It was midway through the fourth quarter on Saturday afternoon when things started looking a little too familiar.   

The Waterloo Warriors hadn't beaten the Guelph Gryphons since 2005, but they'd come agonizingly close in recent years – three times in their last six meetings, the Gryphons had scored the decisive points sometime beyond the 59-minute mark of regulation.  

So on this day, when Guelph took their first lead with two successive touchdowns in the fourth quarter, the Warriors could have been paralyzed by the most miserable case of deja vu. Instead, they shed 18 years of baggage, and flipped the familiar script directly on its head.   

Cole Crossett's (Metcalfe, ON/) 23-yard field goal with under five seconds left proved to be the difference, as Waterloo stormed back from a late nine-point deficit to claim a wild 30-23 victory over the Gryphons on Saturday afternoon at Warrior Field.   

The Warriors' come-from-behind victory also breathes new life into their playoff aspirations, as they improve to 2-3 on the season. Meanwhile, the loss drops Guelph to 3-3, as the OUA standings continue to tighten. 

Offensively, the Warriors were paced by a dominant run game. Third-year power back Anthony Miller (Brampton, ON/) had a career day with 28 carries for 229 yards and a touchdown, as Waterloo rushed the ball 50 times for 351 yards on the afternoon. 

On the other side of the ball, the game story revolved around number nine in gold – Tyson Hergott (Waterloo, ON/) registered three sacks, six solo tackles, and a batted pass at the line of scrimmage, as he lived in the Guelph backfield all day. And on the day's most pivotal sequence, it was stud linebacker James Hinsperger (Waterloo, ON/) who made a monumental play, forcing and recovering a fumble at midfield that led to the Crossett game-winner. 

Coming off their bye, and with a renewed emphasis on a fast start, the Warriors came out slugging in front of a large Black and Gold Fest crowd. After forcing a Guelph two-and-out, the Warriors rode some stellar offensive line play on an 11-play drive, but it rendered only one point when Crossett's 36-yard field goal missed wide left.   

The Warriors defense maintained the momentum in the first quarter, and the two-headed rushing attack of Miller and rookie back Quinten Springer (Cambridge, ON/) kept the ball moving on offense. In the final minute of the opening quarter, pivot Nick Orr (Caledon, ON/) hooked up on a 16-yard touchdown with veteran receiver Justin Succar (Niagara Falls, ON/), giving the hosts an 8-0 lead after the first 15 minutes. 

The Gryphons answered almost immediately though, when Donavin Milloy took a handoff on the first play of the second quarter, and rocketed up the right sideline for a 76-yard touchdown rush. The two-point conversion attempt failed, but a single on the ensuing kickoff cut the Waterloo lead to 8-7. 

Crossett added a 27-yard kick later in the second to widen the Warriors lead to four points, but the Gryphons got the ball moving late in the first half when they began to platoon starting quarterback Tristan Aboud with fellow rookie Marshall McCray. Waterloo's defense was up to the task though, as Anasu Latmore came up with an opportune interception at his own one-yard line to keep the score 11-7 Waterloo at the half. 

The third quarter was played primarily between the 35-yard lines, save for a 10-play Gryphons drive that used up almost five minutes. But the visitors only converted it into a single point, as Gabriel Canabrava's missed field goal from 25 yards went out of the end zone for a single. After three quarters, the Warriors held on to an 11-8 lead.  

Early in the final stanza, Miller ripped off a 37-yard run that set up a Crossett field goal from 17 yards out, extending the Warriors advantage to 14-8. But with Aboud nursing an injury on the Gryphons sideline, McCray and the Guelph offense caught fire – first, it was a five-play, 75-yard drive that culminated in a 32-yard touchdown reception from Willem Arseneau to give the Gryphs their first lead of the day at 15-14. Then, McCray capped the next Guelph drive with his league-leading seventh rushing touchdown of the season. And finally, after Orr was stuffed on a third-down play at midfield, Nicholas Guardiero's punt added a single point to make it a two-possession game. With just 2:18 to play, Waterloo's lead had been turned into a 23-14 deficit, and the same old story seemed like it would be written again. 

But then, the Warriors started making big plays – a lot of them, at the most critical junctures of the game. On the first play after the Guelph single, Orr hit James Basalyga (Thunder Bay, ON/) on a 68-yard bomb over the top of the Guelph defense. The next play after that, it was a 7-yard touchdown rush from Miller, and the Warriors were back to within two points, down 23-21. 

Then, the Waterloo defence did their part to exorcize recent demons. On a second-down play near midfield, McCray eluded pressure from Hergott and the Warriors defensive line to scramble towards the first down marker. But just before he reached the line to gain, Hinsperger and safety Diego Arenas (Montreal/) converged on the rookie quarterback, popping the ball loose. Hinsperger pounced on it, and the Warriors had the ball back down two with 1:42 left. 

From there, Miller and the rushing game forced the ball all the way down to the Guelph 16 yard-line, bleeding the clock down to four seconds. The rest was on Crossett, and both his right foot and his nerve proved to be steady – the 23-yarder fell through the uprights with just a tenth of a second left. 

Waterloo's special teams unit got to punctuate the victory, as Harrison Shoniker (Guelph, ON/) forced a fumble to snuff out Guelph's attempt at a lateral-laden miracle. Caelen Fraser (Guelph, ON/) scooped and scored with no time left to round out the scoring at 30-23. 

The Warriors will now turn their focus to a short week and a date this Friday, October 6 with the 1-5 McMaster Marauders. Kickoff from Ron Joyce stadium is slated for 1 pm.