LANGLEY — The weekend means it’s time for football, so to better navigate all of the gridiron traffic, here’s another edition Varsity Letter’s B.C. High School Football Weekend Survival Guide.
The five best games, the complete schedules by tier and conference, last week’s scoreboard, and another look at our Big 5 rankings!
VARSITY LETTERS TOP 5 GAMES TO WATCH
1 SEAQUAM (3-2) at ABBOTSFORD (3-2)
Triple A East
Saturday, 3 p.m., Abbotsford Secondary
The skinny — It’s the final game of the entire week, and it’s looking like the best of them all. Seaquam is coming off its best effort of the season, a 31-22 loss against undefeated, division-leading St. Thomas More. If co-coaches Navin Chand and Kevin Phillips got the Hawks one per cent better each day this past week, they will be a bundle as an under-rated passing game led by QB Jay Mather improves in concert with a steady run game. Abby however, could be a lot better than it was in beating Terry Fox 28-6 last weekend if running back Jalem Catlin’s leg injury has continued to improve.
2 MT. DOUGLAS (3-2) at No. 1 SOUTH DELTA (5-0)
Triple A West
Saturday, 1:30 p.m., Dennison Park
The skinny — Vancouver College, Lord Tweedsmuir and New Westminster have all lost games as No. 1. Can South Delta defend their targeted status the first time around? All the numbers say ‘Yes’ because quarterback Ben McDonald has been the dynamic firestarter all expected him to be over his senior season at quarterback. He’s lifted the level of his personnel every week, and now the defending champion Rams will do their level best to try to throw South Delta off its routine. Mt. Douglas comes in riding a three-game win streak in which it has scored 34 points in all three games behind a cohesive, hard-hitting defence and a solid running back committee led by Peter Primeau and Cole Bunting.
3 RUTLAND (4-0) at W.J. MOUAT (3-0)
Triple A Pacific
Friday, 6 p.m., W.J. Mouat Secondary
The skinny — Nose tackle Newton Mangana and the rest of the home team Hawks’ defence will have to play their most cohesive game of the season if they hope to slow a visiting VooDoos offence led by the province’s most prolific scorer in running back Jhavoun Blake, a true three-phase threat. Yet with all that said, the emergence of quarterback Liam Attwood has made Rutland doubly dangerous. The Hawks are led by their own lethal quarterback in Tyran Duval, and his cadre of backs and receivers are rounding into form at the perfect time. This one has all the makings of one of the biggest Pacific games ever in the young history of the conference.
4 CARSON GRAHAM (1-4) at NOTRE DAME (1-4)
Triple A West
Friday, 7:30 p.m., Burnaby Lake
The skinny — To offer some proof of just how good the West has been from top to near-bottom, these two established programs clash Friday night under the lights with just one league win each this season. Host Notre Dame has lost some its lustre the past few weeks, but the same can be said for North Vancouver’s visiting Eagles who have dropped their last three against elite foes after winning their first three, including 55-2 in the Buchanan Bowl over a Handsworth team which last week beat Notre Dame 29-26. The sheer desperation from both sidelines makes this one to watch.
5 ROBERT BATEMAN (1-1) at HOLY CROSS (0-2)
Double A East
Friday, 12 p.m., Holy Cross Regional (Surrey)
The skinny — It’s go time for both teams with two more league games left. The host Crusaders, led by quarterback TJ Fujimura, running back Silas Marchan and do-it-all Uyi Ologhola have a chance to potentially win their final two but they need to first get by a Bateman team, led by running back Phoenix Moller, which will be extremely hungry and looking to build its biggest head of steam as its faces arch-rival G.W. Graham in its league finale the following week. There should be a true playoff feeling in this one.
AAA
SCHEDULE
FRIDAY
WESTERN CONFERENCE
2 p.m. — Belmont at New Westminster (Mercer Stadium)
3 p.m. — Vancouver College at Handsworth
7:30 p.m. — Carson Graham at Notre Dame (Burnaby Lake)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
2 p.m. — Mission at Lord Tweedsmuir
5 p.m. — Kelowna at Terry Fox (Percy Perry Stadium)
7 p.m. — St. Thomas More at Centennial (Percy Perry Stadium)
PACIFIC CONFERENCE
2:30 p.m. — Nanaimo District at Eric Hamber
4 p.m. — West Vancouver at Mt. Boucherie (Apple Bowl)
6 p.m. — Rutland at W.J. Mouat
NON-CONFERENCE
5 p.m. — G.W. Graham at Sullivan Heights (Cloverdale Athletic Park)
SATURDAY
WESTERN CONFERENCE
1:30 p.m. — Mt. Douglas at South Delta
EASTERN CONFERENCE
3 p.m. — Seaquam at Abbotsford
PACIFIC CONFERENCE
2 p.m. — Earl Marriott at Sardis (Exhibition Stadium)
THE BIG 5 RANKINGS
1 South Delta Sun Devils (7-0, 5-0) (LW-2)
LW — Def. Belmont 37-6.
TW — Saturday host Mt. Douglas.
2 Vancouver College Fighting Irish (6-1, 4-1) (3)
LW — Def. New Westminster 27-0.
TW — Friday at Handsworth.
3 New Westminster Hyacks (5-2, 4-1) (1)
LW — Lost 27-0 to Vancouver College.
TW — Friday host Belmont.
4 Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers (Surrey) (5-1, 4-1) (4)
LW — Def. Centennial 56-0.
TW — Friday host Centennial.
5 St. Thomas More Knights (Burnaby) (5-2, 5-0) (5)
LW — Def. Seaquam 31-22.
TW — Friday at Centennial.
Honourable mention
Mt. Douglas Rams (Victoria) (4-2, 3-2) (HM)
LW — Def. Carson Graham 34-8.
TW — Saturday at South Delta.
Seaquam Seahawks (3-3, 3-2) (HM)
LW — Lost 31-22 to St. Thomas More.
TW — Saturday at Abbotsford.
Kelowna Owls (4-3, 3-2) (HM)
LW — Def. Mission 49-0.
TW —Friday at Terry Fox.
Abbotsford Panthers (5-2, 3-2) (HM)
LW —Def. Terry Fox 28-6.
TW — Saturday host Seaquam.
LAST WEEK
SCOREBOARD
AAA
FRIDAY
PACIFIC CONFERENCE
Eric Hamber 36 Sullivan Heights 0
Rutland 54 Sardis 24
Earl Marriott 32 Nanaimo District 22
W.J. Mouat 41 Mt. Boucherie 32
WESTERN CONFERENCE
South Delta 37 Belmont 6
Mt. Douglas 34 Carson Graham 8
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Kelowna 49 Mission 0
Lord Tweedsmuir 56 Centennial 0
Handsworth 29 Notre Dame 26
NON CONFERENCE
West Vancouver 20 Clarence Fulton 19
SATURDAY
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Vancouver College 27 New Westminster 0
EASTERN CONFERENCE
St. Thomas More 31 Seaquam 22
Abbotsford 28 Terry Fox 6
AA
FRIDAY
WESTERN CONFERENCE
3 p.m. — Argyle at Windsor
EASTERN CONFERENCE
12 p.m. — Robert Bateman at Holy Cross
7 p.m. — Frank Hurt at Langley (McLeod Athletic Park)
INTERIOR CONFERENCE
6 p.m. — Clarence Fulton at Salmon Arm (Little Mountain Park)
7 p.m. — Vernon at Okanagan Mission (Apple Bowl)
NORTHERN CONFERENCE
4:30 p.m. — Prince George at Nechako Valley (Masich Stadium)
7 p.m. — Kelly Road at College Heights (Masich Stadium)
NON-CONFERENCE
5 p.m. — G.W. Graham at Sullivan Heights (Cloverdale Athletic Park)
THE BIG 5 RANKINGS
1 Vernon Panthers (5-0, 3-0) (LW-1)
LW — Def. South Kamloops 27-0.
TW — Friday at Okanagan Mission.
2 Ballenas Whalers (Parksville) (6-0, 2-0) (3)
LW — Def. Windsor 32-0.
TW — Do not play.
3 G.W. Graham Grizzlies (Chilliwack) (3-2, 3-0) (4)
LW — Def. Langley 20-19.
TW — Friday at Sullivan Heights.
4 Langley Saints (5-1, 2-1) (2)
LW — Lost 20-19 to G.W. Graham.
TW — Friday vs. Frank Hurt.
5 Robert Bateman Timberwolves (Abbotsford) (4-3, 1-1) (5)
LW — Def. Frank Hurt 34-0.
TW — Friday at Holy Cross.
Honourable mention
South Kamloops Titans (5-2, 2-1) (HM)
LW — Lost 27-0 to Vernon.
TW — Do not play.
Windsor Dukes (North Vancouver) (3-2, 0-1) (HM)
LW — Lost 32-0 to Ballenas.
TW — Friday host Argyle.
College Heights Cougars (Prince George) (5-0-1, 5-0) (HM)
LW — Def. Prince George 43-6.
TW — Friday host Kelly Road.
John Barsby Bulldogs (Nanaimo) (2-4, 1-1) (NR)
LW — Def. Holy Cross 16-2
TW — Do not play.
LAST WEEK
SCOREBOARD
THURSDAY
INTERIOR
Okanagan Mission 35 Salmon Arm 35
FRIDAY
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Ballenas 32 Windsor 0
EASTERN CONFERENCE
G.W. Graham 20 Langley 19
INTERIOR CONFERENCE
Vernon 27 South Kamloops 0
NORTHERN CONFERENCE
Nechako Valley 14 Kelly Road 0
College Heights 43 Prince George 6
NON CONFERENCE
John Barsby 16 Holy Cross 2
West Vancouver 20 Clarence Fulton 19
SATURDAY
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Robert Bateman 34 Frank Hurt 0
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