A fourth-quarter implosion cost the junior varsity New Westminster Hyacks a spot in the quarter-finals.
The Hyacks surrendered three last-quarter touchdowns in a 35-28 loss to the W.J. Mouat Hawks in a B.C. high school AAA football wild card matchup at Mercer Stadium last Friday.
"I told the kids special teams was going to be key, and on kickoffs, we turned the ball over three times," said New West head coach Chad Oatway. "They were huge plays."
Leading 28-13 heading into the final 12 minutes, Mouat scored on its opening possession, aided by a pass interference call that continued the touchdown drive.
On the ensuing kickoff, the Hawks recovered the ball on the New West 26-yard-line and quickly scored on a 12-yard reception by Casey England.
The Hawks took the lead 29-28 on a successful two-point conversion by Slater McRae.
Mouat got the ball again on a mishandled kickoff, but fumbled the ball away to Adrian Cagampan, who also scored two touchdowns on offence, on the next play from scrimmage.
With two minutes left and the Hyacks near midfield, Dion Pellerin intercepted a Mackenzie Ratcliffe pass, which set up Mouat for the team's fifth score.
Cagampan scored on first-half runs of six and 46 yards, and then rushed into the end zone for a two-point convert to give the hometeam Hyacks a 14-13 lead at halftime.
That lead was upheld by a triumphant goal-line stand by the Hyack defence in the final minutes of the half with Mouat knocking on the door first-and-goal at the New West three.
Kale Brock put New West ahead 21-13 following a 56yard TD run.
After a successful short kickoff, Ratcliffe led the Hyacks on an 11-play drive that stalled on the Hawk four-yard line.
But New West got the ball back and Julian Ramirez hammered home the Hyacks' fourth rushing TD from eight yards out.
"But that's when it all went south for the JVs. "I'm proud of the kids, but they have to finish better," said Oatway. "They have to find a little bit more of a will and a way to do that, and we haven't done that in the last few games."
On the other side of the field, Mouat head coach Jim Mitchell was ecstatic.
"The (Hawks) are inexperienced, but they've been coming along in the last few weeks. We thought we should have been ahead in the first half," Mitchell said.
Mouat moved on to face Western conference No. 1 Vancouver College in the JV quarter-finals to be played on Thursday.
