Like a football version of SimCity, the New Westminster Hyacks are stacking up for a long run.
Thanks to some evolving performances and the continued stacking on defence, New West took another step with its polished 33-21 victory over the defending B.C. champion Mount Douglas Rams last Friday in Victoria.
Powered by a pair of touchdowns from Austin Galbraith, including a 92-yard kickoff return in response to a Mount Doug major, the Hyacks turned some timely big plays into a well-executed smackdown of a talented opponent.
“You go on the road where there’s a lot of unfamiliar challenges and have some early success, so that buoys you on what you’re doing,” remarked Hyacks head coach Farhan Lalji. “We scored on our first two possessions and whenever they answered back, we countered.”
Holding a ranked rival to just 37 yards rushing while counting seven quarterback sacks, is encouraging on their own.
New West, which lost to the Rams by 24 points in last year’s final, capitalized on their first drive, with a couple of big plays leading to Greyson Planinsic’s three-yard run. While the two-point convert attempt fell short, the visitors would get the ball back again a few minutes later and scored when quarterback Payton Myers kept the ball on a one-yard major.
Still in the first quarter, the Rams scored its first touchdown off a short drive, then kicked the ball to Galbraith. The Grade 12 receiver took the kickoff and darted and dashed his way 92 yards into the end zone, making it 18-6.
While Mount Doug would put on its own successful march, including a two-point convert, to make it 18-14, Galbraith would be on the receiving end again when he caught Myers’ five-yard pass for the team’s fourth touchdown of the half.
In the third quarter, Myers connected with Matthew Drake on a nine-yard major to put the Hyacks up 33-14. The Rams would push back but managed just one TD over the final 12 minutes, finishing the game with just 158 offensive yards.
The Hyacks, who jumped up to No. 2 in the 3-A provincial rankings following the win, racked up 308 offensive yards, including an impressive 251 on the ground.
“The defence came up and stopped them when (Mt. Doug) was gaining some momentum,” said Lalji. “It’s early so, while it’s promising, we have to show we can do it on a regular basis.”
Planinsic piled up 137 yards on 12 carries, including a key 61-yard gain that led to a major. Tyson Black averaged nearly 14 yards per carry, with 58 yards on four chances.
Myers, meanwhile, was measured and steady in completing six of eight passes for two TDs and 57 yards total. Taran Birdi caught three passes for 28 yards, to go with Galbraith’s twin catches.
“(Myers) has improved every week in the areas he needs to get better with,” noted Lalji. “The throw he made to (Galbraith) was a good decision executed well.”
Galbraith was equally as huge on defence. The five-foot-10 speedster also counted a game-high nine tackles. Cashing in for eight tackles and a pair of QB sacks was Himmat Garcha, while Andros Dancey, with four tackles and a sack, and Owen Stark, with four tackles and two sacks, also created havoc for the hometown Rams.
Also earning praise from the coach were Grade 11s Balraj Munjal and Natol Tadesse
Lalji said playing Mount Doug in the first conference game of the season was likely fortuitous, as the Island team is a traditional slow starter that builds as the season goes on. But playing in Victoria, with two key starters – Deakon Young and Michael Udoh, who are expected back this week – is an impressive accomplishment.
What’s been most impressive is how New West’s defence has measured up to the competition despite not creating a lot of turnovers.
“The defence has been playing well all year,” he said. “We’ve been difficult to run the ball against. … When you can hold a team with a big offensive line like Mount Doug to 37 yards (rushing) that’s a good sign.”
The Hyacks return home for Friday’s match against the Notre Dame Jugglers, who blanked Belmont 44-0 last week.
The Vancouver school is running the same wing-T attack as New West, which adds an interesting element to the matchup.
“They converted to a wing-T scheme, so we know kind of what we’ll be dealing with. But just as we practise it and against it, so do they. They’ll know what we’re doing, too,” added Lalji.
Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. at Mercer Stadium.
