Vancouver College senior defensive lineman Robert Mendez (55) supplied 14 tackles on Saturday as the Irish blanked Seaquam 28-0 to open Western Conference AAA play in North Delta. (Photo by Howard Tsumura property of VarsityLetters.ca)
Feature High School Football

09.11.18: Varsity Letters’ Top 10 B.C. High School Football Performances from Week No. 1

LANGLEY — Week 1 in the B.C. high school football world was filled with highlighted performances on both side of the ball.

There were so many, in fact, that while we will try to give you a Top 10, the quality extends deep down into the honourable-mention performances and there were so many more we didn’t even include.

A familiar pose for Lord Tweedsmuir linebacker Graeme Godard? You’ll so often see No. 27 in the middle of the defensive fray like he was last Friday in supplying a province-high 20 tackles in Panthers non-conference win. (File photo by Howard Tsumura property of VarsityLetters.ca)

1 GRAEME GODARD

Lord Tweedsmuir’s senior linebacker was at his best as Surrey’s AAA No. 1 Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers headed south to Washington, and beat Burlington-Edison 14-o behind an amazing 20-tackle performance which included a sack. Godard also scored a 40-yard touchdown via a fumble recovery just before halftime.

2 GIDEONE KREMLER

Starting the season with a Western Conference AAA home opener against the No. 5 South Delta Sun Devils is no easy task. Yet the senior quarterback for the No. 4-ranked Mt. Douglas Rams answered the bell in his host team’s 40-14 win Friday in the provincial capital. Kremler not only threw for three TDs, including an 82-yard strike to Sam Mosky, he also threw a trio of two-point convert passes.

3 KEELAN WHITE

The Handsworth Royals senior star picked up right where he left off last season. White totalled 189 yards in receptions, scoring three touchdowns in the process as part of a 32-14 Western Conference AAA win Friday at Belmont. He also rushed for 85 yards, threw a 26-yard pass and contributed eight tackles.

4 NATHEN HAUSERMANN

Led the B.C. senior varsity ranks along the ground in Week 1, turning 17 carries into 273 yards of rushing and a touchdown as Abbotsford’s W.J. Mouat Hawks opened Pacific Conference AAA play Friday with a 41-6 win over Surrey’s visiting Earl Marriott Mariners.

5 DARIO CICCONE

Pretty tough to be any more effective than the St. Thomas More Knights’ quarterback was Friday in a decisive 35-0 shutout of rival Notre Dame at Burnaby Lakes. Ciccone was 7-of-10 for 240 yards and three touchdowns.

6 ROBERT MENDEZ

The Irish’s senior defensive lineman helped his team pitch a shutout on defence, as Vancouver College hit the road and fashioned a hard-nosed 28-0 shutout of the host Seaquam Seahawks on Saturday in North Delta. Mendez led the defence with 14 tackles.

7 LOGAN MCDONALD

In a 40-18 win Friday on the road at Vernon’s Clarence Fulton Secondary, the starting quarterback for Abbotsford’s Robert Bateman Timberwolves went 12-of-16 for 244 and four touchdowns.

8 YOSEF DRYSDALE

The senior running back/defensive back with Surrey’s AAA No. 1-ranked Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers helped his team to a 14-0 win over stateside on Friday night Burlington-Edison by catching a 40-yard touchdown pass, and adding two interceptions and four tackles on the other side of the ball.

9 EVAN NOLLI

A stalwart on both sides of the line, the Hyacks’ senior was hard to miss in AAA No. 3-ranked New Westminster’s 36-14 home field conference win over the Carson Graham Eagles on Friday. Nolli had nine tackles and a sack for the winners.

10 RYAN JENSEN

The Handsworth Royals quarterback hit the ground throwing. Jensen, in leading his North Vancouver team to a 32-14 AAA West league win Friday at Victoria’s Belmont Secondary, threw for 317 yards and four touchdowns.

BEST OF THE REST (in alphabetical order)

CADE COTE

He rushed for 147 yards and two touchdowns in AAA No. 2 Terry Fox’s 35-7 win over the host Abbotsford Panthers on Friday.

JOSH JANSSEN

The Grade 11 quarterback, in the first game of Sardis Secondary’s football program renaissance, threw five touchdown passes in a 42-0 win over Surrey’s visiting Sullivan Heights Stars in Chilliwack.

KORI JOHNSON

In a tight, low-scoring game, the Langley Saints’ running back rushed 17 times for 107 yards and his team’s lone major in a 7-6 win over Mission on Friday.

Holy Cross defensive back Silas Marchan (left) brings speed and tenacity to any position he’s handed by the coaching staff. (Photo by Howard Tsumura property of VarsityLetters.ca)

SILAS MARCHAN

Beside helping lead the ground game from his spot in the offensive backfield, the Holy Cross Crusaders standout shone on defence, picking off three passes as the unranked Surrey hosts opened their 2018 campaign with a 22-6 win over No. 4 G.W. Graham of Chilliwack.

EBIYE OKOKO-CHOMSENG

In a 41-6 season-opening conference win, Okoko-Chomseng rushed for 136 yards and three touchdowns as the host W.J. Mouat Hawks defeated Surrey’s Earl Marriott Mariners in Abbotsford on Friday.

JADEN SEVERY

The other half of the Ravens’ vaunted ground game Friday, he rushed for 128 yards and two scores in a  35-7 non-conference win over the host Abbotsford Panthers.

MICHAEL SIMONE

The STM Knights’ receiver caught three passes for 120 yards in Friday’s 35-0 shutout of Notre Dame, and all three receptions went for touchdowns.

If you’re reading this story or viewing these photos on any other website other than one belonging to a university athletic department, it has been taken without appropriate permission. In these challenging times, true journalism will survive only through your dedicated support and loyalty. VarsityLetters.ca and all of its exclusive content has been created to serve B.C.’s high school and university sports community with hard work, integrity and respect. Feel free to drop us a line any time at howardtsumura@gmail.com.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *