It was a classic back-and-forth game with high drama that came down to the final seconds. But unfortunately for the Waterloo Warriors, their comeback attempt fell just short on their last possession of the night.

A one-hop snap led to a block of Caleb Girard's (Waterford/) 32-yard game-winning field goal attempt, as the York Lions escaped with a 34-32 win over the Warriors at Alumni Field on Saturday evening.

The result spoiled another high-flying day for Tre Ford (Niagara Falls/) and the Warriors offence, as the second-year pivot led the Warriors all the way back from a 26-7 deficit late in the second quarter. Ford ended the day with 28 completions on 44 attempts, for 437 yards and three touchdowns. Gordon Lam (Kitchener/) was the biggest target of Ford's aerial attack, as the second-year receiver registered the best game of his career – he finished with 12 catches for 259 yards and a pair of scores. And Tyler Ternowski (Hamilton/) was once again one of the most dangerous players on either sideline, grabbing 10 passes for 112 yards and his nation-leading tenth touchdown on the season. Ternowski also added 18 rushing yards on a direct snap fake punt in the second quarter.

The Lions got a big day from veteran quarterback Brett Hunchak, who went 23-37 with 292 yards, 3 touchdowns, and a 34-yard rushing touchdown. Six Lions caught multiple passes, and three – Eric Kimmerly, Luther Hakunavanhu, and Colton Hunchak – hauled in TD passes.  

York got on the board on just the third offensive play of the game, when Brett Hunchak's 34-yard score put them up 7-0. The Warriors responded later in the opening quarter with a 25-yard strike from Ford to Lam, but the Lions scored on each of their next two possessions to give them a 23-7 lead early in the second quarter. A single and a conceded safety extended the York advantage to 26-7, but the Warriors offense recaptured the momentum with a vintage Waterloo drive late in the half: the black and gold went 75 yards in just three plays, capped off with a 34-yard touchdown nab from Ternowski. The play gave Ford the single-season school record for touchdown passes in a season (18), but it also gave the Warriors life, as they entered the half trailing 26-14.

The Waterloo offense continued to roll in the third quarter, as Girard booted a 24-yard field goal before Dion Pellerin (Abbotsford/) plunged in from 3 yards to narrow the gap to 26-24. The Pellerin touchdown was set up by Tyrell Ford (Niagara Falls/), who made an excellent read on a Hunchak pass to the flats to grab his first career interception.

Waterloo grabbed its first lead of the day early in the fourth, as Ford hooked up with Lam on a beautiful 33-yarder down the right sideline, putting the Warriors up 31-26. But the lead was short-lived, as the Hunchak brothers completed a 9-play, 89-yard drive with a 5-yard pitch and catch touchdown. York added a successful two-point conversion to go up 34-31, setting up a wild finish.

First, the Warriors missed a chance to tie the game when Girard was wide on a 26-yard field goal attempt Into a stiff wind, but the rouge made it 34-32. Then, after a big defensive stop featuring a second-down sack by Devon Hinsperger (Waterloo/), the Warriors turned the ball back over on downs when a third-down pass play came up just inches short.

The Waterloo defense once again stood tall, forcing the Lions to punt it back to the Warriors late in the quarter. At their own 35-yard line, with just 1:01 to play, Ford and company went to work – after a 50-yarder to Rushon Dagelman (Niagara Falls/) was called back due to an offside call, Ford hit Ternowski for 11 yards and then Lam for a 40-yard bomb to give the Warriors life. Three plays later, on 3^rd and 6 with 10 seconds to play, Girard and the field goal unit came on with a chance to win it for the visitors. But a low snap delayed Girard's attempt by a half-second, and it gave York rookie Matt Dean enough time to break through and get a hand on the kick, sealing the victory for the Lions.

With the loss, the Warriors fall to 3-3, while the Lions improve to 2-4. Waterloo now heads on its bye week with two huge matchups left in their regular season – first, they wrap up their home season on October 13 against the McMaster Marauders, before visiting the Guelph Gryphons for their regular season finale on October 20.