Saturday’s showdown for the provincial crown has been a year in the making. Maybe it’s been three years in the making. It has definitely been in the works since Halloween.
The Vancouver College Fighting Irish play Victoria’s Mt. Douglas Rams for the AAA football provincial title Saturday night at B.C. Place. The Rams will appear in a record fifth-straight championship final since 2011. In 2010, the Fighting Irish won the crown and two year later, lost to the Rams as they picked up their second of three consecutive championships. (In 2014, the Rams lost to South Delta.)
On Oct. 31 this year, the undefeated Irish handed their Western Conference rivals their only loss of the season in a 20-0 rout at O’Hagan Field. Naturally, it’s a win coach Todd Bernett hopes to repeat. They will definitely learn from it.
“They challenge you with overall team speed,” he said. “That goes defensively also. They are very quick on D and have enough size that they are not going to be pushed around.”
And one more thing. “They have the provincial player of the year, Gavin Cobb. He, on any given moment, is the best player on the field,” said Bernett.
In Cobb, the Rams have a utility knife they can slot in at quarterback and wide receiver. The five-foot-10 senior also plays defensive back and QB for Team B.C.
“It’s very interesting to have a rematch from when we played on Halloween,” said Bernett. “There was the sense on that day that it could happen. We knew after we beat them that we were going to end up on opposite sides of the bracket. So I’m not surprised that it’s come down to us.”
Vancouver College defeated cross-town rival Notre Dame in the quarter-final Nov. 21 and followed that by eliminating the New West Hyacks Nov. 28. Both games were at B.C. Place.
Versatility and commitment to practice characterize this College team, said Bernett, adding there is no single “go-to guy.” Instead, there are five or six players to carry the ball and another five or six to receive it in the air.
Averaging 28 points over 12 games this season, the Fighting Irish accumulated 2,427 rushing yards and another 2,287 passing. Eight players scored three or more touchdowns, with Michael Le leading them all with eight on the ground for 714 yards and receiver Rhysen John combining with quarterback Jacob Samuels for five majors and 984 total yards.
“There is chemistry between the boys themselves and they’re also just a joyful group,” said Bernett. “They love the game and there is good harmony between the player and the coaches as well. They retain info and they play well on game day because they put in the time at practice.”
Bernett said his side has prepared for this game since their season ended in 2014 with a 54-20 quarter-final loss to St. Thomas More.
“Everything we’ve done the entire year has been building up to prepare us to play well at this moment. We are healthy, we need to have another week of focused practice because I’m confident we will [be ready]. The best thing we’ve done this year is practise well every single day. This team does the right thing by taking a day by day approach. They don’t look too far ahead and don’t forget to put in the work and prepare.”
Three years, one year, two months all whittles down to a week and then the big day.
The AAA B.C. Championship is 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5 at B.C. Place.
