In true Gaels fashion, Queen’s slammed the Waterloo Warriors 54-7 in front of a sold-out Richardson Stadium comprised of current and former students on Oct. 19 of Homecoming weekend.
The Gaels met the Waterloo Warriors at Richardson Stadium for their annual homecoming game and the last game of the regular season.
In true Gaels fashion, Queen’s slammed the Waterloo Warriors 54-7 in front of a sold-out Richardson Stadium comprised of current and former students on Oct. 19 of Homecoming weekend.
It was a consistent and constant onslaught on both the offensive and defensive sides of the field for the Gaels, with six separate Gaels recording sacks in the first half and the Gaels’ offence scoring at least 10 points in each of the four quarters throughout the game.
After a failed onside kick attempt at kickoff forced the Warriors to redo the opening punt, Gaels’ defensive back Iain St Arnault, ArtSci ’27, continued to dominate the gridiron as he’s done all season long, rushing all the way to the Waterloo 45-yard line and putting the Gaels in scoring position from the jump.
Thanks to running back Jared Chisari, MSc ’25, and quarterback Anthony Lio, Kin ’27, the Gaels marched down the field, ending their drive with a 23-yard ing touchdown from Lio to star wide receiver Nathan Falconi, ArtSci ’25.
With two minutes left in the first quarter, Chisari added his first touchdown of the game off a four-yard run.
Kicker Tyler Mullan, ArtSci ’26, added two rouges and converted his extra points on both of the Gaels’ touchdowns, sending the Gaels into the second quarter decisively leading the game 16-0.
The second quarter was characterized by a strong rushing offensive scheme for the Gaels, with Chisari hammering home his second rushing touchdown of the game, just two minutes into the quarter.
Quarterback Russell Weir, ArtSci ’26, also exploded for an impressive 60-yard run late in the quarter. With Queen’s defence recording a safety, the Gaels doubled up on their leading margin, exiting the first half with a 32-0 chokehold on the Warriors.
The Gaels got off to a slow start in the second half, allowing the Warriors to score their first and only touchdown of the game off a goal-line rush.
It didn’t take long for the Gaels to respond, with receiver Nico Kwemo, Kin ’25, responding swiftly with a 29-yard touchdown from Lio.
Aside from Weir’s second rushing touchdown, Mullan primarily took over for the Gaels offence for the rest of the game, recording two more field goals and a pair of rouges, icing the Gaels’ Homecoming win at 54-7.
Mullan’s final tally of the day reached 16 points, consisting of two field goals, six conversions, and four rouges.
Head Coach of the football team, Steve Snyder, reflected on the impact the sold out crowd had on his team’s ability to gather and utilize their momentum throughout the game.
“It’s the best, you see the difference. You get a little bit of momentum, and it snowballs for you. When you go on the road, and you play in environments like this, you have to be really careful it doesn’t snowball on you. It’s nice when it’s going your way. It was loud, it was energetic, and it definitely helped us today,” Snyder said in an interview with The Journal.
After finishing the regular season in fifth place with a record of 5-3, the Gaels will kick off their post-season push on Oct. 26 against the Windsor Lancers in Windsor, Ont. in the first round of the OUA playoffs.
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