If there was any doubt that the Waterloo Warriors should be considered a serious title contender in 2021, it was promptly erased on Saturday night at Warrior Field.

The Warriors dominated in all three phases in their season-opening game against the Windsor Lancers, scoring a decisive 42-14 victory in their first game action in nearly 700 days. 

Quarterback Tre Ford (Niagara Falls/) threw for a touchdown and ran in for two more, while veteran linebacker Michael Reid (Sault Ste. Marie/) scooped and scored on an 80-yard fumble recovery after a bone-shaking blitz from Safety Andy Melo (Georgetown/). James Basalyga (Thunder Bay/) caught five balls for 96 yards, including a 44-yard major in the first quarter, and Brandon Metz (Cambridge/) added 81 total yards from scrimmage and a touchdown.

Even the Warriors special teams made massive contributions, as Tyrell Ford (Niagara Falls/) registered 119 return yards – not including a 60-yard return to the house that was called back due to an inadvertent whistle. Meanwhile, Cole Crossett (Ottawa/) was 2-3 on field goals for the night, and averaged a booming 49.7 yards on six punts.

For the Lancers, Sam Girard went 16-34 for 174 yards and a touchdown, while being sacked twice. David Adeniran scored on a 32-yard run in the fourth quarter, while Cole Verlinde led all players with a game-high 8 solo tackles. 

The Warriors had an auspicious start to the game, as Jordan Travis (Barrie/) lost the handle on the opening kickoff, only to have the Lancers recover the fumble. But the Warriors' defence stood tall, forcing a turnover on downs before marching down the field for a Crossett field goal. Then, late in the first quarter, Ford hit Basalyga down the right seam for a 44-yard strike, giving Waterloo a 9-0 lead after 15 minutes. 

The Warriors then erupted for 24 unanswered points in the second quarter, starting with a 2-yard Ford run on third-and-goal. Then, Melo's timely blitz on a third-down play knocked the ball loose from Girard, allowing Reid to scoop up the fumble and return it 80 yards to the endzone. Then, after the Tyrell Ford (Niagara Falls/) punt return touchdown was taken off the board, his brother pushed the Warriors offense downfield, capping off a drive with a 7-yard touchdown run. A Crossett 35-yard field goal at the buzzer gave the hosts a commanding 33-0 lead at the half.

It was the Lancers' turn to mishandle a kickoff, as Immanuel Onyemah (Mississauga/) forced a fumble and recovered it himself on the opening play of the second half. Three plays later, Metz rumbled in for a score to make it 40-0 Warriors. 

On the ensuing drive, Girard found Callin Bethune for an 8-yard touchdown hookup to give Windsor its first points of the season. Early in the fourth, after a Jack Andrews (Niagara Falls/) tackle in the endzone gave Waterloo a safety and a 42-7 lead, the Lancers took advantage of a Warriors team that had pulled most of its starters when Adeniran scampered untouched to a 32-yard major. 

The 1-0 Warriors will now turn their attention to the first of two Battles of Waterloo in 2021, when they head down University Avenue to take on the Laurier Golden Hawks. Kickoff at Knight-Newbrough field is slated for 1pm on Saturday, September 25.