WATERLOO, Ont. – A huge second half comeback attempt by the Guelph Gryphons, in which they outscored the top-ranked Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks 30-10 over the final two quarters, was not enough in the end, with Laurier doing just enough to hold on for a 37-30 victory over Guelph on Saturday afternoon (Nov. 1, 2025) in Waterloo in a memorable OUA semifinal matchup.
With the result, Guelph's 2025 season comes to an end, while Laurier moves on to the OUA final, where they will look to repeat as conference champions when they host the Queen's Gaels in the 117th Yates Cup on Saturday, Nov. 8.
A tale of two halves unfolded at Knight-Newbrough Field at University Stadium in Waterloo on Saturday afternoon, where the U SPORTS No. 1-ranked Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks jumped out to a commanding 27-0 lead at halftime over the OUA No. 7-seeded Guelph Gryphons. But Gryphons third-year quarterback,
Marshall McCray, spearheaded a sensational second half comeback attempt, with the dual-threat QB sparking the Gryphon offence in relief of starting quarterback
Tristan Aboud. McCray threw for 272 yards in the second half alone, and manufactured four total touchdowns over the final two quarters (3 passing touchdowns, 1 rushing touchdown) to turn a once 27-point deficit into a one-score game, with Guelph trailing 37-30 with 1:48 remaining in the 4th quarter after McCray connected with receiver
Harry Varty for a 22-yard touchdown reception.
The Gryphon offence would get the ball back one last time, needing to go 103-yards in under a minute to tie the game, but the drive would stall at midfield and the Gryphons would run out of time on their valiant second half comeback attempt, with the host Golden Hawks escaping with the 7-point victory.
It marks the second time this season in which the Gryphons have taken the top-ranked Golden Hawks down to the wire, with these two teams meeting way back on August 23 in the season opener, where the Gryphons were a Hail Mary short of stealing a win in that game, falling 33-28 to the Hawks. Saturday's comeback attempt from the Gryphons was started on the opening possession of the 3rd quarter, when
Marshall McCray found receiver
Ethan Garwe in the end zone for a 25-yard touchdown. It was the first career touchdown reception for Garwe, a rookie receiver from Whitby, Ontario, and the following two-point conversion made it a 27-8 game. A 47-yard touchdown pass from McCray to
Harry Varty with 3:30 remaining in the 3rd quarter was also capped by a successful two-point conversion, trimming Guelph's deficit to 27-16. After Laurier scored the next 10 points, the Gryphons refused to go away, with McCray rushing it in himself from 2-yards out with 6:47 remaining, followed by the McCray-to-Varty 22-yard TD with 1:10 remaining to make it a one-score game.
But it would be as close as the Gryphons would get.
Marshall McCray finished the day 17-26, 272 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT while also finishing as the game's leading rusher with 18 carries for 108 yards and 1 TD. Gryphons second-year receiver,
Harry Varty (Port Hope, ON), had 5 receptions for 106 yards and 2 touchdowns. Laurier quarterback Cal Wither finished the day 24-33, 369 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT with his favourite target being Ryan Huges (9 receptions, 161 yards, 2 TD). For Guelph, who ended their regular season schedule with a 3-5 record and snuck into the playoffs as the OUA's final seed (No. 7-seed) in the postseason, it marks the end of the 2025 campaign. A week ago in the OUA quarterfinals, the Gryphons upset the OUA's No. 2-seed Western Mustangs, 18-17. But hopes of a second consecutive road upset fell just short at Laurier. For the undefeated Golden Hawks, Saturday's victory moves them to 9-0 on the season (8-0 in regular season, 1-0 in playoffs). Laurier will now look to repeat as Yates Cup champions next Saturday (Nov. 8) when they host the Queen's Gaels in the OUA title game. Queen's defeated the Windsor Lancers in the other semifinal to advance to the OUA final.
