The Sports Corner

BC High School Football Power Rankings

BC High School Football Power Rankings – Nov. 27

Unofficial (not Howard Tsumura) and enjoying American Thanksgiving too much.

1. Centennial – Their running game was unstoppable against Lord Tweedsmuir but New Westminster is stout against the run. Lemar Durant will have to be effective as a passer to beat the Hyacks and get to the championship game. Defensively they can’t afford to give up the big play. The Hyacks have lost quite a few fumbles in big games this season, if the Centaurs force them into long drives there’s a chance for some more sloppy ball carrying, especially if the weather is bad.

2. Vancouver College – Regardless of who they face in the championship game, if they get there, the Hawks will have the best defence that the Irish face all season. Last week against South Kamloops they showed a lot of diversity in their offensive play calling but penalties slowed them down. The Irish must improve their discipline in a hurry or the Hawks will make their offence look average.

3. New Westminster – Everyone knows they can score and they held Terry Fox, a good offensive team but not great, to just 12 points last week. New West’s defensive coaches won’t be getting much sleep this week. The Centaurs pose so many mismatches with their athleticism on offence, it’s impossible to shut them down. New West’s coaching staff can’t put their players in positions where the Centaurs can take advantage of those mismatches.

4. W.J. Mouat  - There isn’t one team in the top four that has clearly separated themselves from the rest and who knows, W.J. Mouat might be the best of them. They don’t have a ton of depth on the roster but their starters, particularly the guys that go both ways (most of them), are great athletes and tough guys. This isn’t the heaviest team in the trenches but they’re well coached and it might come down to discipline against Vancouver College, an area the Hawks can pride themselves on.

5. Rick Hansen and Mt. Douglas (AA) – Time to give the Double-A teams some love. Rick Hansen’s got a talented six-foot-four quarterback in Greg Bowcott and a pair of brothers, Mark and Daniel McCutcheon, who not only make plays for him on offence, but also lead the team in tackles (Mark) and interceptions (Daniel) on defence. Mt. Douglas, on the other hand, has seven conference all-stars, including offensive linemen Ryan Melvin and Zach Rousseau. Quarterback Tyler Fong threw for 1,150 yards, nine touchdowns and only two interceptions. Fong also made 40 tackles, good enough for third on the team and picked off five passes for the Rams’ defence.

Honourable Mention:

Terry Fox – Their run will not soon be forgotten. They rattled off 15 consecutive wins before W.J. Mouat beat them in Abbotsford this year. The 2008 version of the Terry Fox Ravens may have been the best high school football team ever assembled in B.C. The 2009 team was a tough, hard-nosed football team that just came up short in a few games.

Windsor and Sands (AA) – Windsor’s leading rusher, Marcus Acaster, missed part of the comeback against Seaquam, but Alex Takanishi stepped in and made the big play when they needed him. Fullback/linebacker Thomas Kramer and receiver/defensive back Jeff Lavis are playmakers for the Dukes. For Sands the story has been a multifaceted running game behind a trio of conference all-stars on the offensive line, Michael Desmione, Kyle Delany and Tyler Crawford. One of their players, Gianni Vulcano, has the most explosive name in football. That doesn’t count for much but he was named conference all-star on defence and is one of the many productive runners in their offence, totaling 265 yards and three touchdowns.

Semifinal Schedule:

All games Saturday, Nov. 28, at McLeod Stadium in Langley.

10 a.m. Sands vs. Windsor (AA)

12 p.m. Timberline vs. Moscrop (Tier II championship)

3 p.m. Mt. Douglas vs. Rick Hansen (AA)

5:30 p.m. New Westminster vs. Centennial (AAA)

8 p.m. W.J. Mouat vs. Vancouver College (AAA)