No more room for error, its do or die. The playoffs have finally started. Stay tuned for updates of the biggest games of the year thus far.
Hyacks hold on in back and forth affair
The New Westminster Hyacks have a flare for the dramatic. Since the calendar flipped to October, it seems that every other week, this team is in a game that only Hollywood producers could write. So many of those movie script-esque endings have had the Hyacks coming up short, but not tonight. As the scoreboard hit zero in front of their home crowd, in a crazy back-and-forth game, the score read Hyacks 42 Notre Dame Jugglers 40.
The defining scene that was made for the big screen happened late in the final quarter. After a Notre Dame timeout, it was 4th and two on the Hyack’s own 40-yard line.
Up 42-40 with under 2 minutes left, the Hyacks had to decide between punting the ball and giving the Jugglers one last breath or going for it and finishing the game right then and there. Like any good film, let’s figure out how we got to this pivotal moment.
The Jugglers scored on a physical opening drive. After an errant snap by the Hyacks, as they attempted to punt the ball right back to the Jugglers, it was 14-0 before most fans had grabbed their popcorn and taken a seat in the stands.
Down two scores early, the Hyacks didn’t panic. Instead, they turned to their offensive line and running backs Nikolas Panesar and Tyson Godspower to change the tide.
The Hyack’s big men up front paved the way for 175 rushing yards for Panesar and 125 for Godspower. Both backs ran their team’s wing-t running game to a tee and helped the Hyacks score 28 unanswered to go up 28-14.
With the Hyacks up 42-34 late in the 4th, Notre Dame scored to make it 42-40. With a chance to tie, the Hyack’s defense got a massive stop to keep their team in the lead.
It was an up-and-down day for Hyacks defensive coordinator Chad Oatways’s defense.
“Give credit to Notre Dame. They played an unbelievable game and battled very hard. Their quarterback and running back are good, tough football players,” Oatway said post-game.
“Our tackling has not been a major issue all year, but we missed too many tonight, and the stupid penalties showed up again,” he continued.
Despite all of that, when it mattered most, they got the stop they needed. With that huge stop, the Hyacks had the ball with under two minutes to go, and with it being fourth and two, it was decision time.
“All the coaches were in agreement, we wanted to ice the game in that moment,” said Hyacks Head Coach Andrew McKechnie.
With the Hyacks coaching staff all on the same page, it was time for the players to execute. The Hyacks put the game in their offensive line and Panesar’s hands.
With everyone in the building knowing the Hyacks were going barrel into the teeth of the Juggler’s defense, the Hyacks handed the ball to Panesar. As the Hyacks halfback took the ball, his offensive line dominated the line of scrimmage and opened a massive hole for Panesar to run through.
After Panesar took that run 50 yards, the game was over. What an end to an insane back-and-forth contest, 42-40 Hyacks.
Hyacks offensive coordinator Darnell Sikorski knows how vital his offensive line was tonight in the team’s win.
“The offensive line had a hell of a game, but especially on that play. They washed everyone down and we were able to spring free in the open field. I’m very proud of those guys,” said Sikorski.
McKechnie had high praise for his opponents post-game but said his own team has to be more disciplined moving forward.
“This is playoff football. Everybody is going to bring their best and battle. Notre Dame had a great game but we need execute better and play mistake-free,” said McKechnie.
“The personal fouls defensively, turnovers on offense, and special teams mistakes really hurt us tonight.”
With this win, the Hyacks were finally able to overcome their demons by winning one-score game. McKechnie hopes this experience will help his team down the line, perhaps even next week.
“We’re not taking any wins for granted. To be able to win a tight playoff football game was important, and hopefully, it will be something we can draw back on,” said McKechnie
“There will be no weaknesses on any teams we see from here on out, starting with WJ Mouat. We have to be at our best.”
Thurston stars in Panthers win
The Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers were all business in a 41-0 victory against the Mt. Boucherie Bears. With the game starting over an hour late due to the Bears being stuck in long weekend traffic, the Panthers stayed locked in and were ready to go from the game’s opening kickoff.
“Credit to our players for being mentally tough when facing some adversity as kickoff was delayed over an hour due to traffic issues,” said Panthers Head Coach Michael Carter.
“We were on the field for almost 2.5 hours awaiting kickoff. Our players stayed focused on the task at hand and accomplished our goal this week, a playoff win.”
Panthers star quarterback Chase Thurston shined while leading his team to victory. Thurston finished the game 12/16 for 242 yards and five touchdown passes. With Thurston at the pivot position for the Panthers, their offense looked unstoppable through the air.
After a 44-yard completion by Thurston to receiver Jack Roberts got the ball deep into Bears territory, Running back Peyton Mansfield opened the game’s scoring with a ten-yard rushing score.
Mansfield is a star on both offense and defense. Mansfield rushed 17 times for 109 yards, one rush TD, and added an eight-yard touchdown reception. But his most impressive play came After scoring the game’s opening touchdown.
The running back/ linebacker made a beautiful contested interception on his own team’s sideline while keeping his feet in bounds to get the ball back for his team.
Thurston repaid his co-star first with a 60-yard completion to Tristan Dominguez for a score and then a 27-yard touchdown to Logan Wager to put the Panthers up 21-0 at the half.
The Panthers were all gas and no breaks in the third frame. First, Dominguez showed he, too, can play on both sides of the ball by adding an interception to his four catches for 91 yards and one score. The Panthers would drive down the field again with the driving finishing as it had most of the day with a Thurston touchdown pass, this time to Logan Ginther to make it 27-0.
The Panthers dominated the rest of the game despite an adamant effort from the Bears. With a blowout 41-0 victory, Carter was happy with all aspects of his team’s performance.
“It was a three-phase win this week; our offense was rolling with Chase Thurston at the helm, posting our best performance of the season numbers-wise,” said Carter
“Our defense did a good job adapting to some plays and formations we weren’t expecting while pitching the shutout, while our special teams units were solid again,” he continued.
Carter and his team will likely celebrate this weekend, but then it’s back to work because the Panthers are looking for revenge.
“I’m pleased with the effort of our players, it’s special to win a playoff game,” Carter said
“We have an opportunity next week to host a Quarter-Final against GW Graham, the same team that ended our season a year ago. We’ll need a great week of preparation.”
That game, which’s bound to be a shootout with two offenses catching their stride, will be played at Cloverdale Athletic Park at 1:30pm on November 15th.
Hawks cruise past Knights
By Ben Lypka Abby News
The W.J. Mouat Hawks senior varsity football team has advanced to the AAA quarterfinal after a resounding 34-0 win over the St. Thomas More College Knights at Panther Field on Friday (Nov. 8).
The wildcard round win marks the second straight shutout for the Hawks, who closed the regular season with a 27-0 win over the Mt. Boucherie Bears on Nov. 1.
But the game didn’t start out as planned for the Hawks, as the Knights opened the game with a short kickoff and recovered the ball themselves. Mouat’s defence eventually forced them to turnover on downs and running back Joel Muller’s rushing touchdown put the home team up 7-0 early.
Muller added another rushing touchdown in the second quarter and late in the quarter saw Max Pratt go 75 yards on a fake punt to make it 21-0 at halftime.
Mouat’s running game continued to shine in the second half, with Eddie Geelhoed scoring a pair of short yardage majors to reach the 34-0 final score.
Hawks head coach Andrew Harder praised the play of his lines on both sides of the ball and his defence.
“They’re a running team and they play a sort of old school style of offence,” he said of the Knights, who ran very few passing plays. “It made for a tough week of preparation but Coach [Daniel] Mills did a great job preparing them.”
Harder did say that he would like his defence to try to get more stops and give the offence more opportunities for possession, noting his team only had the ball three times in the first half.
Mouat’s rushing attack was balanced with five players picking up significant yardage on the ground. Charlie Franson led the way with 86, including a 64-yard dash in the fourth quarter. Max Pratt had 75, Muller recorded 60, quarterback Elijah Black collected 52 and Geelhoed had 38.
Petrayus Loller led the team with 51 yards receiving, but Mouat only completed five passing plays for 83 yards in the game.
Geelhoed was also a standout defensively, with a team-high eight tackles and one sack. Gabe Currie and Nazeef Rahman added six tackles apiece.
Mouat now advances to the quarterfinal round and will next host the New Westminster Hyacks at Panther Field on Friday (Nov. 15) at 7 p.m.
The Hyacks defeated the Notre Dame Jugglers 42-40 on Friday. New Westminster finished the regular season at 4-2, good for second place in the AAA’s Central Division.