It was back to basics at practice.
The New West Hyacks aim to make it carry over indefinitely, too.
With their one bye week behind them, and on the heels of their first two losses of the B.C. High School AAA football season still stinging, New West is looking at getting back to what’s worked.
Friday’s Senior’s Night (7:30 p.m. at Mercer Stadium), where they will square off against the Seaquam Seahawks, is the perfect opportunity to show that their work and dedication has paid off.
“After our last game we did some soul searching,” remarked Hyacks coach Farhan Lalji. “It was important for us, from the players’ perspective, to do somethings differently. ... You get lulled into a sense of security when you’re winning sometimes, but our tackling had deteriorated, so we addressed that.”
At the players’ urging, the team ramped it up in practice and got physical, going over the routines that helped shape last year’s provincial championship.
Lalji said it was vital that the players themselves requested the change, being totally dissatisfied with the results after the 42-0 loss to Vancouver College on Oct. 12, a game where the Fighting Irish rolled for 494 offensive yards against the previously resilient Hyacks defence.
“That was our first home loss in four years to a Canadian opponent,” he noted. “They realized that we had to get back to the fundamentals, and as coaches we looked at building their spirits back up.
“They wanted to be more physical (in practice) and practise harder.”
The squad, which remains without starting quarterback and linebacker Kinsale Philip, had experienced a tremendous run that saw them roll unbeaten in 2017 and begin this year with three straight wins.
Having clinched a playoff spot already and able to lock up home-field advantage for the first playoff game with a win over Seaquam, is a good starting point.
“We have to build some momentum and fix what we need to before we get into the playoffs, because you don’t want to enter the playoffs after stubbing your toe,” added Lalji.
Grade 11 pivot Peyton Myers will take the snap and lead the offence in Philip’s absence.
The team’s 19 seniors will be celebrated prior to the 7:30 p.m. start at Mercer Stadium.
