Welcome to 2018’s first edition of Varsity Letter’s B.C. High School Football Report.
Week O’s annual limited opening Friday slate captures a select number of B.C. teams in non-conference action south of the line.
We will have more on Saturday.
Welcome back!
TRIPLE A
No. 3 NEW WESTMINSTER 12 at LIBERTY (Wash.) 28
ISSAQUAH (Wash.) — The defending Subway Bowl champions are not yet the well-oiled machine they aspire to be, a fact that was confirmed in their season opener on the road against a host Patriots team led by the big-play ability of quarterback Sam Brown and running back Jacob Thoreson.
Liberty scored on both its second and third possessions of the contest to take a 14-0 lead en route to the 16-point victory.
Highlighted damage included Thoreson opening the scoring with a 44-yard TD run, and Brown throwing first-half touchdown passes of 65 yards to Thoreson and 84 yards to Jake Wright, the latter making it 28-6 Liberty at the break.
“There’s no doubt we did not come out ready to play in all three phases and so we fell behind early,” said Hyacks’ head coach Farhan Lalji. “They scored three long touchdowns when we probably had the perfect defense called in all three cases. I really believe the secondary is a strength of ours. We’re fast and we’re deep there, but that didn’t show in the first 15 minuets. But we did settle down though, and played much better as the game went on. I thought out D-line played well tonight.”
Evan Nolli and Saahil Bhambra shone most with that unit.
The Hyacks’ two scores came on a 65-yard catch-and-run from quarterback Kinsale Philip to Broxx Comia that made the score 14-6, and a one-yard sneak in the third quarter by Philip, who went 12-of-23 for 201 yards and also rushed 17 times for 54 yards.
Liberty’s other touchdown came on a sneak by Brown to make the score 14-0.
The Hyacks, who jump right into Western Conference play this Friday (7:30 p.m.) at home to North Vancouver’s Carson Graham Eagles, will continue to see how the competition within the interior of its offensive line plays out before eventually finding a more settled rotation.
“There’s a lot to be pleased with on the offensive side of the ball,” said Lalji. “We pass protected really well and we think our run game will be there.
“But at this time last year we not only knew who are starters were (along the O-line), but what our rotation was as well,” he continued. “This year we have seven guys battling for three spots, so we have to figure it out. We have not come in with five locked starters. It’s not a weakness. But we have to make some decisions over the next couple of weeks.”
Philip’s play was a plus, despite the loss.
“Last year Kinsale was very Sebastien dependant,” Lalji said in rerference to game-breaking receiver Sebastien Reid, a senior in 2017. “But today, (Philip) really spread it around.”
AJ Chol caught six passes for 80 yards while Arjun Bal and Zach Northgraves each caught three passes.
VANCOUVER COLLEGE 41 at R.A. LONG 14
LONGVIEW (Wash.) — Eric Zychlinski opened the B.C. high school football season with flair on Friday, firing three touchdown passes, including a pair to Owen Ker, as the Vancouver College Fighting Irish came away with a convincing win over the host Lumberjacks.
Zychlinski, who went 8-of-13 for 130 yards, threw scoring tosses of 28 yards to Ker and 28 yards to Connor Louis in the first quarter for a 14-0 lead.
Basil Schincariol peeled off a 30-yard TD run for the Irish to make it 21-0 at halftime, and Ker made is 27-0 when he hauled in an eight-yard pass in the third quarter from Zychlinski.
In the fourth quarter, Aiden Perry on a 19-yard run, and Schincariol on a 24-yard run, made it 40-6 with about three minutes remaining.
Schincariol’s two-score night came courtesy of 10 carries for 118 yards, while Perry rushed nine times for 77 yards and a major.
Ker finished with five catches for 80 yards while Matt Hoag and Minh Le led the defence with 12 and eight tackles respectively.
The College jump right into their AAA Western Conference schedule one week from Saturday (Sept. 8) in North Delta against the Seaquam Seahawks.
R.A. Long continues with non-conference play next Friday as it hosts Kelso at Memorial Stadium.
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