New Westminster's Hyacks opened their regular season last week on the road against the No. 1 AAA Mt. Douglas Rams in Victoria.
After going 3-0 in exhibition play, the Hyacks appeared ready to face last season's AAA provincial champions, but that wasn't the case.
The Rams decimated the Hyacks from the get-go. After the Hyacks fumbled the opening kick, the Rams quickly recovered the ball deep in New West's red zone, leading to the first touchdown of the night on the next play. By the end of the first quarter the Rams were leading 28-0.
"We were not ready to play this game, and it showed. When we got down early ,the kids simply didn't respond, and that was the disappointing part. You could see how deflated we got whereas in previous weeks we kept fighting," said Hyacks head coach Farhan Lalji.
Deflated indeed. The hometown boys couldn't pull it together and by halftime were trailing 35-0 after a 59-yard punt-return by the Rams' Marcus Davis.
"I've said all along that this Mt. Douglas team is the clear number 1 team in B.C. and one of the best I've ever seen in our province. People assume it's all Marcus, but really what makes them special is their line on both sides of the ball."
The Hyacks are back home this Friday against the Belmont Bulldogs.
This is the inaugural AAA season for the Bulldogs, who beat West Van 41-0 last week.
