Panthers play complimentary football on their way to Quarter Finals win
They say offense wins games, but defenses win championships. Well, the Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers must feel like they’ve struck gold because not only can their offense score at will, but their defense is able to stifle opponents. Both Panthers units survived an uncharacteristic, inconsistent first half to dominate the GW Graham Grizzlies in the final two quarters on their way to a 43-14 victory.
Let’s start with the Panthers defense. Their versatile 4-3 quarters system challenges opposing offenses by offering the Panthers flexibility within their coverage and front structures to allow them to defend both the run and the pass with a multitude of answers.
Their scheme is great, but better yet, the players within it are immensely talented. The Panther’s four linemen explode off the ball and get into the backfield with ferocity. Their Linebackers fly downhill against the run but also show fluid hips in coverage. The Panther’s defensive backs can play any type of coverage asked of them and play it with precise technique seldom seen at the high school level.
That Defense made the first big play of the game. On a third and long just past midfield, the Panthers showed a pressure look. With Seven players on the line of scrimmage, they brought the house.
As the Grizzlies dropped back to pass, immediate pressure affected the throw, and Panthers defensive back Tristan Ford read the Graham route concept perfectly and stepped in front of the ball for an interception.
That brings us to the Panthers offense. The three-headed monster of quarterback Chase Thurston, his favorite receiver in Jack Roberts, and Powerful running back Peyton Mansfield perfectly complement each other.
The Panther’s offense scored three plays after that Ford interception with a Chase Thurston pass to Logan Wager from 10 yards out, and it was 7-0 LT.
The Grizzlies answered with a long drive and punched in a quarterback sneak from the one-yard line to tie the game at seven.
Later in the second quarter, Logan Wager intercepted another pass for the Panthers. This time, though, LT gave it right back to the Grizzlies after a fumble. Graham capitalized on their fumble recovery and, after a lengthy drive, punched the ball in again to take the lead into halftime, 14-7.
Down to start the second half with their season on the line, the Panthers didn’t panic. The team adjusted on both sides of the ball, and the Grizzlies, who played incredibly well in the first half, had no answers in the final two quarters.
First, Jerin Harinen ran the ball in from 10 yards out and tied the game for the Panthers. After a stop, the Panthers got the ball back, and it was time for their stars to showcase their talents.
Thurston would find his favorite target, Roberts, from 26 and 20 yards out on consecutive drives, and in the Blink of an eye, the Panthers were up 29-14 thanks to their defense and their star players on offense.
After a slow start to the game, Thurston would finish 15/20 for 167 yards and three touchdowns, while Roberts would grab seven receptions for 102 yards and two touchdowns and add nine tackles on defense.
With a two-score lead, it was Peyton Mansfield’s time. The stud back bludgeoned his way to 120 yards on 13 carries and bled the clock out for the Panthers. Along the way, he’d find the endzone from 10 yards out and explode through the line of scrimmage for a 35-yard score, and the game was all but over 43-14 Panthers.
Finn Meberg and Tyler Jones had strong showings for the Panthers on defense, with 7 tackles a piece. Panthers Head Coach Michael Carter was impressed not just with his defense but also with all aspects of his team’s second-half comeback.
“A tale of two halves, I’m proud of the way our players responded to a tough start,” said Carter.
“All three phases contributed heavily in this win. We are thrilled at the opportunity to still be playing football late into November.”
The Panthers will now play the winner of VC and Kelowna in the semi-finals with a championship berth on the line.
Fighting Irish keep on rolling on their way to AAA Semi Finals
The Vancouver Fighting Irish used their bye week to sharpen their details, heal up any nagging bumps and bruises, and came out on fire in their 41-7 Quarter Finals victory over the Kelowna Owls.
These teams last met in Week Two of the regular season. In a game, the Irish dominated and came out on top with a 58-7 win. However, this isn’t the same Owls team from early on in the season.
Kelowna has vastly improved from that game back in September. With the stakes being much higher this time and both teams knowing that anything can happen in the playoffs, this game was far from a foregone conclusion.
The Irish entered this matchup following an undefeated regular season. After a bye in the opening round, the Irish looked rested and refocused. Head Coach Bryan Chiu and his staff made sure to emphasize the importance of staying disciplined and playing their brand of football during the team’s break, knowing that Kelowna would come ready to compete.
From the first play from scrimmage, Ryder Quintana and the Irish set the tone. On a trap play deep in Irish territory, Quintana followed his block and looked to cut upfield. As he did, it appeared as if an Owl’s defensive lineman had him dead to rights.
Quintana saw this out of the corner of his eye and made a ridiculous spin move to avoid what seemed to be a tackle for loss. As his momentum took him to his right, he made one more sharp cut-up field to split the Owl’s defense and sprinted between the hash marks deep into Owls’ territory before being taken down inside Keowna’s 20-yard line.
Quintana would cap the drive a couple of plays later on with a seven-yard rush to give the Irish an early lead. With the Owls with the ball, it was time for the Irish’s defensive unit to shine.
As the Owls dropped back to pass on a second down near midfield, Irish defensive back Nathan Lowden jumped a seemingly open hitch route, intercepting the pass and returning it 19 yards to set up his offense in great field position again.
In the second quarter, Quintana would capitalize on that great play by Lowden and punch the ball in for another score, this time from eight yards out. On the next drive, the Irish’s secondary showed they weren’t done making plays.
JB Scott showed that he, too, is a ball hawk stepping in front of another Owls pass. This time, he took the ball 37 yards all the way to the house, and VC was up by three scores. Jack Burns also got in on the action, picking off another ball and giving the Irish defense three interceptions in the first half.
Quarterback Parker Orr would then find receiver Lucas Gonzales for a 34-yard Touchdown, and the party was on at O’Hagan Field. VC would continue their strong play in the second half and come away with a 41-7 victory.
Irish Head Coach Bryan Chiu liked his team’s ability to play hard despite the miserable weather.
“Proud of our boys for playing hard throughout the game in the heavy rain. Credit to Kelowna for playing a tough game after traveling from Kelowna,” said Chiu.
“Most importantly, we got out of the game Healthy and need to get mentally and physically ready for a strong Lord Teeedsmuir team.”
The Irish will prepare for a Panther team that gave them one of their best games of the year back in the regular season. Both teams are hitting their strides right now, and with an opportunity to play in the AAA finals on the line, this is bound to be one of the best games of the season.
Timberwolves beat Bulldogs at their own game
The Robert Bateman Timberwolves punched their ticket to the AA Semi-Finals with a 31-6 victory over the John Barsby Bulldogs.
The Timberwolves beat the Bulldogs at their own game. The always-physical Bulldogs struggled to run the ball in their vaunted two-back power offense due to the Timberwolf’s dominance up front.
Bateman, on the other hand, had no problem running the ball but with a different approach. The Timberwolves leaned on their spread attack to widen Barsby’s 4-4 defense and create advantageous angles and numbers in their running game.
Timberwolves running backs Jackson Kliewer, who finished with 12 carries for 93 yards and one touchdown, as well as Cade Handy, with 9 carries for 80 yards and a score, reaped the benefits of Bateman’s offensive game plan.
Kliewer opened the scoring for the Timberwolves, capping off their opening drive with a 29-yard touchdown run where he ran off tackle to the left and cut the ball up into the middle of the field, breaking two arm tackles on his way to the endzone.
The rest of the half was a defensive battle. The Timberwolves suffocated the Bulldog’s run game by stacking the box and forced their opponents into throwing a ball, which isn’t Barsby’s identity.
The Bulldog’s defense also proved difficult to crack until, In the second quarter, Timberwolves quarterback Luke Hall connected with Brady Doucette for a 6-yard score to put Bateman up 12-0 at the half.
With it only a two-score game to start the third quarter, the game was very much still up for grabs. Timberwolves receiver Dante Meyer had other plans.
On the second-half opening kickoff, Meyer made a house call for an 88-yard kickoff return touchdown. Not long after, Hall found Meyer for a 25-yard touchdown, this time through the air, and the rout was on.
Bateman’s defense continued playing a very strong game. Led by Cade Handy’s six and Ryelly MacDonald’s four tackles, the team’s defensive unit held Barsby to 19 yards passing, 50 yards rushing, and just one late score for a 31-6 final.
The Timberwolves will play the Windsor Wolves next week in a battle of Lupinus teams with an AA finals spot up for grabs.
With a Semi-Final berth on the line, it’s Damian Dumas’s time to shine
In a defensive battle between physical AAA teams, The South Delta Sun Devils leaned on their superstar running back on their way to a 30-8 victory over the Rutland Thunder.
The Thunder gave South Delta all they could handle, and this contest was much closer than the final score indicated. In playoff games that are tight and are as hard-fought as this one, teams often tend to turn to their star players to make big plays to put them over the top.
The Sun Devils did just that and turned to superstar running back Damian Dumas, who rewarded them greatly with two game-breaking runs that helped propel his team to victory.
Damian, who started the season playing quarterback due to his brother’s broken wrist, has shown he’s truly a versatile weapon all season. After excelling at the quarterback position for a couple of weeks. Since his brother’s return, the grade 11 standout has jumped back to his natural position of running back and hasn’t looked back.
Damian can be seen weekly using his excellent vision to find slivers in opposing defenses before exploding into the open field and using his track star speed to finish long touchdown runs. With the lights shining as bright as they have all year, Damian didn’t shy away from the big stage. If anything, he upped his game with 19 carries for 180 yards and two scores, along with four catches for 50 yards.
Both teams felt each other out early. With only a few first downs for either side, both offenses struggled to sustain drives. With the Sun Devils needing a big play, it was time for the Western Conference Offensive MVP to make a play.
Damian showcased his explosion on a 60-yard touchdown run and left Thunder defenders in his dust to open the scoring for South Delta.
The Sun Devils defense deserves a ton of credit as well. The Thunder play a physical style, boasting one of the biggest Offensive lines in AAA football and a great passing game led by quarterback Carter Cook.
South Delta’s defensive unit rose to the occasion. Matching Rutland’s physicality, they held the Thunder to 50 yards rushing on 30 attempts. The team’s defensive line registered five sacks, making life for Cook vastly uncomfortable in the pocket while trying to throw the ball all night.
Rutland drove the ball deep into South Delta territory late in the second quarter. The Sun Devils’ defense once again stepped up big time, forcing and recovering a fumble at their own 10-yard line to keep the Thunder off the scoreboard and held on to their 7-0 lead at the half.
The defensive battle continued into the third quarter, where neither team managed to find the endzone as both teams continued to play suffocating defense.
Here’s the thing: sometimes, it doesn’t matter how good you’re playing on defense because, as the Thunder unfortunately found out, Damian Dumas is inevitable.
Damian struck again on a pitch play to the outside following great blocking. He found a seam wide and cut back across the field, making a Thunder defender miss, and no one was gonna track him down after that.
That 50-yard scoring run put the Sun Devils up 14-0 early in the 4th. Rutland refused to quit, and after a punt that pushed the Devils deep into their own territory, they forced the Devils to take a safety and kickoff from the 20-yard line.
Rutland then put together their only scoring drive of the game to push the score to 14-8 with just over three minutes to go. With the ball back late, the Sun Devils put the ball in Dominic Dumas’s hands to finish off the Thunder for good.
The eldest Dumas brother showed why he, too, is a star. Showing incredible poise at a pivotal point in the game, he leads the Sun Devils all the way downfield.
On a 3rd and goal from the 15-yard line, Dominic threw a strike to receiver Anthony de Albuquerque for the put-away score. With the successful two-point play, the Devils gave themselves some breathing room at 22-8 with a minute 20 left in the game.
With Rutland in desperation mode, a late heave was picked by Dominic Dumas, who showed off his dual-threat ability and ran the ball all the way back for another touchdown. Despite the score being 14-8, with just 3 minutes to go, the scoreboard read 30-8 Sun Devils at the final horn.
The strong Sun Devil’s defensive performance was led by Hudson Wight’s 11 tackles. The linebacker has worked his tail off to come back from a broken leg and is an emotional leader for the team. Only returning two weeks ago to South Delta’s lineup, Wights has given the Sun Devils a tremendous boost for the postseason.
Gage Spargo and Dominic added to the unit’s strong performance with eight tackles each, while Damian contributed with seven of his own.
Sun Devils Head Coach Ray Moon praised his opponents and his team postgame.
“No doubt we were in a battle tonight, and full credit to Rutland and their team. They played hard and physical,” said Moon.
“Ultimately, in a tight game like this, a few plays win you the game. Our offense made a couple, and our defense made a couple, and we kept Rutland from making those explosive plays that we had seen so often on film.”
The Sun Devils now advance to the AAA Semi-Finals, where they’ll play the W.J. Mouat Hawks.