Timberwolves take down Hyacks in statement win
Who doesn’t like a good old-fashioned shootout? There’s nothing like a back-and-forth contest that comes down to the final seconds of the game. In a Friday night matchup between the Robert Bateman Timberwolves and New Westminster Hyacks, fans at Mercer Stadium got just that. The Timberwolves’ offence was exactly one point better in an electric 36-35 win on the road.
Both teams moved the ball seamlessly but with very different approaches. The Timberwolves did so with their spread attack, utilizing an explosive screen game featuring tailback Callum Pambrun-Perry and a dropback pass game with quarterback Jackson Hall distributing the ball to his playmakers.
“Bateman was a good football team who showed up with a good game plan and executed it very well,” said Hyacks head coach Andrew McKechnie.
Even when the Hyacks’ defence seemed to have plays snuffed out, Hall did a spectacular job extending with his legs and making plays out of structure for the Timberwolves.
The Hyacks’ offensive attack, on the other hand, was the Kah’ri Johnson and Nikolas Panesar show. The two backs piled up rushing yards behind the Hyacks’ offensive line, using the team’s run-first mentality.
“We were able to get off to a much faster start offensively this week and scored on our first 2 drives, taking up quite a bit of the clock,” said Hyacks offensive coordinator Darnell Sikorski.
“Kah’ri Johnson did his thing again. He’s an explosive and violent runner who can take it to the house on any play. He’s leading the province in rushing for a reason,” he continued.
“Our offensive line really stepped it up in the 2nd half and we cut down on some of our mental errors from the past few weeks, but still there were a handful.”
In the final minutes of the game, the Hyacks’ offensive line beautifully executed one of the team’s signature run plays and had Kah’ri Johnson into the open field. Johnson showed why he’s leading the province in rushing as he ran over two Timberwolves’ defenders before sprinting down the left sideline on his way to a 70-yard rushing score.
That back-breaking run put the Hyacks up by six in their own stadium in the final minutes of the game. With all the momentum in the Hyacks’ favour, the Timberwolves didn’t flinch.
Hall stood tall under pressure and delivered the ball on time again and again to move the ball deep into Hyack’s territory. On a second and goal at the Hyacks’ five-yard-line, Hall delivered a strike in the middle of the field to an open Caleb Mills for the go-ahead score with just 20 seconds left on the clock.
On the ensuing kickoff, a squib kick took a Timberwolves bounce off a Hyack and fell right into the arms of Mills and the game was all but over. The Timberwolves were victorious in a 36-35 statement victory.
Sikorski and McKechnie gave full props to their opponents post-game, but know their team has much to improve on.
“It was a one-point game that came down to the last few seconds and unfortunately, we were on the wrong side of that one point. It was a great game to be a part of,” said McKechnie post-game.
“We did a little bit too much arm tackling and weren’t as physical as I would have liked us to have been,” he stated.
“Coaches and players need to take the lessons from this game and all work hard to improve this week so that the offence can continue to take a step in the right direction,” said Sikorski.
“Coach-speak says we focus on one game at a time and all that, but honestly, we have to. We have a gauntlet of a schedule and we face some great teams one week after another,” he continued.
“Lord Tweedsmuir is next up and just like Bateman, it’s another team with no weaknesses. We really just need to turn our focus on being at our best on Monday,” he said.
The Hyacks will continue their gauntlet of a schedule next Friday as they take on the Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers, who are fresh off a historic victory over Vancouver College.
As for the Timberwolves, they showed Friday night that they’re a team to be reckoned with in AAA this season. They’ll look to showcase that once again in their matchup next week against the Sardis Falcons.
Panthers hand Irish first loss within province since 2021
Friday, September 26th, at Lord Tweedsmuir’s “Friday Night Lights” event, in front of an estimated 2000 fans, history was made. For the first time since 2021, the Vancouver College Fighting Irish were defeated by a team within the province of BC. On a night the Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers and their fans won’t soon forget, the Panthers pulled away for a decisive 23-10 victory.
This win marks only the second time ever that the Panthers have defeated the Irish. The last time LT bested VC was in the 2013 season. VC was coming off 21-0 & 31-8 victories over Lord Tweedsmuir in 2024. The Panthers have had this game in their mind for quite some time.
“This was a game our players had circled on the schedule as it was our Friday Night Lights game, but also because of the opponent. VC is the gold standard of high school football in BC, and our players were chomping at the bit to have an opportunity for a win after our recent history against each other,” said Panthers’ head coach Michael Carter.
Sparked by their boisterous home crowd and perhaps the thought of sweet revenge, the Panthers came out firing on Friday night. LT marched the ball down the field with precision on their opening possession.
A 20-yard Peyton Mansfield rush was followed by a string of completions from QB Chase Thurston to WR Tristan Dominguez of 15, 19 and another 15 yards before capping the drive with a TD strike to Logan Wager to put the Panthers up 6-0.
Thurston was incredibly impressive all night for the Panthers. Playing against a stout VC defence, Thurtson threw the ball in rhythm with precise timing and accuracy, as well as extending plays with his legs when the time called for it.
Both teams’ Defences took control for the rest of the first frame. In the second quarter, the Irish’s defence took advantage of a rare Thurston Mistake. Atticus Duncan walked up to the line of scrimmage as if he were blitzing. As Thurston dropped back to pass, Duncan dropped out into coverage and got underneath the slant route that Thurston tried to fit in.
Duncan snagged the ball out of the air and set up his team’s offence in prime position. The Irish’s offence responded with a 9-play drive capped with a 2-yard score from Jaxson Farac to put the Irish up 7-6.
Trailing for the first time, LT turned to their star back. Peyton Mansfield took control with rushes of 11, five and four yards before capping the drive with a 37-yard rushing touchdown. Mansfield showcased his power, contact balance and vision in the run game all night for the Panthers.
Fellow Panthers’ running back Jerin Harinen would escape the grasp of several VC defenders to score on the following 2-point convert attempt to put LT up 14-7, a lead the Panthers would take into halftime.
A 17-play drive by the Irish that ate up the majority of the 3rd quarter was capped off by a Benen Curran Field Goal to cut into LT’s lead. On the ensuing drive, the Irish’s defence also held in the red zone, stopping the Panthers five yards away from paydirt on a massive 4th down play.
With the ball back deep in their own territory, VC’s offence couldn’t find its footing. LT forced a 3-and-out. To make matters worse for the Irish, the drive ended in a safety when the ball was snapped over Atticus Duncan’s head on fourth down as he was set to punt the ball away.
VC’s defence responded with a massive stop to put the ball back in their offence’s hands. This go around, the Irish started moving the ball with ease. The Benen Curran to Owen Brunel connection was in full force as Curran dropped back and threw a dime to Brunel on a post route for a huge gain.
With the ball deep in Panthers territory, Curran faked to his running back and booted to the left. As Curran looked up, he saw what appeared to be an open tight end in the left flat. As he released the ball, Jerin Harinen came screaming downhill from his safety position, jumping the route with perfect timing for a Panthers interception.
A couple of plays later, Harinen called game. The playmaker took a handoff off tackle to the left, made one defender miss on a beautiful cut and then exploded into the open field for a 60-yard major. Those two massive plays solidified a complete team effort from the Panthers as they’d hold on for a monumental 23-10 victory.
This Panthers win may be historic, but Carter won’t let his team’s focus waver for too long.
“We’re very happy to walk away with a win, but have things to work on as we get into conference play against a very strong Central Conference,” Carter said post-game.
The Panthers will thoroughly enjoy this one all weekend before turning their attention on Monday to their next opponent, the New Westminster Hyacks.
The Irish will re-collect and get back to work as they look to bounce back against the South Delta Sun Devils next Saturday.
Maroons win big
Last week, the Fulton Maroons won a tightly contested one-score game. This Friday, the Maroons were in the driver’s seat from early in the first half in their 47-0 defeat over Kelly Road.
In today’s game, offences are better than ever. Because of this, shutouts are increasingly rare, so in order to achieve this difficult feat, a defensive unit has to play lights out. The Maroons’ unit did just that on Friday.
“I thought our defence played very well. The kids played gap control well and attacked their offence,” Maroons’ head coach Mike Scheller said postgame.
Scheller says multiple players stepped up for his team’s defensive unit.
“Linebacker Ollie Horne played super. Jordan Lorinczi stepped up and made a lot of tackles from his linebacker spot and had his best game as a Maroon. DT Joe Zerrtah and DE Max Hammell were solid on the d-line for us,” he said.
The Maroons’ defence didn’t just keep their opponents out of the endzone all game; they also managed to find it themselves when Ollie Horne stole the ball from his opponents on a 67-yard interception return.
Speaking of finding the endzone, that’s something Fulton’s offence did early and often. Quarterback Ryder Altwasser and running back Finn Holiday both found the promised land on big runs. Altwasser from 47 and Holiday from 55 yards out.
The Maroons’ rushing attack continued to impress when Caden O’Dwyer found the endzone on a 30-yard run, before Brandon Gotro got in on the scoring from fifteen yards out. Scheller gave credit to his guys up front for creating lanes for his ball carriers.
“Our offensive line played great and controlled the line of scrimmage. Jacob Glover, Hunter Robinson and Noah McIntyre were all tough for us up front,” he said.
It wasn’t just the ground game that was cooking for Fulton. Altwasser continued his strong play at quarterback, finding Austin Thomas on a 28-yard catch and run. With the Maroons playing complementary ball in all aspects of play, as the final whistle sounded, the scoreboard read 47-0 in their favour.
“This was a good win for our kids. We had a very good first half, and I thought we executed well on all three phases of football. We need to clean up penalties on both sides of the ball. We took too many dumb penalties tonight,” said Scheller on his team’s performance.
The Maroons will get back to work on Monday and prepare to put their undefeated record on the line in a big game against South Kamloops next Saturday.
Knights pound the rock on their path to victory
To be one of the best teams in the province, programs have to be able to run the football effectively. The St. Thomas More Knights use their triple option attack to do just that every single week. This past Friday, when STM took on the Carson Graham Eagles, the Knights stuck to their status quo and pounded the rock, chewed up the clock and came away with a 30-19 victory.
STM running back Cristian Coletta loves his team’s run-first mentality. Coletta got the ball early and often, being a true workhorse for the Knights, running 24 times for 143 yards on the ground. Coletta and fellow back Milano Peloso’s success on the ground got STM’s offence rolling early.
The Knights turned that quick start into a 13-0 lead as the Eagles had no answer for Coletta and company. Isaiah Smith opened the scoring, keeping the ball himself on a triple option for a 15-yard run and score. The Knights extended their lead when Smith hit Adam Graham for a 7-yard scoring catch in the back of the endzone.
Down by 13, Carson Graham’s passing attack got to work. Eagles’ quarterback Josh Barber distributed the ball to his targets to move Carson Graham to midfield before launching a go ball to receiver Henry Ryan. The Eagles’ playmaker would come down with that pass while being covered by two Knights on an impressive touchdown reception.
Despite the change in momentum after that big play, the Knights weren’t phased. They got right back to their bread and butter as Adam Graham answered Ryan’s big play with one of his own on a 60-yard rush.
The Knights would add to their lead before halftime with Mateo Plecko hitting a 33-yard field goal to make it 23-7 at halftime. That make marked the 4th consecutive game Plecko has made good on a field goal attempt. He has yet to miss this season.
Isaiah Smith appeared to put away the game for good in the third quarter with a 43-yard triple option run to go up 30-7. That score would be the Knights’ last of the game as head coach Jared Power noticed a giant dip in his team’s energy from that point in the game forward.
That lull was one that Carson Graham would take advantage of. They kept fighting and scored two more majors through the air, to bring the game within 11 points. Unfortunately for the Eagles, time expired in their comeback bid and STM held on for a 30-19 win.
Power was enthused by his team’s effort for most of the game, but knows the Knights need to play at that level until the final whistle.
“ I am happy with how we started the game, and we continue to grow as a team. We need to be able to finish games strong, as I feel we let complacency seep in during the second half. We can’t let that happen if we want success throughout the season.”
The Knights will enjoy their win, but look to play a full four quarters next Friday when they take on the Terry Fox Ravens.
Other standout performances for the Knights.
-Isaiah Smith had 87 rushing yards 1TD, 37 passing yards 1 td and 2 tackles on defense.
-Rohin Badesha had 4 tackles 2 sacks and 1 int defensively for the Knights.
-Adam Graham: 61 yds rushing 1TD, 1 receiving TD, 5 tackles, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery
-Alex Jaspar was a constant disruption in the backfield from nose tackle and made 5 tackles from his spot.