Over a UBC soccer career in which he has taken a redshirt season and a two-year sabbatical, Surrey's Sean Einarsson is looking to win a national title for the first time since 2013. The 'Birds journey continues this week with the Legend's Cup series against Victoria. (Photo by Ben Nelms property of UBC athletics 2019. All rights reserved)
Feature University Men's Soccer

Book-ends forged in gold? For UBC midfielder Sean Einarsson, a return to Thunderbird nation could well include a fairy-tale finish!

VANCOUVER —  When Sean Einarsson decided to return to the home of Canada’s most decorated men’s university soccer program two seasons ago, it was with the hope that he could fashion a finish to his career which would be every bit as satisfying as its storybook start.It was back in 2013 when the redshirt freshman […]

Feature Podcast

Varsity Letters PODCAST 10.09.19: SFU basketball’s Steve Hanson, Tweedsmuir football’s Kurt Thornton and Centennial basketball’s Rob Sollero

Thanks for joining us for another episode of Varsity Letters — The Podcast! Basketball season is just around the corner and with it, the start of another season of the NCAA variety atop Burnaby Mountain. Simon Fraser Clan head coach Steve Hanson has orchestrated one of the biggest turnarounds in college basketball over the past […]

Ryan Brown, serving during the recent UBC Invitational, is one of Earl Marriott's band of volleyball brothers. (Photo by Howard Tsumura property of VarsityLetters.ca 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Boys Volleyball

Earl Marriott boys volleyball: No. 1-ranked, defending AAA champion Mariners small in numbers, but huge in old-school heart

SURREY — If you were around the B.C. high school sports scene before the turn over the century, you saw perhaps the tail-end of what coaches these days lovingly refer to as “the old school way.”The times were certainly more innocent than they are today in terms of training, practicing and playing opportunities.Coaches like Dale […]

Abbotsford will look to bounce back from last week's loss at Lord Tweedsmuir when the Panthers travel to face Eastern Conference co-leader St. Thomas More on Friday at Burnaby Lakes. (Photo by Howard Tsumura property of VarsityLetters.ca 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Football

Varsity Letters 10.07.19 BC High School Football Big 5: STM’s Knights scrap their way into rankings, set to host Abby on Friday

LANGLEY — Welcome to Week 6 of the 2019 B.C. high school football season.St. Thomas More, at one stage of the early season forced to forfeit a non-conference rivalry game against Vancouver College due to a rash of injuries, are sitting at 3-0 in the Eastern Conference, deadlocked with North Delta’s Seaquam Seahawks.While the heavyweights […]

South Delta quarterback Ben McDonald threw three TD passes and rushed for another in his No. 2-ranked team's win over Handsworth. (Photo by Blair Shier property of Blair.photo)
Feature High School Football

FINAL EDITION: Varsity Letters’ 10.05.19 Saturday Night B.C. High School football report

Saturday night’s edition of the Varsity Letters’ B.C. High School football report is now complete.WESTERN CONFERENCEHANDSWORTH 6 at No. 2 SOUTH DELTA 30TSAWWASSEN — The South Delta Sun Devils may have scored their final 22 points in unanswered fashion Saturday to remain a perfect 5-0 on the season.Yet it was one of those days when […]

The Simon Fraser Clan offensive line got attacked along its youthful edges Saturday in a GNAC loss at league-leading Western Oregon. (Photo by Paul Yates property of Simon Fraser Clan athletics 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature University Football

Simon Fraser football: WOU’s pass-rushing Wolves bring pressure galore as QB Niksich and Clan fall to GNAC leaders

Despite all of the growing pains which have been part and parcel of the first half of their Great Northwest Athletic Conference season, Simon Fraser Clan freshman quarterback Brandon Niksich still managed to find a way to pass for more yards than any pivot in the conference.On Saturday afternoon in Monmouth, Ore., however, things felt […]

UBC quarterback Gabe Olivares passed for 300-plus yards in leading the Thunderbirds to the first win of their 2019 Canada West season Friday in Regina. (Photo by Trevor LaFramboise property of Regina athletics 2019. All rights reserved)
Feature University Football

UBC football impresses with season’s first victory, yet despite win in Regina, Thunderbirds eliminated from Canada West playoffs

Its Canada West football playoff hopes may have evaporated with just two more conference games remaining, yet the UBC Thunderbirds discovered they still had enough heroic karma left in the tank of a frustrating season to pick up their first victory of 2019.“We tried our best to give it to them,” ‘Birds head coach Blake Nill […]

Lord Tweedsmuir running back Haydn Stomperud (with ball) tries to burst past the Abby Panthers defence on Friday in Cloverdale. On hand to help block is fellow running back Noah Anderson. (Photo by Howard Tsumura property of VarsityLetters.ca 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Football

FINAL EDITION: Varsity Letters’ Friday Night Lights 10.04.19 B.C. High School Football Report

Welcome to the early edition of Varsity Letter’s Friday Night Lights B.C. High School Football Report for Oct. 4.Please continue to check back on this posting throughout the evening as we update games from around the province.FRIDAYTRIPLE AWESTERN CONFERNECENOTRE DAME 0 at MT. DOUGLAS 34VICTORIA — Host Mt. Douglas prepped for a fast start, and […]

Issiah Sahib (left) of the Sands Scorpions had a step on the competition all afternoon at Mackie Park, scoring twice in the second half as his team toppled the crosstown North Delta Huskies 5-2. (Photo by Howard Tsumura property of VarsityLetters.ca 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Boys Soccer

North Delta’s soccer derby: Sands topples N.D. Huskies 5-2, Scorpions off to hot start 10 years after its last B.C. championship title

NORTH DELTA — It’s much too premature to start predicting a championship one full decade after it won the first school title in its school’s history.

Simon Fraser quarterback Brandon Niksich has shown a great touch on his deep ball, Now he's working on cutting back on his interceptions. (Photo by Paul Yates property of Simon Fraser Clan athletics 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature University Football

Simon Fraser’s Brandon Niksich: Clan’s rookie QB, growing up quickly in the huddle, says “…I can’t be a freshman anymore”

BURNABY — Brandon Niksich signed up for a football adventure when he answered the recruiting call of the Simon Fraser Clan this past off-season.