Box Score On a windy, wet day at Warrior field, the Waterloo Warriors offense couldn't find any traction against the McMaster Marauders.
The Marauders used a dominant ground game and some opportunistic turnovers to defeat the Warriors 35-0 on Saturday afternoon in Waterloo.
The win lifts McMaster, ranked 9th in the CIS, to 3-1 on the season. Meanwhile, the loss drops Waterloo to 0-4.
The Marauders were led by a pair of running backs in Jordan Lyons and Chris Pezetta. Lyons led all ball carriers with 105 yards on 17 carries, while Pezetta added 57 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The Marauders were only able to manufacture 347 yards of total offense, but their defense held the host Warriors to 164 yards of offense.
The Marauders also picked off Waterloo quarterbacks 5 times on the day, including a near-pick six by Mitch Garland – his first of two picks on the day. The slippery conditions also allowed the Warriors to recover a pair of Mac fumbles, but they were unable to capitalize. Â
Weather limited the damage done by the starting quarterbacks, as Waterloo's Lucas McConnell (Waterford) went 7-23 with 94 yards and two interceptions, before leaving at halftime due to an injury. He was replaced by rookie Ethan Belbeck (Hamilton), who went 2-9 for 12 yards and 3 interceptions.
McMaster star quarterback Asher Hastings had a solid-but-unspectacular day, going 12-16 for 140 yards and a pair of touchdown passes. After amassing a 30-0 halftime lead, he was replaced in the third quarter by Dylan Astrom, who only attempted 2 passes as the Marauders worked the clock with the run game. The Marauders offense was also held without contribution from star receiver Danny Vandervoort, who was held without a catch and played limited snaps due to a charley horse.
The final score ruined what was another dominant day for Waterloo rookie linebacker Kurtis Gray (Waterloo). The Resurrection high school grad counted a game-high 12 tackles (9 solo) with a pair of sacks. The freshman now leads the CIS in total tackles, and is fifth in the nation in sacks. Fellow linebacker Brandon Corelli (Sault Ste. Marie) added 8 tackles (7 solo), and a quarterback sack of his own.
The Warriors will now look ahead to another nationally-ranked opponent, as they will head down University Avenue next Saturday to take on the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks. Kickoff is slated for 1pm.
