Centennial Centaurs' defence looked fine Saturday -- until the Ballenas Whalers were TOTALLY desperate for a first down.
The air attack of the pesky AA Whalers nearly knocked the wind out of the AAA Centaurs, who held on for a wild 34-33 victory over the Parksville squad in a B.C. senior high school football exhibition game at Percy Perry Stadium.
"Every time it was third and long for them, they seemed to convert it," groused Cents head coach Ryk Piche. "We led all the way but it was one of those back-and-forth games where after we scored, they scored. And after we scored again, they scored again. It was crazy."
If it wasn't for the brilliant play of Grade 11's Justin Buren, the Cents might have dropped to 0-3 in pre-season play after have lost previously to two mighty American teams. Buren bolted for three touchdowns, on rushes of 24 and 41 yards, with the latter coming when he took over for struggling starting quarterback Cole Milton. He also picked off a pass -- one of his two on the day -- from his defensive back spot and sprinted 95 yards to paydirt.
The Cents ran only 27 offensive plays - a meagre 10 in the second half -- due to their defensive dilemma but still managed 272 total yards, including 224 along the ground. With star running back Jason Buren out with an injury, Nathan Lund picked up the bulk of the backfield load. He rambled for 124 yards on seven carries and two majors, one on a 56-yard scamper and another on a crafty kick return.
Milton went 0-for-6 with an interception before being replaced by Justin Buren, who connected on three of four pass attempts for 48 yards.
Middle linebacker Michael Spencer rallied the Cents' defence with nine solo tackles, while Lucas Naso and Michael Couture recorded three QB sacks apiece.
The Cents have a bye week to work out their defensive kinks before engaging in their first regular-season game Oct. 7 versus the Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers in Cloverdale.
FOX CHOMPS INTO OWLS
Terry Fox Ravens built and early 20-0 lead and soared to a 51-22 triumph over the visiting Kelowna Owls on the strength of four Jake Nylund touchdowns in a B.C. AAA senior affair Friday night at Percy Perry.
Despite the lopsided final tally, Ravens co-head coach Tom Kudaba said too many mistakes allowed the Owls back in the game at 20-15, with Fox relying on three unanswered majors in the second half to put the game out of reach and move to 3-0 in exhibition play. "Inconsistency and immaturity stopped us from a playing a complete game," Kudaba said. "There were many good things but too many penalties for the coaches to sleep comfortably."
South African-born Jean Koorsten led the Ravens' go-to rushing game with 13 carries for 170 yards, including a 60-yard jaunt for a touchdown that helped Fox build a 35-22 halftime margin. The senior Koorsten sees good things for the Ravens down the road.
"Each week we're coming closer together as a team," he said. "We are starting to play like brothers. We're becoming a family."
Nylund finished with 22 carries for 119 yards, including scores from 10, three, one and six. The Ravens' defensive line played a key role in limiting the Owls' attack, collected eight sacks and two turnovers. Mike West had six solo tackles and a forced fumble for Fox, while Kyle Miller was next with five take-downs and an interception. Kyle Deugau had a fumble record, while Isaiah Stevens also picked off a Kelowna pass.
In junior action, the Ravens improved to 2-0 via a 42-8 victory over Kelowna. Fox quarterback Connor McKee connected on eight of 10 passes for 211 yards and three touchdowns -- one each to Adriel Sellars, Jake Bye and Nick Agnoletto.
