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Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Score Card
Playoffs present new hope for reigning champs If there’s going to be a repeat champion, it will require a long route that starts on Saturday. The defending AAA B.C. high school senior football champion Centennial Centaurs are nobody’s pick to make a return final appearance, due to the calibre of competition and the cycle of high school football. But don’t tell the Cents that — even after placing fourth at 2-3 in the rugged Eastern Conference. The Centaurs closed out the regular season Friday by crushing Lord Tweedsmuir 48-13, and now set their sights on Mount Douglas, who finished third in the Western Conference with a 4-2-0 record. “We’re breaking down a lot of film, Mount Doug is a very talented team,” said Cents head coach Ryk Piche. “They run a spread offence with a great running back named Terrell Davis.” Davis, a Grade 11 who has averaged 115 yards a game, will be just one focus for the defence. QB Tyler Fong has completed 29-of-52 pass attempts, while giving up just one interception. On defence, he’s also racked up 44 solo tackles. When you consider the plus-side of the ledger, Centennial will come to the party well stocked. Running back Jason Buren has put up 712 yards on 71 carries, averaging 142 a game, while quarterback Bobby Pospischil has gained over 8.5 yards a carry on his own. One of the items on the mustdo list for the Cents is limiting the penalties, which totalled seven against Lord Tweedsmuir last week. “There’s still a lot of room for improvement,” the coach noted. “When you’re hit for seven penalties, that’s unacceptable.” Against Tweedsmuir, Buren rushed for 271 yards on 15 carries and one major, while Pospischil added 107 of his own, while scoring on a 70-yard punt return. The fleetfooted pivot also hit Cole Milton with a 42-yard TD pass. Lucas Naso ran in a pair of touchdowns. After a tough three-game skid, which saw Centennial fall to W.J. Mouat, St. Thomas More and Terry Fox by an aggregate score of 99-48, Piche said making the post-season is a reward of sorts for surviving the Eastern gauntlet. “It’s one-and-done now, but we’re in the tournament and happy to be here,” Piche said. “This was my goal as a first-year coach, and we know that the teams that really come together in the playoffs are the teams to be scared of. “We could be that team if everything comes together.” The squad saw four players selected to the Eastern Conference all stars — offensive lineman Braden Ellason, linebacker Lucas Telford, Naso at defensive end and Pospischil at defensive back. The Cents face Mount Doug 12:30 p.m. on Saturday at UBC’s Thunderbird Stadium. If they win that game, they’ll face Kelowna in the quarterfinals the following week.
Sports
The NOW COQUITLAM, PORT COQUITLAM, PORT MOODY, ANMORE AND BELCARRA
sports@thenownews.com
Big list, big presence in first Hall class Stories by Dan Olson sports@thenownews.com It’s both big and bold. The inaugural class of the Coquitlam Sports Hall of Fame features Olympic and Paralympic medallists, international and national stars, and local heroes. The Hall of Fame committee released its list of honourees Tuesday, in preparation for the induction ceremony Nov. 23 at the Coquitlam Sports Centre. The athletes being inducted are Craig Forrest, Lars Hansen, Christine Larsen, Kelly Law, Ljiljana Ljubisic,
Lui Passagila, Mike Reelie and Chris Wilson. Two teams were voted in: the 1966 Centennial Centaurs provincial championship football team, and the 1980 Coquitlam Adanacs senior lacrosse team that won the Nation’s Cup. The group of builders inducted include longtime high school sports advocate and coach Dan Doyle, synchronized swimming coach Susan Kemper, minor baseball volunteer Gordon Welbourne and lacrosse manof-all-trades Les Wingrove. Forrest rose up the soccer charts quickly, moving overseas at the age of 16 to start a long international career in the English Soccer League. The
goalkeeper was the first Canadian to play in the English Premiership and was a mainstay to Canada’s national soccer team for 14 years. Of his many career highlights, he backstopped Canada’s CONCACAF Gold Cup victory in 2000, earning the tournament MVP and Most Valuable Goalkeeper awards. The 6’11 Hansen took basketball to the highest levels, leading Centennial to the B.C. High School championship in 1972, then playing with the University of Washington before turning pro. He competed at the 1976 Olympics for Canada, and was a member of the Seattle Sonics’ 1979 NBA champion-
ship squad. Hansen would then go on to star in both the Italy and Spain pro leagues. As a synchronized swimmer, Larsen climbed the national team ranks and was a member of Canada’s silver medal win at the 1996 Olympics. A multiple national champion, she teamed up with swimming partner Kathy Glen in 1990 to take gold at the Commonwealth Games. Law skipped Canada to a bronze medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics, beating the U.S. on its own ice. Prior to that, the Coquitlam resident piloted Canada to the 2000 World Women’s CONT. ON PAGE 33, see HALL...
Ravens serve notice that they’re team to beat
Bragging rights and a final boost of momentum were the only things on the line Friday. And the Terry Fox Ravens were more than glad to grab both. The senior AAA football team went toe-to-toe with the 8-0 W.J. Mouat Hawks and didn’t flinch, hammering last year’s B.C. finalist 36-6 at Percy Perry Stadium. In what was billed as a major meeting of the gridiron giants, the undefeated Ravens grabbed the lead after a tightly contested first quarter, and never looked back. “The team played well,” remarked quarterback Cam Canales. “We played like 11 brothers — our defence played the best game I’ve ever seen them play. We had three picks and Ben Sharpe was awesome one-on-one against their best receiver.” The victory now positions 9-0 Fox as the No. 1ranked team entering the provincial playoffs — the same starting point they took en route to the 2008 B.C. AAA championship. Although both teams entered Friday’s tilt knowing they’d clinched a bye through the first round, that top seeding was a good motivator. Never mind the past history between the two squads. The 6’ Canales — who was named the Eastern Conference’s Offensive MVP on Monday — proved his mettle against a tough Hawks defence, and got the ball rolling in the second half when he found tight end Tanner White on what turned into a 75yard touchdown to open the scoring. Jacob Patko cruised in for the two-point convert for an 8-0 advantage. It was the then-top ranked Hawks turn, and they marched the ball down to Fox’s six-yard line, only to be stopped by a formidable wall of black and red. Taking over the ball deep in their own zone, the Ravens calmly moved the ball down field, with Canales scampering for a key 30-yard pickup. He then hit Jared Soll with a 24-yard screen pass for the game’s second major. On the two-point convert, Canales found Soll again to up the lead to 16-0. It was Mouat’s turn to march back, putting up six points on a 48-yard pass from Cam Bedore to Tanner Hamade with 1:15 left in the half. But that would be all the Hawks’ offence for the night. Canales would drive in the next two TDs, one on a 31-yard dash and the other a one-yard plunge. Capping Fox’s offence was Jacob Patko, who broke free on a 58-yard run for the final touchdown. “Our defence was strong. I’m just happy that the offence held up their end of the game,” Fox cocoach Martin McDonnell said. Canales was successful on six of 12 pass attempts Kevin Hill/NOW for 173 yards and two majors, while he also gained BOMB’S AWAY: W.J. Mouat quarterback Cam Bedore fires one off just as Terry Fox Ravens’ line93 yards on 14 carries. Patko rushed for 133 yards man Alex Agnoletto gets to him during Friday’s AAA senior football game. on 11 carries and added two catches for 66 yards. Soll posted 54 yards via the ground to go with 27 Getting the job done defensively has been an Jacob Patko at running back, and on defence, defenyards through the air. understated but no-less convincing element to the sive linemen Jacob Nyland and Jared Soll, defensive On defence, Ben Sharpe racked up six tackles and Ravens’ success. They’ve limited the opposition to back Ben Sharpe, and Tanner White at linebacker. two assists, while Mark Casuga and Canales finished an average of four points per game over five league The Ravens now await the winner of this weekend’s with five tackles apiece. Tyrel Ratich, Patko and White games, while putting up 37 of their own. Notre Dame vs. Salmon Arm playoff match. The quarregistered four each, while interceptions were reeled Joining Canales on the Conference all-star honours terfinals are slated for Nov. 20 at UBC’s Thunderbird in by Matt Jeffers, Jake Nylund and Canales. were linemen Alex Agnoletto and Bubba Bordignon, Stadium.