They struck first, and even got the last word in scoring-wise, but it was all the offence between those two points that weighed down the New Westminster
Hyacks in last Friday’s B.C. High School senior AAA football game.
Lining up against the unranked Notre Dame Jugglers, the Hyacks were unable to keep pace in a torrid second quarter, where the Vancouver squad built up a 24-point lead en route to a 44-28 win.
New West, ranked third in B.C., were unable to contain the Jugglers quarterback Steven Moretto, who threw two touchdown passes and carried in two others as Notre Dame out-paced the Hyacks 423 to 312 in offensive yards.
“(Morreto) single-handedly made us look like a JV team,” said New West head coach Farhan Lalji. “You have to give him credit, but at the same time, that was the worst half of football we’ve played in the last three years. Defensively we were in position, but our fundamentals could not have been worse and we simply couldn’t finish a play.”
After winning their two previous games by a cumulative 102-19 margin, the Hyacks found themselves up against a strong offensive counter.
Josh Olango darted in on a five-yard major to open the scoring for New West, but Notre Dame replied and tacked on a two-point convert to lead 8-6 after one quarter. In the second quarter, the Jugglers pushed ahead with runs of 20- and four-yards, and Moretto capped the frame with a 31-yard TD pass to end the half ahead 30-6.
The Notre Dame pivot began the third frame with a one-yard QB keeper, before Lucas Sabau ended the Jugglers’ run with a five-yard rushing major.
Broxx Comia, with a four-yard TD, and Sabau, off a 38-yard dash, completed the Hyack scoring.
“Offensively everything we wanted was there, but we made some mental mistakes, couldn’t execute on some simple plays, and I think we got too cute as a coaching staff,” added Lalji.
On defence, Prento Durigon picked up nine tackles.
New West’s next game is Oct. 14 when they host No. 4-rated Vancouver College, 7:30 p.m. at Mercer Stadium.
