The Hugh Boyd Trojans are getting the rare opportunity in B.C. High School Football to hit the reset button and try again.
A promising 2015 campaign was nearly over before it started when Grade 12 three-way standout Tyler Moxin was lost for the season with a torn ACL. It took away the Trojans starting quarterback, safety, along with a punter and field goal kicker who had Team B.C. experience.
His potential replacement then had a change of heart and transferred back to his former school. Boyd scraped through the season with limited numbers and a very thin playbook before falling by 23-points to eventual champion Carson Graham in the opening round of the playoffs.
Bill and Bruce Haddow, remarkably now in their fourth decade of coaching, knew they had an outstanding interior line returning, along with potential game breakers in running back Reace Mok and receiver Robbie Conroy. They just needed somehow to find a quarterback to lead the way.
That’s when they learned their program was about to get a huge boost.
With his potential dream season shattered, Moxin faced surgery and extensive rehabilitation. It was enough to side track his studies as well, to the point where he still needs some courses to graduate.
Since he never stepped onto the field last season, the eligibility process was a non-issue. Boyd is suddenly an instant darkhorse in the provincial “AA” landscape.
“He is a game changer. If getting Tyler back is an early Christmas present, then last year (his injury) took Christmas away from us,” said Bill Haddow. “We were struggling from the get go even though we had some damn good football players.
“You just never know how much one player can make a difference. We lost our last league game to Langley (14-0) on that Friday night at home and they went on to the semi-finals. I’m convinced with a full-speed Moxin, we beat them. He just makes plays. The whole season would have been different.”
Moxin will be under center when the Trojans open their pre-season schedule today at Earl Marriott. It will continue next Friday when South Kamloops visits for a rare 2 p.m. start, giving the entire school a chance to celebrate the start of the season.
The Trojans will have their work cut out for them after re-alignment placed them in a much tougher conference that includes Vancouver Island powerhouses John Barsby and Ballenas, along with expected contenders Seaquam and Windsor.
“I actually prefer that,” continued Haddow, whose team will make two trips to Vancouver Island this season, with Nanaimo also in the conference. “It challenges you every week which is what you want.
Lineman Kyle Lambert, Dylan Roach, Nikos Lazarakis and Arun Sandhu are all three-year starting Grade 12s who are expected to dominate the trenches and open big holes for the running game led by Mok. If teams are going to stack the box, then Moxin will go to work through the air with Conroy expected to be his No. 1 target. The coaching staff also likes the potential of speedster Zac Jackson, who won the city 100 metres senior boys title last spring in his Grade 10 year.
“(Conroy) is just a real tough one-one match-up for anyone,” added Haddow. “He is a big and an aggressive athlete with great hands and speed. He also plays with a chip on his shoulder. A guy like Zach, we need to find him space at let him go.”
End Zone…
Number wise, the program is healthy as it has been in recent years with a 30-player roster. That includes some Grade 10s that will also be playing community ball this fall. The Trojans have a partnership with the Richmond Raiders that sees coaches working and promoting both programs.
In turn, Boyd is no longer fielding a junior team. A Grade 8 spring season will continue to operate.
Hugh Boyd 2016 Schedule
Pre-Season
Friday, Sept. 9
@Earl Marriott (South Surrey)
Friday, Sept. 16
vs South Kamloops, 2 pm
Conference Play
Friday, Sept. 23
@Nanaimo
Friday, Sept. 30
vs Windsor (North Van), 7 pm
Saturday, Oct. 8
@ Frank Hurt (Surrey)
Friday, Oct. 21
vs Seaquam (North Delta), 7 pm
Friday, Oct. 28
vs Ballenas (Parksville) 5 pm
Friday, Nov. 4
@ John Barsby (Nanaimo)
