If things look easy during these early football days, it’s only because the New Westminster Hyacks have been working hard for it.
The B.C. AAA high school football squad scored 51 points for the second straight game, topping the Carson Graham Eagles 51-0 to kick off the regular season last Friday on an impressive note.
That it came before a crowd of 1,500 fans and alumni at Mercer Stadium on Homecoming Day made it all the more special.
It all began with a bang, as Ben Tjernagel took the first punt return of the night and scampered 61 yards for the touchdown. On their second scoring drive of the first quarter, Josh Olango cut through the Eagles’ line for a 21-yard major, and was followed a few minutes later by Sammy Sidhu’s 78-yard dash into the end zone, making it 22-0 before the first quarter had ended.
They didn’t ease up much in the second frame, as Sidhu, on a one-yard run, and Finn Stark, catching Kinsale Philip’s pass and turning it into a 40-yard TD, completed the first half offence.
It complemented the festive feel that echoed in the Mercer stands, although Hyacks head coach Farhan Lalji said his take-aways from the night were in mistakes and areas the team can do better.
“It wasn’t bad, and I know what the score showed but our focus is on some little things,” said Lalji of a game where New West piled up 430 yards rushing and posted a 56 per cent efficiency rate on third downs.
“I think we got sloppy at times because we knew we could come back and do some explosive runs.”
Sidhu, who counted 147 yards on seven carries, scoring two majors and a pair of two-point converts, was named the offensive player of the night. Lucas Sabau also crossed the 100-yard threshold, rushing for 114 on 13 carries.
On defence, Connor Pattison racked up 13 tackles, while Isaiah James counted four. Meriting special recognition was lineman Sarban Sidhu for his work.
While the team would likely have thrown more, with the score one-sided and the defensive coverage focusing on New West’s power run game, airing it out could have appeared to be running up the score, so Lalji limited his throwers to just eight attempts – with Philip and Michael Thind completing two apiece.
It’s going to be a different test this Friday, when the Hyacks venture to Burnaby Lake West (5 p.m.) to play Notre Dame.
“They’re a big step up,” Lalji said of Notre Dame. “They are a big-play team with a real special athlete at quarterback (Steven Moretto)... We’re ready for the next challenge and that’s what they’ll provide.”
