The Vancouver College Fighting Irish remain head of the class in AAA football.
VC won its third straight championship and extended its winning streak to 38 games with an impressive 29-0 win over the South Delta Sun Devils Saturday afternoon at BC Place in Vancouver.
After a scoreless first quarter, VC capped a 15-play drive when running back Ryder Quintana scored on a 21-yard run. The Irish missed the conversion, and it was 6-0.
Midway through the quarter, momentum seemed to swing in South Delta’s favour on an interception, but a costly roughing the passer penalty negated the turnover and VC maintained possession.
Their drive ultimately stalled at the South Delta 42-yard line, and they were forced to punt.
The Sun Devils failed to move the ball much and kicked the ball back to the Fighting Irish with 13 seconds to go in the half.
Quarterback Parker Orr, one of five Tsawwassen players (Luan Lam, Wyatt Groom, Jack Kennedy and Lincoln Skinner are the others) on the Fighting Irish squad, hit receiver Nathan Lowden for a 42-yard touchdown pass. VC went for two, but failed on the conversion and it was 12-0 at the half.
The late second touchdown proved to be a backbreaker for the Sun Devils as they could not sustain any drives in the second half.
Provincial MVP, running back Damian Dumas, just couldn’t find any running room, and his brother Dominic, was scrambling all night at quarterback, trying to find open receivers, but was thwarted time and again by a stifling Fighting Irish defence.
Running back Tristan Perdido keyed the Fighting Irish scoring drive in the third with a 44-yard run and a a few plays later, walked in a score from five-yards out to close out the third up 19-0.
After a 10-yard field goal, Perdido capped the scoring with a 30-yard run with just over four minutes to play.
Orr was named outstanding back for the game, while Perdido was named game MVP.
Following the game, Sun Devils head coach Ray Moon summed up the tough loss.
“In the first half we had problems moving the ball, but our defence kept us in it right up until the final seconds of the half where we let up and a mistake cost us a touchdown and that hurt,” said Moon. “Going into the second half, we had a drive going, but College had a good defensive game plan and put a lot of pressure on Dominic, and we got too many three and outs. Defence started to bend and bend, and we finally broke, and it just snowballed.
“It was hard to get a good rhythm going. We had a lot of penalties and there were lots not called on them, but still, I’m not going to blame that part of it…. we had problems executing on both sides of the ball.”
Despite the loss, Moon said he was proud of the team.
“This is a great team…great heart. We were behind on a number of occasions during the season and their grit and determination to keep on fighting where I have seen other teams fold,” he said. “As a team, a great group of kids. I wish them all the best. I wish we had a better outcome for them.”
