The York University Lions football team wrapped up a two-game road trip Saturday afternoon taking on the Waterloo Warriors at a steamy Warrior Field in a game with massive playoff implications.

The Lions entered play 2-3 having lost two straight, but still occupying the final OUA playoff spot, facing a Warrior team at 1-5 with their postseason hopes on life support.

The Lions won the toss and deferred, giving the Warriors the opening possession. Anthony Miller received the kickoff from Nathan Walker and lateraled it across to Logan Heroux, who returned it up the far side out to near mid-field. That led to a 47-yard Evan Astolfo field goal, making it 3-0 Waterloo.

The Lions first possession relied heavily on Melchis Ilunga, who had a couple solid runs to pick up a couple first downs deep into Waterloo territory before eventually punting. That pinned the Warriors at their own 11, but they were able to march down the field with a nice mix of the run and passing game. They got all the way down to the York 6-yard line, before Jaden Dicks stuffed a run setting up a third and two from the Lions five. Waterloo quarterback Nolan Kaban threw on third down and the pass to the end zone was knocked away by Riley Berfelo, turning the ball over on downs on the first play of the second quarter, keeping it 3-0 Warriors.

Both teams traded punts thanks to some procedural errors on both sides, particularly the Warriors – one of which forced them to concede a safety – until just outside the three-minute warning. The Warriors finally sustained a drive and again drove deep into York territory. However, just like the earlier drive, the Lion defence tightened up with their backs to their goal line, when a Kaban pass was broken up by a Lion and forced the Warriors to take a 12-yard field goal to go up 6-2, which would be the score at the break.

The first drive of the second half started near midfield for York after a post-whistle penalty on the Warriors moved the ball from the 34 to the 49. Two plays later, Hall found Cairo Berry deep down field after being flushed out, and the big receiver took it all the way down to the Waterloo 5. From there, a QB draw from Hall took it to the 2-yard line. After an incompletion on second down, another QB keeper was nearly snuffed out, but Hall spun past the defender, leaving him in the dust for the score to give the Lions their first lead of the day at 9-6.

The next Warrior possession began with another penalty on the kickoff to back Waterloo into the shadows of its own goal post, which led to a two-and-out and a conceded safety. The Lions took the ball at the 35 and immediately Hall found Avery Ford down the rail, putting the Lions into field goal range. A big hit on Nick Adair was close to a fumble, but was ruled incomplete. Two plays later, Walker drilled a 43-yard field goal to make it an eight-point Lions lead, 14-6. 

After another Warrior punt, the Lions marched down the field again thanks to a big gain to Nicholas Adair, but the drive stalled out inside the Warriors 30. Walker promptly nailed a 33-yarder field goal to make it a two-score game at 17-6 in favour of the visitors. The Warriors responded with another short field goal on their next possession, cutting it to an eight-point game once again, 17-9. 

Connections from Hall to Adair and Ford ended the third, and the Lions continued their jaunt downfield inside the Waterloo ten, but the Warriors stood up Hall on a second-and-goal quarterback run, leading to a nine-yard Walker Field goal to give York a 20-9 lead.

The Warriors took the ball back and drove down the field, getting down inside the York 20, Kaban took off and ran, getting hit just as he ran out of bounds, and the Lions were assessed an unnecessary roughness call to get it down inside the Lions 5-yard line. Anthony Miller ran it in on the next play to cut the lead to five, and the Warriors added two more on a two-point conversion, and a game that felt in control for the Lions was suddenly down to three at 20-17.

On the next York drive, they converted a second down and long after a holding penalty backed them up from second-and-one to second-and-11 on a pass from Hall to Adair. The next play, a big gain by Melchis Ilunga was called back, and the Lions brought in Matt Linn, leaving two quarterbacks on the field. Linn's lateral to Hall was not completed, and the Warriors fell on the loose ball inside the 10. That lead to a Miller touchdown on third and goal, giving Waterloo the lead, 23-20 with 6:17 left.

The Lions got the ball back in Waterloo territory after a short kickoff was fielded by Greg Sealy, who was tackled by the facemask to give York the ball at the Warriors 45. Hall found Adair on a ball over the middle, but Adair was hurt on the catch. However, York got the ball down to the 11-yard line after a tough catch by Zack Smith. After two incomplete passes to the end zone, Hall found Adair – who returned earlier in the drive – and he made an amazing grab in the end zone on third-and-10 to give York the lead again, 27-24, with 3:04 remaining.

A good kickoff return by Waterloo's Yinka Ogunnote set the Warriors up in great field position, but on the first play from scrimmage out of the three-minute warning, Kaban's hitch pass was read beautifully by Marcellus Pope – his second great read on a hitch in the game – and he jumped the route and ran it back for a huge pick six. The PAT from Walker was no good, leaving York up 33-24 with just over two minutes left.

The Warriors were able to take the ball back down the field and Anthony Miller punched it in on a handoff on second-and-long that saw him hurdle, land on his feet and back into the end zone. Two unnecessary roughness penalties allowed the Warriors to attempt an onside kick from the York 35. Astolfo dribbled it forward and recovered his own kick. Two plays later, he hit a 17-yarder to make it 34-33 Warriors.

York completed a couple passes to get the ball over midfield, but the last play went through the hands of the Lions receiver to end it, as York dropped a heartbreaker 34-33, losing their third straight and falling to 2-4 on the season.

LOOKING AHEAD: 

The Lions will host the Western Mustangs on senior night at York Lions Stadium next Friday at York Lions Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 pm.