Sun Devils back to winning ways
After giving Vancouver College their best test of the season last week, South Delta traveled to the island to take on the Belmont Bulldogs and were able to get back in the win column with a 31-21 victory, but not without overcoming some adversity.
The Bulldogs came out flying and had tons of energy to start the game. An early error by the Sun Devils only fueled that fire. Less than five plays into the game, Belmont scooped up a lateral that had found the turf and ran it back for the game’s opening score.
South Delta responded emphatically on the next drive. A beautiful throw by Dominic Dumas to Quin Sjoberg capped off an 80-yard drive and had the game tied at 7.
Some penalties stalled out a few South Delta drives, and after a missed Field goal by the Sun Devils, Belmont was able to march the field for a 25-yard score for the only points of the second quarter. With that score, the Bulldogs took a 14-7 lead into the half.
Belmont received the ball to start the third quarter. The Bulldog’s return man caught the ball deep in his own end. Finding a little seam up the hash, he hit the sideline for an incredible 99-yard return touchdown. With that big return, the score was 21-7 for the home team, which was just one play into the second half.
The Sun Devil’s offense started to get going by following that Belmont TD with another 8-play 80-yard TD drive that was capped by a Koen Hubbard 7-yard TD catch. South Delta’s defense took the field after the score and would completely shut down the Bulldogs for the remainder of the game.
A short offensive series had Belmont punting the ball back to the Sun Devils. One play later, Damian Dumas ran to the outside, found a seam up the sideline, and finished his longest run of the game with a 58-yard touchdown run.
With the game now tied at 21, the momentum swung entirely in South Delta’s favor. The Sun Devil’s defense continued its second-half dominance, and Delta’s offense relied heavily on Damian Dumas to carry the load for the rest of the way.
Damian’s last TD came on a short 5-yard pass after Dominic bought himself some time and found him in the flat for six. On the Sun Devil’s final drive, they called on kicker Diego Altorre to put the game away for good.
The strong-legged kicker, who was returning from missing the last few games with an injury, put the nail in the coffin by drilling a 40-yard field goal.
Damian Dumas continues to impress. The province’s leading rusher added to his totals by rushing 27 times for 210 yards and one touchdown. Dumas also added 2 catches for 33 yards and another score in the passing game.
Other Sun Devil’s offensive standouts were Quinn Sjoberg, who had 61 yards receiving and a touchdown, Koen Hubbard, who also had 26 yards and a score, and Dominic Dumas, who finished with 120 yards passing three touchdowns and an interception.
Defensively for the Sun Devils, inside backer Gage Spargo led the defense with 7 tackles, Tommy Cowan chipped in with 6, while Jun Choi and both Dumas brothers had 5 tackles apiece.
Sun Devils Head Coach Ray Moon loved his team’s ability to battle back when things weren’t going the team’s way.
“Although we didn’t feel like we played our best game, it was good to see the resiliency of the team when they were down 2 scores early in the 2nd. Belmont came out with alot of energy and we didn’t match it early, credit to them for that and capitalizing when we made mistakes or were out of position.”
The Sun Devils return to the mainland to enjoy their long weekend before beginning prep for their matchup next week against Carson Graham.
Centaurs bounce back against Seahawks
The Centennial Centaurs bounced back from a tight loss last week against the New Westminster Hyacks. The Centaurs channeled their frustrations from that loss into a convincing 45-19 win over the Seaquam Seahawks Friday.
The Centaurs scored on their first possession when Jaedyn Livingstone took a pass 35 yards to make it 7-0. The Seahawks responded in the middle of the quarter after an interception, which two plays later turned into a Seahawks touchdown.
In the second quarter, with the game tied at seven, the Centaurs started to pull away. Touchdowns from Jasper Baron and Jaedyn Livingstone made the score 21 -7 at the half for the Centaurs.
The third quarter started, and the Centaurs picked up where they left off. First, Ena Laqui found the endzone, and then a field goal by Doran Geremia stretched the Centuar’s lead to 31 -7, which seemed to put the game away.
Not so fast! The Seahawks came storming back. After scoring a quick touchdown, the Seahawks lined up for an onside kick. Seaquam recovered and then drove down the field for another major, and all of a sudden, we had a game again with the lead being cut to 31-19 Centaurs.
On the ensuing kickoff the Seahawks tried their luck again with an onside attempt. As the ball bounced towards a pile of players, desperately trying to recover the ball fell into the hands of the Centaur’s Livingstone. The Centaurs star capped off his big day by not only recovering the kick but sprinting all the way to the endzone and sealing the game for good.
The Centaur’s defense had yet another strong performance. The unit was led by linebackers Kaleb Montpetit, who had five tackles and a fumble recovery, and Harry Lobay, who had six tackles. Defensive lineman Cole McEwan was also a force up front all night.
Centaur’s Head Coach, Dino Geremia, commended his team and opponents post-game.
“A good win for us overall. Seaquam showed great toughness and played hard all night. I was proud of our team’s ability to come up with plays in all 3 phases of the game. We need to get better as we face a tough football team in STM”
That matchup between two talented rosters will take place at Burnaby Lakes at 7:30 next Friday.
Ravens upset Hyacks with fifteen unanswered points in final quarter
Upset alert! The Terry Fox Ravens, sparked by an eleven-point fourth quarter comeback, defeated the New Westminster Hyacks 24-20.
The Ravens were sparked by quarterback Zac Golab and his receiving core in a comeback to remember for Terry Fox. The Hyacks were able to stop the run and keep the Ravens one-dimensional, but Golab stepped up big-time when his team needed him. Golab went 24-29 for 212 yards, one touchdown, and a two-point conversion. Gus Borthwick, and Russel Arinaza helped the star quarterback out by also finding the endzone.
The Hyacks defense, which played well for most of the game, missed out on too many game-changing plays and wasn’t able to execute to a high enough level to win, according to Hyacks defensive coordinator Chad Oatway.
“We had three opportunities for interceptions but didn’t come up with the ball. Overall, I was proud of how the D played, but we need to continue to grow mentally in communicating, aligning, and executing as a defense together.”
Through three quarters, everything looked good for the Hyacks. Quarterback Antonio Hageleit Started the game with a 60-yard touchdown run. Hageleit added a 16-yard strike in the 2nd quarter to Eli Smith for six to close out the first half for the Hyacks.
Josh Delacruz scored in the third, and the Hyacks led 20-9 in the fourth quarter. With everything going the Hyack’s way, the Ravens battled both sides of the ball and scored 15 unanswered points in the final frame for a big win.
Ravens Head Coach Tom Kudaba was happy with the complete game from his team, specifically his defense.
“The defence was stingy and played a great game, with kudos to Lachlen Bruce, Gus Borthwick, and the rest of the front six linemen and Linebackers. We played the entire four quarters this time, and there are signs of good things to come.”
Hyacks head coach Andrew McKechnie commended his opponents post-game but thinks his own team’s performance left much to be desired.
“Full credit to Terry Fox. They were the more disciplined team, executed their game plan well, and deserved the win. They have some good football players and have been competing hard all year, except for Mouat, they have been right there in every game.
That said, this was a disappointing showing by our football team. We have caught an injury bug and it’s slowly been growing weekly. We are at a point where we were down 8 key contributors. On top of that, penalties, dropped passes, turnovers and some poor decisions earlier today by some of our players led to even more players unavailable for large chunks of the game. With all that said, we were still in a position to win the football game at the end with our 2 minute offense, we just couldn’t overcome it all.”
The Hyacks were missing three of their top four running backs on top of other key players offensively. Josh Dela Cruz impressed the coaching staff by stepping up in a difficult position.
Hyacks Offensive Coordinator Darnell Sikorski was happy with aspects of his unit’s performance but knew they made far too many mistakes to beat a good team like the Ravens.
“Both QBs Antonio Hageleit and Gavin Rai did some really good things for us through the air and on the ground. Eli Smith (WR) rebounded well after a drop early in the game, and our Offensive Line did a good job for us tonight. But when you have two fumbles and five key drops offensively that would have led to touchdowns or huge gains down the field, in addition to all the unavailable players tonight, you’re not going to win many football games.”
Mckechnie says it’s gut-check time for the team next week.
“Our team can be a great football team, but we can’t beat the other team and ourselves at the same time. We hope to have some guys back next week, but we have to decide who we are going to become as a football team. We’ll find out a lot about ourselves starting on Monday as we prepare for a great team in Lord Tweedsmuir”
That game kicks off at 3:30 at Lord Tweedsmuir.
Never say never; Crusaders storm back to beat Falcons in enemy territory
The Holy Cross Crusaders extended their winning streak to four games as they defeated the Sardis Falcons 29-21 in front of a ruckus Falcons crowd.
“This was an incredible game to be a part of. The atmosphere was awesome. Sardis had their drumline there and they were absolutely incredible and created an atmosphere nothing like anything we’re used to.”
Crusaders Head Coach Conrad Deugau said about the atmosphere on Friday night. The loud crowd didn’t phase the Crusaders; rather, they were fueled by it, starting from the opening kickoff.
Running back Kalel Dizon took that kickoff to the house and silenced the crowd momentarily. Deugau commended his opponent’s ability to fight back from an early momentum killer.
“Often that type of play and the emotion behind it can sink the opposition, but full kudos to Sardis they fought back. And they really fought back.”
The Falcons are no pushovers. They shook off that return touchdown and responded by scoring twice before the half and then again in quarter number three and had the Crusaders hanging on by a thread, as they lead 21-8.
With the momentum completely flipped in the Falcon’s favor, Deugau knew it was time for the Crusaders to test their mental toughness and to call on their star.
“That also could sink a team, but we dug deep and fought our way back. We had key offensive possessions with Kalel Dizon once again getting scores both on the ground.”
Feeding off the energy of their star, the Crusader’s defense made critical plays, getting key stops and stifling the Sardis O in the second half. The Crusader’s special teams didn’t want to be left out either.
Late in the 4th quarter, a game-changing fumble recovery by Crusaders defensive end Adam Rashad on a muffed punt gave the Crusaders the ball back with the game tied at 21.
With under a minute to go, quarterback Xander McCrone found Paulo Emata in the endzone for the game-winning score. 29-21 Crusaders was the final.
Deugau and his staff were impressed with their team’s ability to never say never.
“All of us coaches are proud of the resilience that our boys showed and our ability to over come adversity.”
The Crusaders will play Nanaimo District next Friday at Burnaby Lakes.
Jugglers win nailbiter in biggest win of year
The feeling of joy when finally defeating a program you just can’t seem to figure out can’t be measured. The Notre Dame Jugglers kicked off their long weekend by getting revenge on a team that’s had their number, the Carson Graham Eagles, with a 7-6 victory.
This was one of the biggest wins for the Notre Dame program in the last few years. Carson Graham has dominated the Jugglers in their last three outings. This time it was different as the Jugglers controlled the Eagles’ vaunted attack, allowing only an early second quarter touchdown.
Relentless pursuit, gang tackling and limitation of big plays characterized a Notre Dame defense composed of nine two-way starters. Defensive co-coordinator Nic Sorace and defensive backs coach Jerry Mulliss put in a game plan, which was executed flawlessly.
The Eagles opened the scoring with a Matt Brackenbury rushing major in the second quarter. After that, the Jugglers defense would make stops in any way possible. Forcing three-and-outs, bending but not breaking in the red zone, and forcing turnovers, Notre Dame’s defensive unit refused to let the Eagles get on the board again.
Interceptions by corner Michael MacLeod and safety Peyton Awde proved to be pivotal plays. Two-way lineman Nick Almeida and linebacker Klyde Tan put tremendous pressure on Eagles quarterback Jack Shih all afternoon.
Down 6-0 midway through the third frame, quarterback Caleb Parrotta broke off a tackle and ran it all the way for a 30-yard score. Grade nine kicker Matthew MacLeod kicked what turned out to be the winning conversion.
Parrotta also threw eight key completions, five to wide receiver Jeevyn Rattan, two to wide receiver Michael MacLeod, and one to tight end Sayj Gill to keep drives alive, especially in the third and fourth quarters.
Defensive tackle, center, and team captain Aiden Perizzolo had his best game of the season. The offensive line is making new line coach Matt Kingsley very proud these past two weeks, according to Jugglers Head Coach Dennis Kelly.
Kelly was beaming with his teams performance postgame.
“This was a huge signature win for our team as we have recovered from some early season losses and now have our sights set on the remainder of our league schedule. I can’t stress enough the work of our guys on defense, led by Coach Sorace. Offensively, quarterback Parrotta is showing his tremendous pass/run ability, and the offensive line continues to improve.”
Kelly says next week’s game is about more than football for the Jugglers.
“Next up for us is Handsworth next Saturday on Juggler Field, starting at 1:30 pm. We will be honoring the 44-year coaching commitment of Mark “Bubba” Burchak, who passed away this past spring after a battle with cancer. All Jugglers, especially those who knew Bubba, were invited to attend the game and ceremony.”
Hawks win despite slow start vs Grizzlies
It’s not how you start it’s how you finish. The WJ Mouat Hawks overcame a slow start from their explosive offense in a tough 31-14 victory over a solid G.W. Graham Grizzlies team.
Defenses ruled the game early on after an early Grizzlies touchdown made the score 8-0. Mouat’s power spread attack struggled early against a physical Grizzlies defense. With their offense struggling, the Hawks turned to Joel Muller.
The star halfback’s 19 carries for 121 yards, and the Hawk’s first touchdown of the game late in the first half paved the way for a momentum change. That score proved crucial as despite still trailing the Grizzlies 8-6 at the half, the Hawks would receive the ball to start the third quarter.
Mouat took that second-half kickoff and dove down the field with tough runs by Muller before an Elijah black touchdown pass to Santiago Llarena capped off the drive.
On the ensuing kickoff, the momentum would change for good. The Grizzlies fumbled the ensuing return, and the Hawks recovered deep in Graham territory. The drive stalled out, but the Hawks were able to get an FG from kicker Owen Turner.
After the Grizzlies went three and out on their next drive, Mouat increased their lead on a long 60-yard catch and throw from Black to receiver Max Pratt, the wideout’s first of 2 scores on the day.
The Grizzlies wouldn’t go away without a fight. Graham scored on the ensuing drive, cutting the lead to 24-14. As we know from a couple of weeks ago, the Grizzlies are never out of a game.
Mouat, having seen what occurred when their opponents played Carson Graham, wasn’t having any of the Grizzly’s late-game heroics this time around. Elijah Black found Max Pratt for his second score to put the final dagger into the Grizzlies for a 31-14 final.
Elijah Black continues to be Mr. Consistent and makes huge throws when his team needs him most, finishing 17/23 for 174 yards and three touchdowns. Max Pratt had six receptions for 89 yards to go along with his two touchdowns.
Hawks Defensive Coordinator Daniel Mills was pleased with both the team and the rest of the Hawk’s coaching staff.
“That was a big, tough GW team that came ready to play today. Credit to our boys for bouncing back from an early deficit and turning it on in the second half. Our Oline coach Rick Pennell had our line blocking well both on the ground and in pass pro to give our offence the best chance to win. We now turn to another tough game up in Kelowna against Rutland Secondary, who are very talented in all 3 phases of their game. Should be a great game to watch and we look forward to the challenge they pose”
That game Kicks off at one next Saturday.
Irish back to dominant ways
The Vancouver College Fighting Irish once again showed why they’re the number one team to beat in the province with a resounding 52-0 over the Handsworth Royals.
After being tested against by the South Delta Sun Devils last week, The Irish returned to their dominant ways this afternoon. Despite another adamant effort by the Royals, the Irish’s star power was too much to handle.
The Irish leaned on their one-two punch in the backfield early. Ryder Quintana opened the scoring with a 15-yard rushing touchdown. Not to be outdone by Quintana, Tristan Perdido ran one in from 16 yards out on the Irish’s next drive, and it was 14-0 VC.
The rest of the half was Irish quarterback Declan Damgaard’s time to shine. First, he rolled to his left and avoided a Royals Blitzer who was free of the edge before hitting Luan Lam in stride for a 20-yard score through the air to make it 21-0 Irish.
In the second quarter, Damgaard dropped back to pass and threw a moon ball into the left corner of the endzone. Nate Lowden out-muscled his defender for the ball, and the Irish extended their lead to 28-0.
The Irish’s defense also had an outstanding performance. The Royals continued to try to air the ball out all afternoon, being down big. VC’s defensive backs showed discipline in their coverages and suffocated the Royals’ receivers all game long.
With a great performance for a full four quarters on both sides of the ball, when the clock hit zero, the scoreboard showed 52-0 in favor of the Irish.
VC Head Coach Bryan Chiu was pleased with his team’s win, with a tremendous effort on both sides of the ball and getting a plethora of players on the field after the first quarter.
“Very happy that all our boys got a chance to play. Most importantly, we came out of the game injury-free. We still have so much to improve on fundamentally. Ultimately, we accomplished our goal for the week by going 1-0.”
The Irish will head to the Island next week to take on the Belmont Bulldogs.