The South Delta Sun Devils are off to the AAA provincial football title game after a thrilling 43-42 win over Abbotsford’s W.J. Mouat Hawks last Saturday afternoon at BC Place.
Fans were treated to one of the best football games of the year – a back-and-forth contest with big offensive plays, timely defensive stops, key defensive turnovers, and a wild final three minutes of play.
With the score tied at 35-35 with 2:17 to go, Mouat went on a short drive capped by a third down, 37-yard run by running back Joel Muller, who was an offensive juggernaut for the Hawks all night. With the conversion, Mouat went up 42-35 with 1:07 left.
The Sun Devils took over on their own 30-yard line and after a few scrambles from quarterback Dominic Dumas and a couple of untimely penalties by Mouat, the Sun Devils were set up inside the Mouat 20-yard line.
Dominic hit his brother Damian for a score with 13 seconds left to bring the Sun Devils to within one, but instead of kicking the extra point for the tie and likely sending the game into overtime, head coach Ray Moon rolled the dice and went for the two-point conversion.
On the conversion attempt, Dominic scrambled to his right, broke a few tackles and looked like he might punch it in himself, but at the last second, he lobbed a beautiful pass into the corner of the endzone into the waiting arms of his brother Damian for the conversion and the 43-42 lead.
Following the kick-off, Mouat tried two desperation attempts to push the ball down field for a game winning field goal attempt, but nothing worked, and South Delta held on.
Moon said there was little hesitation in going for two.
“We were looking at it. Our defence was struggling a bit and if we get to a shootout in overtime, if we are going to do it, do it and it either works or we suffer the consequences,” said Moon. “We had a good game plan we thought, but Muller hurt us all night. He played a fantastic game…. both teams played fantastic.”
South Delta opened the scoring on a nice 70-yard drive with Damian running in the first score from six-yards out. Diego Alatorre hit the convert, and it was 7-0.
Mouat responded with an 80-yard drive capped off by a four-yard run from quarterback Elijah Black and the game was tied 7-7 after the first.
Midway through the second quarter, a long Mouat drive stalled just outside the 10-yard line and the Hawks settled for a 17-yard field goal for a 10-7 lead.
The Sun Devils responded with an eight-yard touchdown run by Damian set up by a 56-yard run by Dominic to put South Delta up 14-10.
But once again, Mouat responded, with an 11-yard touchdown pass by Black, with the drive set-up by a 50-yard run by Muller and Mouat went ahead 17-14.
South Delta started the next drive on their own forty and capped that drive with a three-yard touchdown pass from Dominic to Holden Hunter. With the conversion, it was 21-17 Sun Devils with 1:19 to go in the half.
On the final drive of the half, Mouat was aided by two key penalties, but the Sun Devils defence held, and Mouat settled for a 10-yard field goal to trail 21-20 at the half.
Mouat’s next scoring drive was again set up by Muller, this time a 50-yard catch and run down the sidelines. Black punched it in from the one-yard line and Mouat went up 28-21 after a two-point conversion.
After a stop on defence, Mouat got the ball back, but a huge quarterback sack and fumble, recovered by South Delta, got them right back in business at the 34-yard line.
Four plays later, including a huge 28-yard catch by Quinn Sjoberg, Dominic ran it in from four-yards out and with the conversion the game was tied at 28.
South Delta went nowhere on its next possession, but the defence came up big again, forcing a fumble.
A few plays later, Damian ran in from two yards out and South Delta re-took the lead 35-28.
In the fourth, Mouat went on a sustained drive and capped that off with another Black touchdown tying the score at 35, setting up the dramatic finish.
The Sun Devils will now square off against the top seed Vancouver College Fighting Irish – the only team South Delta has lost to this year – in this Saturday’s final set for 3:30 p.m. at BC Place.
Van College beat Lord Tweedsmuir 31-8 in the other semifinal game.
“Now we turn the page,” said Moon. “It will be a full week of lots of film and prep. It is going to be another tough test. Hopefully, we can shut them down and they won’t be able to stop us.”
