The New Westminster Hyacks found a cure for cross-border shopping.
The New Westminster high school varsity football team were spanked in its season opener 50-16 by the Blaine Borderites at Blaine High School on Friday.
Blaine's star senior running back Mario Gobbato rushed for 217 yards and five touchdowns, all in the first half to lead the rout.
Gobbato, who missed breaking the Class 2A single season rushing record of 2,678 yards by less than a first-down last season, got Blaine on the scoreboard on its opening possession, rushing 40 yards for the game's first score.
On the Borderites' second offensive play, Gobbato took a handoff 28 yards for a second straight touchdown.
Blaine scored four TDs in the opening quarter and built up a 50-0 half-time lead before the Hyacks found an answer in the second half.
"We had played them in a real competitive spring game, so it was an environment that we weren't unfamiliar with," said New Westminster head coach Farhan Lalji in a Sunday Province article. "But the bottom line is we started poorly and got rattled. Their tailback is legit and they are very good up front."
Conversely, New Westminster has some work to do on both sides of the ball if they hope to be a playoff contender in the tough B.C. high school western conference that boasts No. 1-ranked Mt. Douglas, No. 3 Vancouver College and honourable mention Notre Dame.
The Hyacks rushed for 146 total yards on 30 carries and quarterback Tommy Robertson completed just one-of-12 passes against the Blaine secondary. Julian Ramirez ran for 52 yards on five carries, while Kaeden Hnatiw rushed for 37 yards.
New West plays Abbotsford in its home opener at Mercer Stadium on Friday. Game time is 7: 30 p.m.
