Welcome to the Saturday edition of the Varsity Letters’ B.C. High school football report.
We’ve got the first major upset of the season, and a decisive result in the annual Buchanan Bowl.
Our thanks to Blair Shier for the generosity and excellence of his photographic contributions.
TRIPLE A
WESTERN CONFERENCE
No. 1 VANCOUVER COLLEGE 23 at No. 5 SOUTH DELTA 38
TSAWWASSEN — A South Delta defence which held the Vancouver College offence out of the end zone the entire second half played a huge role in the first big upset of the 2019 season Saturday.
And so too did the pass-catch combination of quarterback Ben McDonald and receiver Evan Patterson as the No 5-ranked and host Sun Devils topped the No. 1-ranked Fighting Irish with a 20-3 game-closing spree en route to a 38-23 victory.
“Our defence came up big,” said South Delta head coach Ray Moon. “We limited their running game and we sacked their quarterbacks nine times. VC is a good team and we knew it was going to be a battle and we were looking forward to this game for months. I’m proud of the way our kids played.”
Irish pivot Alex Nyvlt threw an 80-yard touchdown pass to Jason Soriano for an early 7-0 lead, but the Sun Devils roared back behind a conceded safety by the Irish and respective touchdown passes of 35 and 22 yards to Patterson and Rhys Porteous. Both were capped by two-point coverts and South Delta led 18-7 after the first quarter.
In the second quarter, it was all Vancouver College.
Nyvlt went 75 yards to Soriano for a major, and Ben Kolb hit field goals of 20 and 47 yards, the latter the second longest in Irish history behind the 58-yarder of Sean Fleming in 1987.
All of that put VC on top 20-18 at halftime.
However Kolb’s 45-yard field goal in the third quarter would be the extent of the Irish’s second-half offence.
The Sun Devils got a 16-yard and 14-yard touchdown passes from McDonald to Patterson in the third quarter.
And in the fourth, Ethan Troniak scooped a fumble and took it 15 yards for the final major of the game.
McDonald went 10-of-23 for 142 yds and four touchdowns while Patterson had 71 yards on three catches, all of them for TDs.
Patterson and Bennett Stoilen each had a team-leading 10 tackles, and Skylar Welch added eight.
HANDSWORTH 2 at CARSON GRAHAM 52
NORTH VANCOUVER — Eight touchdowns, seven coming from within the controlled frenzy of its Air Raid offence, helped carry the Carson Graham Eagles to a 55-2 win over the crosstown Handsworth Royals in the annual Buchanan Bowl on Saturday.
“I was really proud of our guys today,” said Eagles head coach Brian Brady. “We executed well at a high level and the team demonstrated good focus throughout the week in practice.
“I thought our defence took advantage of Handsworth mistakes early,” added Brady of a unit which forced seven turnovers. “On offence, our guys were dialled in and played with great intent. We knew we needed to get better this week because we travel to South Delta next week.”
Darius Andrade made it 7-0 after the first quarter on a five-yard run, then the Eagles took flight with four second-quarter majors, taking a 35-0 lead into the halftime lockers.
Andrade from two yards, Trent Skill from three, Jake Oseen from four, and Kevean Pashandi with a 57-yard reception from quarterback Lucas Grainger all scored in the frame.
Andrade’s third major of the game, off a five-yard run, and Pashandi’s 25-yard scoring catch from Grainger accounted for the third-quarter scoring.
In the fourth, Oseen’s 99-yard pick-six capped a decisive victory.
Granger went 17-of-23 for 294 yards and two touchdowns, Andrade’s three majors were part of a nine carry, 52 yard day.
Skill had 95 combined rushing and receiving yards, while Pashandi had eight catches for 169 yards.
Oseen finished his day with three picks as part of a defence led by Mitchell Seiler’s 10 tackles. Ethan Paat had two sacks and Shawn Norlund two fumble recoveries.
CROSS-TIER
ARGYLE 28 at WEST VANCOUVER 9
WEST VANCOUVER — Matt Swarbrick’s two touchdowns came via a game-opening kick return and a quarterback keeper, while Nick Gutierrez rushed for a pair of long scores as the visiting Pipers topped the host Highlanders.
“We executed much better on offence than last week, but we still have lots of work to do,” said Pipers’ offensive coordinator Bill Stanger. “The most encouraging thing about this team is their toughness. They keep it coming.”
Bence Puddiford and Tim Kim both managed interceptions as part of a defence highlighted by the play of brothers Matt and Nick Davidson at the cornerback spots. Booth Davies and Reese Huber led the team in tackles with Davies adding an interception.
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