Football | 10/3/2025 12:00:00 PM
On October 5, 2024, the York University Lions football team hosted the Waterloo Warriors at York Lions Stadium.
After falling behind 14-0 early, York battled back to win 39-24, as their offence found its footing in the second quarter and pulled away over the final two frames, earning the Lions their first ever win at YLS since moving into the stadium full-time in 2021.
Now, 364 days later, the Lions and Warriors will do battle again – this time at Warrior Field – with a ton on the line. The Lions sit at 2-3, having lost two straight games, and now sit on the edge of the OUA playoff picture.
This will be the Lions best chance to earn a third win and improve their chances of a postseason berth, as the Warriors come in at 1-5 and have scored an average of 15 points a game, while allowing almost 34. While the Lions have struggled on defence for much of the season, this will be an opportunity for York to find its way back in the win column and get back to .500 on the season.
A win would also be important for the program as a whole, as it would signify a step forward from last year's two-win campaign in head coach Dexter Janke's first year, as they would earn a third win for the first time in a single season since 2018 when they went 3-5. If the Lions are able to come out on top, they will at worst maintain the No. 7 seed – the final playoff spot – in the OUA, if not improve upon it if results out of town roll their way. If Ottawa beats Carleton in the Panda Game and Queen's beats Guelph, they could move up to the sixth seed in the conference with a win, which, if they were able to stay there, would allow them to avoid Laurier or Western in the opening round.
However, the Lions will need to take care of their own business for any of this to matter, as a loss would put their playoff hopes in serious jeopardy. However, the Warriors are a beatable team on the offensive side of the ball, having scored the second-fewest points in the conference. The Lions will likely not have to set the world on fire offensively to beat Waterloo, but will need to be efficient as they have been all season.
This game – perhaps with the exception of last year's season finale at McMaster – will be the biggest of the Janke era to date. While winning more than just this game would do wonders, this game is the one the Lions need to win given where these teams are in the standings. While a win certainly doesn't guarantee anything, it would, if nothing else, give the Lions a chance at a playoff spot heading into the final two weeks.
Kickoff from Warrior field is set for 1:00 pm on Saturday. You can stream the game live on OUA.tv.
