The Sports Corner

BC High School Football Power Rankings

BC High School Football Power Rankings – Dec. 10 - Last rankings of the year

Unofficially breaking up with you until next season. It’s not you, it’s me.

1. Centennial Centaurs – The best collection of skilled players in the province brought about their first provincial championship in football in 43 years. Next season might spell trouble for the Centaurs, as their three biggest producers, Durant, Kankolongo and Lang, all move on. Receiver Bobby Pospischil will have to fill the void, at least where big plays are concerned. They have a couple of 300-pound linemen returning in Trevor St. Hilliaire and Connor Nolan so at least there will be bulk up front.

2. W.J. Mouat Hawks – One defensive stop away from stealing the provincial championship away from the Centaurs. Next year the combination of quarterback Cam Bedore and receiver John Watson could be the best in B.C. But that’s not all, receiver Desmond Bassi was excellent all season and look out for running back and linebacker Jacob Heathcote, who will only be in Grade 11 but should have a big impact nonetheless. Dustin Plett returns on the offensive line but replacing Manjot Padda and Iqbal Sidhu won’t be easy. Not to mention the loss of Drew Chung, Tyler Declare and Allan Dicks, three of the toughest players in the province.

3. Vancouver College Fighting Irish – A heart-wrenching loss in the semifinal round to the Hawks put a sour taste on the end of their season. One player who didn’t get to contribute very often because of injuries, Adam Konar, will be back next season and the coaching staff will expect big things out of him. The closet is never bare at VC and you can expect players like Christian Covington (the son of Grover, possibly the best pass rusher in CFL history), Jeff Tichelman and Reiner Theil to be contending for post-season awards.

4. New Westminster Hyacks – This was the year. New Westminster’s best chance at a provincial championship. With stars Vivie Bojilov and Casey Chin moving on, the Hyacks will have to reload and perhaps focus on the little things first, such as winning their first conference championship at this level. They also lose Torsten Jaccard, Daniel English, Warren Reece and Rama MacMillan to graduation. Regan Eberding is next in line at quarterback and there could be growing pains, as he will only be in Grade 11.

5. Terry Fox Ravens – Their 15-game winning streak came to an end on a cold night in Abbotsford but this team played tough all year and nearly took down the Centaurs on the last night of the regular season. They aren’t going anywhere just yet. Cameron Canales took snaps at quarterback all season and should be ready to take over full time for Chad Rickaby. Two bruisers in the backfield, Jared Soll and Jacob Patko will keep this team moving, four yards at a time, and the Ravens have an anchor for their lines in Mason Amlee. The Ravens will miss Keiko King but Matteo Nardone was productive this year in a similar role and should make the transition easy.

Honourable Mention:

Mt. Douglas Rams (AA) – The Rams last loss came on Nov. 14, 2008 against the then-unbeatable Terry Fox Ravens in the AAA quarter-finals. They moved down to AA this season and carried the torch of dominance for the Ravens, going undefeated and winning the provincial championship. They did it on the legs of Grade 10 running back Terrell Davis, the first player to win the MVP award of both the junior varsity and varsity provincial championship games in the same season. Next year they will move back to AAA. Watch out.