.
On the next Waterloo drive, it was two straight catches from Ternowski – a 49-yard jaw-dropping juke clinic, followed by an 8-yard TD grab to cut the lead to 6. Then, it was Pellerin's two thunderous TD runs – sandwiched around a 72-yard bomb from Arruda to Iloki – to make the score 38-37 Waterloo. And finally, it was Lam Diing (Kitchener/), climbing the ladder and snatching a 23-yard McConnell lob in the endzone.
The final tally on the Waterloo explosion: Five drives, 10:57 of possession, 24 plays, five touchdowns. In a span of 19:57, the Warriors had outscored the Ravens 35-7.
Still, though, the game hung in the balance through 59 minutes and 48 seconds, when a last-minute touchdown catch from Wilson Birch set up Carleton to attempt a game-tying two-point conversion. But just as they did a week ago against Toronto, the Warriors defense made the game-deciding play – this time, it was Lautaro Frecha (Sault Ste. Marie/) who burst into the Carleton backfield and sacked Arruda before he could get the ball off, cementing Waterloo's fourth straight victory.
The win sets up the most anticipated Battle of Waterloo in recent memory, as the Warriors will return home to host the 3-0 Laurier Golden Hawks on Saturday, September 23. Kickoff is scheduled for 1pm at Warrior Field, and will be broadcast live on oua.tv and Rogers TV Cable 20.
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