The junior varsity New Westminster Hyacks squandered an opportunity for a first-round playoff bye following a shutout loss to the Mt. Douglas Rams last Thursday.
Mt. Doug scored two touchdowns in the opening half and then made two big plays for a couple more scores in the third and fourth quarters to defeat the orange and black 28-0 in the JV Hyacks' final AAA high school regular season football game at Mercer Stadium.
The win allowed the Rams to leapfrog over New West and into second place in the Western conference.
Vancouver College earned first place in the west on the strength of a superior points for and against differential in league play. All three teams finished with identical 4-2 league records.
"Executing was one thing, but desire is another. Mt. Doug showed up and wanted this game and it was obvious," said a disappointed JV head coach Chad Oatway after the game. "They showed the desire to win this."
Mt. Doug's Jesse Woollard opened the second half with a 45-yard run up the middle on the team's first possession. Woollard finished off a nice drive for the Vancouver Island school in the fourth quarter with a seven-yard scamper for a touchdown.
"Our offensive line did not play like they should have, but we've had a good run to this point," Oatway added. "But we have a tougher road to climb now."
The JV Hyacks will host fourth-place eastern finisher W.J. Mouat at Mercer Stadium on Friday. Game time is scheduled for 7: 30 p.m.
The senior Hyacks ended their regular season on the losing end of a 43-14 scoreline with the defending AAA champion Mt. Douglas Rams.
Quarterback Tommy Robertson finished off a game-opening scoring with a one-yard sneak.
After that it was all Mt. Doug with quarterback Ashton MacKinnon and Brian Dowds hooking up for four passing touchdowns.
Conference defensive lineman Sonu Kainth also scored for New Westminster when he recovered a fumble in the Mt. Doug end zone late in the game.
Two other Hyacks were also named to the All-Western conference defensive team.
Team captain Jordan Chin finished sixth in the province with 63 tackles at his linebacker position.
Defensive back Eric Teng tied for second in the province with four interceptions. Kainth finished the season with seven quarterback sacks and 45 tackles.
Grade 11 receiver Tristan Sands was the Hyacks' only pick on offensive. He was fourth in the province with 34 receptions, just one catch off the school record.
In the Eastern conference, St. Thomas More placed eight players on the all-star team.
Dante Vigini was named the conference defensive MVP.
Lineman Simon Diersch, linebacker Elliott Nelson and Jalen Jana at defensive back were also named to the all-east squad.
Chase Malcolm was selected quarterback of the all-east team, while Nico Repole was chosen on the offensive line and teammates Malcolm Lee and Giovanni Trasolini as receivers.
