HAMILTON, Ont. – The McMaster Marauders opened the 2026 OUA football season in dramatic fashion Saturday night, overcoming an early two-score deficit to defeat the Windsor Lancers 31-26 at Ron Joyce Stadium.
McMaster trailed 17-3 before scoring 27 unanswered points to take control of the contest. The Marauders received contributions from all three phases, highlighted by two rushing touchdowns from quarterback
Lucas Barresi (Hamilton, Ont.), a 124-yard missed field goal return touchdown from
Sean Underhill (Hamilton, Ont.) and 12 points off the foot of
Michael Horvat (Hamilton, Ont.).
For head coach
Stefan Ptaszek, the comeback was a product of his team remaining composed after Windsor's early surge.
"I thought all three aspects of my football team competed like heck," said Ptaszek. "All three aspects dug in, started to play better football, and we needed to get back to 17-17 before the half. That was huge."
Horvat opened the scoring with a 31-yard field goal, but Windsor quickly responded. Kareame Cotton connected with Colby Ginn for a 75-yard touchdown before the Lancers added another touchdown to build an early advantage.
After Windsor moved ahead 17-3, the Marauders began to find their footing.
Barresi scored from seven yards out in the second quarter before punching the ball in again from one yard late in the half, completing the comeback and sending the teams into the break tied at 17-17.
Making his first Week 1 start for the Marauders, Barresi completed 18 of 24 passes for 168 yards and added the two touchdowns on the ground. For the Hamilton native, leading his hometown program carried some added significance.
"Representing Hamilton my whole life, it's such an honour to play for the school and represent the community," said Barresi. "I felt really confident going in. I think we schemed up a really good game plan and we all gelled together."
McMaster carried its momentum into the second half.
A Windsor fumble recovered by
Nathan Laskowski (Guelph, Ont.) helped set up a 41-yard field goal from Horvat, giving McMaster its first lead of the night at 20-17.
Then came the game's biggest play.
Windsor attempted a 57-yard field goal midway through the third quarter, but the kick fell short and Underhill fielded it deep in the McMaster end zone. The defensive back broke free and returned the miss 124 yards for a touchdown, giving the Marauders a 26-17 advantage.
The return was the second-longest missed field goal return in McMaster program history, and Barresi was hardly surprised to see his longtime teammate deliver an explosive play.
"I've been playing with Sean since I was about 16, 17 years old, so he's an explosive player," said Barresi. "Just having him be able to flip the field and score, that's such a huge momentum changer."
McMaster continued to add to its lead when Horvat connected from 30 yards late in the third quarter, putting the Marauders ahead 30-17. Horvat finished the night 3-for-4 on field goals, connecting from 31, 41 and 30 yards.
Windsor refused to go quietly.
The Lancers opened the fourth quarter with a touchdown drive, as Josh Foulis found Evan Martin for a six-yard score to cut McMaster's advantage to 30-24.
With Windsor threatening again later in the quarter,
Isaiah Shields (Hamilton, Ont.) delivered another of the game's defining plays. The linebacker intercepted Foulis at the McMaster 33-yard line with 6:41 remaining, ending a five-play Lancers drive. Shields also recorded a sack and two pass breakups in the victory.
Despite falling behind early, Shields said there was little panic on the McMaster sideline.
"Even though we were down, I feel like all the guys, especially on the defensive side and offensive side, still understood what type of team we were and what we're capable of," said Shields. "It's a game of runs and being down in the first quarter doesn't mean you're going to lose the game. We trusted one another."
The Lancers added a safety with 1:42 remaining to make it 30-26, setting up a chaotic finish. McMaster added a rouge in the final minute before its defence held on through Windsor's final possession to secure the five-point victory.
Shane Wismer (Stoney Creek, Ont.) led McMaster's receiving corps with seven catches for 73 yards.
Nathan Denkers (Hamilton, Ont.) added four receptions for 30 yards, while
Aidan Nemeth (North Vancouver, B.C.) finished with three catches for 27 yards.
Defensively,
Anthony Sestanovic (Oakville, Ont.) led the Marauders with 10 solo tackles, while
Jacob Pietrantonio (Hamilton, Ont.) recorded seven.
Christian Chukwuali II (Hamilton, Ont.) registered two of McMaster's four sacks, with
Zach Pain (Hamilton, Ont.) and
Shields adding one apiece.
The victory marked McMaster's first Week 1 win since 2019, providing an early payoff for a group Ptaszek said has put significant work into reaching this point.
"These guys have put in a great offseason, from winter workouts to spring ball to killing themselves in the heat of August to get ready for this first game," said Ptaszek. "We've got the leadership and we've got the work ethic to do it."
The win moves McMaster to 1-0 to begin the 2026 OUA campaign, giving the Marauders an early statement victory as they turn their attention to Week 2 against the Guelph Gryphons.
