Hugh Boyd Trojans will get to see the Ballenas Whalers after all but the stakes will be much higher than originally planned.
A September pre-season game against the Parksville school was cancelled as part of the carnage from the teachers labour dispute. Now, the teams will meet Friday afternoon in B.C. High School Football’s provincial “AA” quarter-finals. Kickoff is slated for 4 p.m. at Hugh Boyd.
Ironically, the last time the Trojans reached the elite eight it was also against Ballenas back in 2011 at UBC’s Thunderbird Stadium. That game ended 39-13 for the third ranked Island school that pulled away with 19 unanswered second half points.
This time, the fourth ranked Whalers will be favoured again despite the Trojans entering the game with a perfect 7-0-0 record. Ballenas cruised to a 51-6 opening round playoff win over Westsyde while Boyd held off Chilliwack’s GW Graham Grizzlies 26-20.
“We have had some good battles with them over the years,” said Trojans head coach Bill Haddow of Friday’s match-up. “By all reports, they run the ball well which opens up their passing game.
“I’ll admit I was a little skeptical too (about how good our team is) but the kids have really shown me a lot the last couple of weeks against a couple of quality opponents and got the job done.”
The Trojans opened up a 20-7 lead on the Grizzlies thanks to a offensive touchdowns from Gabe Saklofsky and Jacob Tubajon, as well as a huge defensive major from linebacker Patrick Ruvalcaba on a 38-yard interception return.
The visitors answered before halftime and Boyd restored the two possession lead on Tubajon’s second major of the night on a four-yard run. The Grizzlies made things interesting again by pulling within in six in the early stages of the fourth quarter. Boyd relied on its running game to chew up yardage and valuable time on the clock to secure the win.
“It’s pretty neat to be in this position especially with the way things looked back in September,” added Haddow. “It’s good to know our five Grade 12s are getting to play more football games.”
End Zone…
The Trojans have been left out of the provincial rankings all season due mainly to being part of what was considered a weak Southern Conference. However, the division will have two teams in the quarter-finals thanks to the Seaquam Seahawks 39-28 upset win over Pitt Meadows. That game also took place at Hugh Boyd with no football field turf options in Delta.
It’s why the No. 4 ranked South Delta Sun Devils will play their AAA quarter-final game on Friday afternoon (2 p.m.) against Lord Tweedsmuir at Minoru Park.
