Eagles take home Buchanan Bowl in convincing fashion
The 37th Annual Buchanan Bowl took place on Saturday. The storied event between the Carson Graham Eagles and the Handsworth Royals fell in favor of the Eagles this year with a 50-15 victory.
After a devastating loss to G.W. Graham last week, the Eagles rebounded this week with an offensive explosion. The Eagles scored on seven of their eight offensive possessions to win going away.
The Eagles set the tone early defensively when Jude Parry stepped in front of a pass on the game-opening drive and returned to the Royals 22-yard line. The Eagles scored three plays later to open the scoring and never looked back.
The Royals had no answer for the Eagle’s air-raid attack. The Eagles proved they don’t just have to throw the ball to be successful. Running back and Game MVP Jonathan Tougan was unstoppable on the ground, rushing 148 yards on ten carries.
Jack Shih had another strong performance through the air, going – 25/32 170 yards through the air, 40 yards on the ground, and three total touchdowns. Running back Matt Brackenbury also had a strong showing, with 53 yards on four carries and two scores.
The offensive explosion had the Eagles up 36-7 at the half and 44- 7 after three quarters before the Royals would show fight as they have all year, playing hard to the final whistle despite the score line of 50-15 by the end of the game.
Eagles head coach Brian Brady was happy with his team’s resolve after last week’s loss.
‘I’m proud of how our guys executed in all 3 phases. We needed a bounce-back game and got it.”
The Eagles will look to continue their momentum into next week when they head to the road to play a very scrappy, well-coached Notre Dame Jugglers squad.
The Royals will have another challenging game next week when they host the best team in the province, the Vancouver Fighting Irish.
Irish remain the team to beat within the province
By: Jacob Mallari (VC ‘24) (VC Football Communications)
In a much-anticipated Week 5 matchup, the Vancouver College Fighting Irish won a gritty 31-10 victory over the South Delta Sun Devils on O’Hagan Field.
The Irish (6-0) faced a resilient Sout Delta team led by the Dumas brothers that came in undefeated (4-1) and determined to challenge the reigning champions, making this a clash of the titans that did not disappoint.
The game kicked off in dramatic fashion as Vancouver College fumbled on the opening kickoff, handing the Sun Devils a golden opportunity to strike early. However, the Irish defence, as it has so often this season, stepped up in the clutch.
Senior defensive back Ryan Livingston delivered a crucial sack on fourth down, stopping South Delta in their tracks and setting the tone for a defensive battle in the first half.
“We started out flat,” Head Coach
Bryan Chiu admitted post-game, “and it’s never good when you start off the game with a fumble on a kickoff
return. But credit to South Delta—they played tough.”
Special teams were key early on for the Irish, with kicker Luan Lam converting a 42-yard field goal to give the home team a 3-0 lead late in the first quarter. From there, both teams struggled to gain any offensive momentum.
With punts and turnovers on downs defining much of the second quarter, the game seemed destined to remain a
defensive grind. South Delta managed to even the score with a field goal just as the first half expired, sending the teams to the locker room tied 3-3.
“All credit to South Delta,” said Assistant Head-Coach Regen Oey. “They
came out well-prepared and physical. I thought we responded in the second half, but we need to bring that same energy from the start.”
The second half saw South Delta come out firing, taking their first lead of the game after a 3-yard touchdown run by Damian Dumas midway through the third quarter, putting the Irish on the back foot for the first time in several games.
But the Fighting Irish would not be denied. Late in the third quarter, running back Jaxson Farac powered through for a 7-yard touchdown pass, bringing Vancouver College within one point at 10-9 after the extra point was blocked.
The blocked kick could have shaken the Irish, but instead, it lit a fire in the team. “We built up energy in the second half and played our style of football,” reflected senior lineman Will Curtain.
The fourth quarter saw the Irish take control of the game for good. A gutsy fake punt attempt by South Delta was taken down by an explosive hit from Chucky Black, stopping the play cold and shifting the momentum squarely in Vancouver College’s favour.
Moments later, Perdido struck again with his second touchdown of the day, capping a 7-yard run to give the Irish a 17-10 lead after a successful two-point conversion.
From there, Vancouver College never looked back. Ryder Quintana, who had been a force all game, added a 12-yard touchdown run to extend the lead to 24-10, while the Irish defence tightened the screws.
Ryan Livingston and Noah James both recovered key fumbles in the final minutes, and Perdido sealed the win with his second touchdown of the game, a 5-yard burst into the end zone that brought the final score to 31-10.
“It was a little bit of a slow start for us in the first two quarters, but we changed the tempo in the third,” noted Running
Backs Coach Rob Parmar. “We like to think of our backs as thunder and lightning, and they controlled the rest of the game.”
After the game, Coach Chiu reflected on his team’s resilience: “I’m proud of the boys—they responded in the second half, executed, and got back to fundamentals. You could see the results at the end of the day.”
Looking ahead to their next matchup against Handsworth, he emphasised the basics: “Fundamentals, ball security, tackling, blocking—that’s what it comes down to.”
The Irish rushing attack was particularly impressive, with Ryder Quintana racking up 127 yards on 15 carries and Perdido adding 104 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries.
The offensive line, praised by Coach Parmar for “opening up big holes in the third and fourth quarters,” played a pivotal role in turning the game around.
As the team prepares for their next game on October 11th against Handsworth at William Griffin Park, the
message from the coaching staff is clear: stay focused, and build on the momentum of this hard-fought victory.
“It all starts in practice,” said Coach Oey. “We need to stay focused, eliminate distractions, and get the job done.”
Sun Devils Head Coach Ray Moon is hoping for a rematch this postseason.
“With over 10 players on this VC team from Tsawwassen these guys know each other well and battled extremely hard. If they meet again this year it would most likely be deep in the playoffs and it will be a game that you would not want to miss.”
The Sun Devils will get back to work and prepare for their game against the Belmont Bulldogs next Friday.
Knights and Seahawks play bully ball on a Friday night
We had a good old-fashioned shootout between the St. Thomas More Knights and the Seaquam Seahawks on Friday evening. In a battle of talented running backs who both sport number 33, the Knights managed to hold on for a 35-26 win.
Those talented backs wearing 33 for their respective squads are Kayden Chan of the Knights and Seaquam’s Remy Grewal. Both players are true throwback power runners. Running over one defender at a time, both backs wore down their opposing team’s defensive units and racked up yards in the process.
The Knights really needed to lean on their star running back as the team was missing multiple players for a multitude of reasons.
“Between illness, injury, and player suspension, we were down multiple players and had to gut-check their adversity.” STM’s head coach, Jared Power, said post-game.
The Knights started hot despite all the advesity. STM scored two quick touchdowns in the first quarter. first, Nico Pallares scored on a 5-yard run to cap off a long drive. On the team’s next possession, Kayden Chan ran for his first of two scores on the day, and the Knights led 14-0.
Down two scores, Grewal and Seaquam’s ground game went to work. Grewal ran over defenders and fell forward for extra yards as The Seahawks drove the field and crossed the goalline to cut the lead to 14-7.
Both teams continued to lean on the ground game and exchanged majors in the second quarter to go into the half, with STM leading 21-14.
In the final two frames, every time The Seahawks would strike and attempt to claw back, the Knights would answer with a score of their own. Neither team’s defense had much of an answer for their opposition’s ground attack, but when it mattered most, the Knights got one more stop than the Seahawks and took home a 35-26 victory.
Standouts for the Knights included Chan, who ran for over 100 yards, and quarterback Nico Pallares, who had 150 all-purpose yards on the day.
Defensively, Grade 10 safety Liam Golding had seven tackles, and Pallares continues to be a two-way stud for the Knights, adding six tackles of his own.
Power was proud of how his players responded but knows going forward, the team needs to play with intensity on every play.
“We got up and had a lull in intensity and it almost cost us. I’m happy with how we responded in the second half and kept fighting. We need a complete effort if we want success against Lord Tweedsmuir next week.”
That game against Tweedsmuir kicks off at 1:30 next Saturday.
Hawks return to flying high in win against Owls
The WJ Mouat Hawks bounced back after a close loss in South Delta last Saturday as they defeated a scrappy Kelowna Owls team 28-14.
The Hawks’ power-spread attack got back on track, scoring on four of six possessions on the night. Running back Joel Mueller was once again a force on the ground with 133 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Quarterback Elijah Black continued his steady play with 14 completions 176 yards 3 passing scores.
Hawk’s head coach, Andrew Harder, was happy with his stars and his offensive unit as a whole.
“Offensively, I thought we were solid. Elijah Black was efficient with the offense, and workhorse Joel Mueller had another great game on the ground for us. Our offensive line was great tonight, picking up some blitzes from a very aggressive KSS team. Coach Rick Penell had our boys dialed in this week being prepared for it.”
Mouat opened the scoring on the first drive of the game. Black led the offense down the field with ease and found receiver Max Pratt for a 24-yard major.
Late in the second quarter, with Mouat leading 7-6, the Owls had the ball. Led by quarterback Chase Witzel, the Owls had a nice drive and got into field goal range. Unfortunately for the Owls, ‘s The attempt was blocked by Mouat, and they took over with 3 minutes left in half.
With newfound momentum and the ball, the Hawks moved quickly downfield as they pounded the ball with Mueller. With the Owls stacking the box in hopes of containing Mueller, Elijah Black took full advantage by catching the Owls off guard and hitting Santiago Llarena for a score through the air, and the Hawks held a 14-6 lead going into the half.
In the third, Witzel would drive the Owls downfield for a score and give the Hawks all they could handle; the one problem? they couldn’t stop Joe Muller. The running back would add another score in the third, this time through the air to extend the Hawk’s lead.
The Owls would fight with the Hawks till the final horn, but ultimately, a fourth-quarter score for the Mouat would put the game away for good. Despite the win Harder knows his team has plenty to work on next week in practice.
“It was a hard fought game. Credit to KSS and their O-line combined with their shifty running back. They were able to beat us up front and establish a solid run game. Too many missed tackles and players not getting in their run fit on defense. Its something that needs to get right quick with us travelling into Chilliwack next week and a tough GW Graham opponent.”
Kickoff for that game will be at four next Friday.
Stars finally align for Sullivan in first victory of season
Many individuals give up when things aren’t going how they want them to. The strongest-willed individuals refuse to give in during these times. They persevere, and they believe that with effort and some luck, things will change.
At 0-4 before this afternoon’s game, nothing has been going the Sullivan Heights Stars way this season. In a game where, once again, it seemed like the Stars would let a game slip away, belief never left this team as they fought till momentum finally changed on the way to a 14-7 victory against the Abbotsford Panthers.
The Abbotsford Panthers have a clear vision for their offense. The Panthers want to pound the rock and play smash-mouth football. Running behind their physical line are running back Abraham Okunlola and quarterback Gurprasad Grewal.
The Panthers will both spread you out to run zone read options and quarterback counters, and they’ll play heavier personal sets and hammer the ball inside with Okunlola.
Stars head coach Gord Randall said this plan almost worked to perfection for the Panthers.
“Abby came out ready to play and tried to grind us down all afternoon. Through three quarters, it looked like they’d done that.”
Late in the third quarter, the Panthers scored the first points of the day on a demoralizing long drive where they converted multiple fourth downs. The Star’s energy was starting to fade, and the Panthers appeared to be about to pull away.
The Star’s offense had struggled all game, and defensively, the Stars had bent all afternoon but had finally broken. The team’s belief was hanging on by a thread.
The Stars needed to punch back after being hit multiple times by the Panthers. The young man who took that upon himself was Tyler Steele.
On the ensuing kickoff, the ball fell end over end into Steele’s hands deep in Stars territory. Steele broke to the middle of the field but had no daylight in sight. He cut back against the grain and took off down the left hash mark. As Steele raced down the hash he was met by a Panthers defender.
Steele lowered his shoulder into the Panthers defender at the fifty-yard line. Crack ! The sound of shoulder pads hitting one another rang out across the field, and as Steele stood over the defender, he had just run over, the Stars sideline was alive again.
Despite giving his team a great field position, the Stars were unable to capitalize. Despite this, the Stars were playing with a newfound intensity. Getting a quick stop on defense shortly thereafter, the Stars had the ball again, and with this drive, they looked like a new team.
A couple of plays into the drive, receiver Josiah De Jesus took a jet sweep and sprinted outside to his left. De Jesus got to the hashmark and made a quick fake right, getting two Panthers defenders to bite on the inside move, and then took off down the sideline. After breaking two tackles, De Jesus was in the endzone, and the Stars were within one point with five minutes to go in the game.
On the ensuing two-point conversion, a perfect pass by Quarterback Logan McEvoy was dropped in the endzone. With all that momentum gained, the team still trailed with just under five minutes to go.
As the Stars lined up for an onside kick, it was time for the team to channel their inner belief once again. De Jesus kicked the ball off the tee, and it bounced right at ten yards into the hands of a Panther. As the Panthers player tried to fall to the ground and give his team possession back, Jaxson Hamilton had other ideas.
Hamilton went flying in and dislodged the ball with a thunderous hit. The Stars hopped on it and had the ball once again with a chance to take the lead.
Late in the fourth McEvoy had the ball back in his hands with the pressure of leading his team to a victory. McEvoy probably didn’t anticipate this moment coming, as he’s been playing receiver all year.
Late in the second quarter, McEvoy was forced to fill in for starter Nick Baxter after an injury. Losing their starter and a key player on both sides of the ball was a massive loss for the Stars, but Randall wasn’t worried about McEvoy in the slightest.
“He’s such a gamer. Our staff had full faith in him to get the job done. He’s so instinctual on the field he can pretty much play everywhere.”
Now, in Panthers territory, Mcevoy faded back to pass. As he hit his third step in his drop, he let go of a beautiful pass that hit Steele in stride into the endzone on a post route, and the Stars had the lead.
After a stop on fourth down, the Stars bled out the clock, and belief became a reality for the team. Finally, in the win column, Randall was impressed with his team’s display of mental fortitude.
“I’m really proud of our guys for buckling down when it mattered most, having a great 4th quarter, and taking over a game we absolutely had to have. Our guys made a series of momentum-changing plays to turn it around. I also have to give a ton of credit to our guys for digging in defensively, especially late in the game. This is a good first step for us in getting the season back on track.
The team looks to carry their momentum into Salmon Arm next Friday.
Pipers head home happy after tight win against Whalers
The Argyle Pipers traveled to the island to take on the Ballenas Whalers on the road. The long trip will be worth it for the Pipers as they’ll head back to the mainland victorious after winning a nail-bitter 25-23.
Both offenses took a while to get going in this one. The first half was short on scoring as both team’s defensive units had a great plan going into the game.
Despite the early struggles, both teams managed to put together a scoring drive each, and with a two-point conversion, the Whalers took an 8-7 lead into the half. Both team’s offenses headed to the whiteboard during the break, and whatever adjustments were made certainly worked.
Both teams battled back and forth in an explosive third quarter. First, Piper’s quarterback, Daniel Dykema, connected with wide receiver Noah Noordmans for a 20-yard score through the air.
Ballenas promptly answered with a score of their own. The Piper’s Offensive unit got back on the field and grinded for every yard on a long physical touchdown drive. Tobin Letnes-James capped that drive from the one-yard line late in the third quarter.
Ballenas would answer again, but because of the Piper’s ability to convert two-point attempts after their scoring majors, they remained in the lead 25-23.
The Whalers desperately tried to get into field goal range in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately for them, the Piper’s defense returned to its first-half form and shut them down on multiple occasions.
When the clock hit zero, the score remained 25-23 Whalers. Ballenas now falls to 1-2 despite an adamant effort and will look to rebound next Friday against Windsor on the road.
With the win, the Pipers now improve to 2-1. Argyle will take the weekend to enjoy their road victory before they begin preparations for their matchup next week against Mount Doug back at home.