A two-hour boat ride will precede and follow it, but it’s what happens in the game that could tell observers if the New Westminster Hyacks have arrived or not.
For the first game of the regular season the No. 2-ranked Hyacks venture to Victoria on Friday to play the Mount Douglas Rams and measure themselves against another highly skilled high school football program.
Coming off a bye week after three exhibition matches, head coach Farhan Lalji said he feels while they enter the regular season in very healthy shape, they are also hungry to get a game under their belts.
“We practised twice and had two days working out and watching film,” said Lalji of the past week. “It seems like we haven’t had a lot of game action, but it was good to take a step back and not focus on an opponent and just get back to basics.”
Preparation for the Rams hasn’t been lacking, however. Watching film of last week’s Rams’ game, where they fell 24-14 to defending B.C. champion Terry Fox, Lalji saw a squad committed to its system – a well-coached rival that will use last year’s 45-19 New West win as motivation.
Most impressive, Lalji said, is the Rams’ line, which will present a timely test.
“They are a good team. (Mount Doug) is good up front, they are very deep at linemen and linebacker positions, so they can cause you problems. Because of their quarterback injury, they have a different look – before you had to defend the athlete and now it’s more defend against the system.”
Mt. Doug’s star quarterback, Gideone Kremler, will miss the early portion of the season while recuperating from knee surgery, but the Island squad does have suitable players at the key positions. Grade 12 Ben Pierik, a six-foot-four running back, has scored three times and carried for 145 yards over two games.
When it comes to offence, New West has displayed just a portion of its potential in a pair of exhibition wins, with receiver Sebastien Reid scoring three times in their victory over Mission on Sept. 8. Able and eager to do their part are dynamic carriers Sammy Sidhu and Broxx Comia, while quarterback Kinsale Philip continues to gain in confidence.
“He’s coming along,” said Lalji. “(Philip) needs to be a little more committed with his fakes, but he has shown he can do the job on the field. Our system relies a lot on misdirection and fakes, so it’s a matter of tweaking and keeping the offence moving smoothly.”
As it goes in the regular season, there are no easy games on the schedule.
"There are no bad programs in our conference; seven of the top nine (AAA) teams in the province are in (Western) conference," said Lalji. "There are no weeks off. We have to be more balanced and make sure all areas are firing efficiently."
The kickoff is 3 p.m. Friday in Victoria.
