It was a game of lines, and the steadiest line prevailed.
The New Westminster Hyacks overwhelmed the Mount Douglas Rams 48-29 in Saturday’s B.C. Subway Bowl Junior AAA Football final at B.C. Place to capture the program’s first-ever gridiron title.
Through all the stellar stats and impressive highlight reel plays, the New West linemen were a constant force that put a beat-down on the opposition all season long.
This game, however, was suppose to be different.
It was, but not in an unpleasant way for the 10-0 Hyacks.
“We knew it was going to be a slugfest,” junior Hyacks head coach Darnell Sikorski said. “(Mt. Doug) is outstanding, and they’ll be good for years. They’re a powerhouse program, and when you’re able to execute at a high enough level to compete with them and beat them it’s incredibly rewarding for our kids.”
The line, while it flexed in the first half, stood its ground over the final two quarters and created daylight for New West’s dynamic dashers – with Sammy Sidhu accounting for four touchdowns and 264 yards on 14 carries.
In total, the Hyacks rushed for 429 yards and scored six of their seven majors via the ground. Sidhu said it was all due to the linemen.
“My line is everything. Without them I wouldn’t be here,” said the fleet Grade 10 running back, who counted TDs of 72, 70, nine and one yards. “They are the ones that got us here. Our (linemen) are the best players on our team.”
Also counting majors were Broxx Comia, on a 40-yard dash, Robertson Yagyog, from four yards out, and Shane Belsher, on a 20-yard pass from quarterback Kinsale Philip.
Lineman Yanni Angelopolous, one of a handful of juniors who also played on the senior squad, said the prior week’s loss to Vancouver College in the AAA senior semifinal was a motivating moment.
“I know the feeling of how we lost and I didn’t want that feeling. I played my best so we wouldn’t have that feeling,” said Angelopolous, a Burnaby native. “(Mt. Doug) is pretty good. Their linemen are really good. Their quarterback is really, really good and it’s tough to get on him.”
The Rams quarterback Gideone Kremler was no stranger to pressure, serving as the starting pivot for both the junior and senior teams in Saturday’s final, while also working defence on both squads. Working from the shotgun formation, the cool-beyond-his-years thrower got his team ahead 21-18 five minutes into the second quarter. But New West, which had won their regular season encounter 48-47, refused to back down.
The defence began to close the gap, too. After Sidhu scored on a one-yard dive with 1:54 left in the half, New West’s defence successfully pinned the Rams to their own end and forced the first punt of the day. The Hyacks left the field up 26-21 with two quarters to play.
On the first drive of the second half, Mt. Doug was stopped at midfield but would minutes later pick up a safety after tackling New West’s punter in the end zone following a bad snap.
That put the ball again in the Rams possession, but they were halted at New West’s 31-yard line. On the following march, Sidhu broke free for a 70-yard TD and the game suddenly swung open 34-23 for the Hyacks.
Although the Victoria team would close the gap to five points on Kremler’s 45-yard pass to Connor Clarke with 35 seconds left in the quarter, the fourth frame belonged to New West.
“They worked their butts off. … The first half was obviously a close game to begin with, and our defence really stepped up in the second half, allowed one touchdown and that safety. That kept it close but eventually we pulled away,” said Sikorski.
Sidhu summarized it succinctly: “After we got that first stop in the first half, (Mt. Doug) just got frustrated. We just kept going from there and kept stopping them. Our offence pulled away and finally it was just too much for them. …
“When I came in I felt I was going to have a good game. I knew I was going to have a good game because of my line. All credit to them.”
