Two games under their belts, and the junior varsity Hyacks are already on the road to the championships, celebrating a second win, this time against Coquitlam's Centennial.
"We've had a really good start to the year," said head coach Chad Oatway.
The New Westminster grade 9 and 10s have been training hard this season to come out on top against their opponents. They opened the season against Surrey's Lord Tweedsmuir earlier this month, beating them 23-13. Last Thursday, the boys blew away Centennial 44-0. The success of the young team comes from what the boys aren't doing wrong on the field, said Oatway, rather than what they're doing right.
"We just have a really good group of kids, and our program is developing in a way that fosters a work ethic and expectation of excellence," he said.
The Hyacks high school program puts a strong emphasis on staying focused and mental preparation. It's about visualizing a desired outcome and making it happen, Oatway added.
"This is really important in the game of football because there's a lot of things happening on a football field, even if they're not actually on the field," he said.
"One of the biggest strengths of our team right now is all of our kids can play," he said. "We have 44 players on our junior varsity roaster, and they all contribute. They're all really hard-working kids."
Team captain Sunny Rishi has been especially outstanding this season. He, along with David Penalver and freshman Noah Wright - who scored two touchdowns against Centennial - have all had great games so far.
Next up, the junior varsity Hyacks head to Delta to face Seaquam on Sept. 18 (today). From there, they travel south of the border to take on Mount Vernon, Washington. They'll be back home on Oct. 3 against Coquitlam's Terry Fox Ravens.
The boys will need to stay focused as they continue through the season, Oatway said.
"Our strategy is just focusing on us right now. I think that's been our strategy all along. Focusing on what our kids need to do and where they need to excel," he said.
