Bill Haddow is making sure his team will be battle-tested for the playoffs even if they happen to breeze through conference play for the second straight year.
The Trojans outscored their opponents 135-16 in route to a perfect run in the AA Southern Conference last season. They are favoured to claim first again and the task may seem even easier compared to what they are currently encountering in the pre-season.
Their opponents should get no tougher than it did last week when Boyd hosted defending provincial AAA champion and pre-season No. 1 ranked South Delta.
The Tsawwassen school came to town with a 34-player roster that features plenty of returning talent and depth at nearly every position. Meanwhile, the lowered tiered Trojans are hovering around 20 players and begin the season with their No. 1 quarterback slated for knee surgery.
The Sun Devils did the expected and rolled to a 46-13 victory but Haddow also got exactly what he was hoping for.
The longtime head coach wanted to give his top end players an opportunity to line-up against the very best — especially in the trenches with both teams having formidable lines. It was also a great night for the program with a big crowd coming out in ideal late summer weather to watch a high-profile opponent.
“Our guys were extremely nervous before the game, to the point where I had them doing breathing exercises in the locker room before we were even on the field,” said Haddow. “They eventually settled down and played very hard.
“That is a very good football team with some very good players but we hung in there.”
The Trojans fell behind 16-0 early in the first quarter when Grade 11 Robbie Conroy showcased his excellent speed to return the ensuing kickoff 80 yards for the major score.
Starting quarterback Taylor Pencer, filling in for the injured senior Tyler Moxin, showed flashes of his potential before leaving the game with an undisclosed injury. That meant 2014 provincial all-star tailback Gabe Saklofski had to step in at pivot for the second half and added the Trojans’ other major on a long option run.
“It shows what a team player Gabe is,” added Haddow. “He was the best back in our league last season and is running behind a fabulous offensive line. It was a big night for him but he also understood the situation and stepped in.”
The Trojans host former league rival Seaquam on Friday (7 p.m.) before continuing their challenging pre-season schedule a week later in Parksville against No. 4 AA Ballenas.
It was the Whalers who ended their season a year ago with a 42-12 home field loss in the provincial quarter-finals.
Boyd begins the season as an honourable mention in the B.C. AA rankings.
