Turnovers proved costly for the Terry Fox Ravens who suffered their first loss of the season Friday to the visiting St. Thomas More Knights.
Knight quarterback Malcolm Lee plunged into the end zone in the dying seconds of the fourth quarter to break the tie and give St. Thomas More an upset 19-12 win over the Ravens who drop to No. 4 in the rankings.
Terry Fox surrendered six turnovers in the game, including fumbles on the first two possessions which spotted the Knights a 12-0 first-quarter lead.
The Ravens came to life in the second quarter with Conner McKee hitting Jason Shamatutu with a 15-yard strike to get Terry Fox on the scoreboard. A two-yard run by Jericho Mendez capped a 65-yard drive that knotted the score at 12-12.
The second half started out promising for the Ravens, who marched down the field on a 12-play drive only to have a field goal attempt blocked. Frustration then set in for the offence which only managed one first down and 29 yards on the next six possessions. Those possessions ended with a pair of fumbles, two interceptions and a turnover on downs. The offensive woes exacted a toll on the defence that began to tire after giving up just 128 yards and seven first downs through three quarters.
Isaiah Stevens led the defence with 11 tackles and four assists, followed by Jordan Seney who racked up 10 tackles, four assists, two sacks and a fumble recovery.
McKee completed 18-of-34 for 198 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions. Adrial Sellers was his favourite target, hauling in nine receptions for 107 yards. Mendez finished with 41 yards on 12 carries.
The Centennial Centaurs ran into a one-man wrecking crew Friday night in Abbotsford.
Maleek Irons rushed for 462 yards and six touchdowns to lead No. 4-ranked W.J. Mouat Hawks past the Centaurs 63-38.
"We were able to get points on the board but our defence was not able to stop Maleek," said Centaurs head coach Simon Quinto. "He is a very talented running back with an ability to hit a gap at full pace. Although we had guys in the area to make a play, we just didn't."
Surprisingly, Irons' eye-popping performance isn't even his best. Last year, Irons rushed for 491 yards against the defending B.C. champion Mt. Douglas Rams.
Centaurs quarterback Nick Okamoto hit Jordan Lund for a 60-yard touchdown and connected with Jordan Kennedy for another score from five yards out. J.P. Kalambay had a pair of rushing touchdowns while Okamoto scored another on the ground.
"They always had a quick answer every time we scored which makes it tough to carry any sort of momentum," said Quinto. "For what it's worth, to score in the end shows that we were not willing to give up, which is something I am quite proud of."
The loss drops Centennial's record to 2-2.
The Centaurs travel to Kelowna Friday to take on the Rutland Voodoo while Terry Fox hosts the unbeaten Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers at 7 p.m. Friday at Percy Perry Stadium.
