This is a cross-border battle fit for the headlines.
A rivalry in mostly geography only, the New Westminster Hyacks and St. Thomas More Knights are separated by 10th Avenue and a few blocks of urban streets.
The two will line up on opposing sides for just the third time this Saturday, 8 p.m. at BC Place with a B.C. High School AAA football semifinal berth in the balance.
“(STM) is a good team and they’ve got good people up front in (Ben) Steele and (Demarius) Henderson and (Luca) Bellini in running back,” said Hyack coach Farhan Lalji. “They are talented and I think it’s going to be a big time battle that’s going to come down to the fourth quarter.”
New West, ranked No. 4 in the province with a 6-2 record, won’t be taken lightly by the Knights, noted the STM coach.
“We have to stop (New West’s) run, they run a wing-T and a lot of misdirection, pulling guards so that’s our assignment,” said STM’s Bernie Kully.
In the playoff opener, the Handsworth Royals had their hands full with just that assignment.
Behind a five-touchdown performance from Grade 11 rusher Trew Dancey, New West blitzed the Royals and scored a ticket into the quarterfinals. STM, with its second-place finish in the Eastern Conference at 6-2, had a bye through the first round.
The Hyacks piled up 546 yards rushing, with Dancey contributing 225 yards and a new team game record of five majors.
They led 14-0 after one quarter and 34-0 at the half, with Dancey counting four majors on an accumulated 10 yards. He would bust loose and score a 57-yard TD early in the third quarter, a minute after Handsworth had scored its lone touchdown.
“I just wanted to run the ball hard and follow the blocks… It was all our O-line; everyone pulled through and worked hard. It was perfect execution,” said Dancey.
“My confidence is pretty high, I’m not going to lie. I just got to keep working hard… I love it, it’s a lot of fun.”
Rounding out the offence were Joshua Olango, with a pair of one and 27 yards, Josh Nerona, a 50-yard TD, and David Penaver, of 36 yards.
On defence, the domination was even more daunting, as New West held the North Shore squad to just 206 offensive yards. Leading the way was the trio of Rochon Bhattacharya, Jeff Lugtu and Connor Pattison, who racked up six tackles each, with Bhattacharya adding a pair of interceptions.
Lalji noted that anything achieved in the opening playoff game is old news as the calibre of opposition now gets stiffer. St. Thomas More emerged from the honourable rankings two weeks ago to enter the playoffs at No. 5.
“I just liked that we played at our level and didn’t worry about what else was out there and that’s going to be the key going forward,” said Lalji. “You start playing teams that are a bit more physical and can hurt you a few different ways.”
For Kully, the strategy for Saturday’s mash-up includes lots of film – just not much from the Hyacks’ recent romp.
“It’s not a game (film) we can get anything from,” noted Kully. “I think New West will get some confidence from that, when you win lopsided there’s momentum. But at the same time I don’t think they showed anything that we could focus on…
“We’re looking more at film from their South Delta, Notre Dame, Mount Doug games… I see seven basic formations they use, a wing sweep, three-step passes and screens. They are going to be a handful.”
In their previous encounters, New West won 56-25 in the 2008 quarterfinals, and the Knights prevailing 33-12 in the 2010 wildcard game.
The winner of Saturday’s game will square off against the winner of the Vancouver College-Notre Dame contest.
* In junior football, the New Westminster Hyacks look to carry the momentum from an unblemished regular season into the playoffs, which start today (Thursday), 5:30 p.m. at Mercer Stadium against Mount Boucherie.
The No. 1-ranked Hyacks will have an opportunity to avenge last year's playoff loss in the quarterfinals to Mt. Boucherie.
