Salmon Arm Golds

Last Season: 1-3
Head Coach: Rob Neid

Top Players last year:

QB/DB Brett Coldwell
RB/DL Scott Jensen
RB/LB Faron Lincoln
RB/DL Riley Bartusek
RB/DB Kyle Armstrong
RB/DB Ryan Penner
RB/LB Mitchel Blais
RB/LB Brian Bepple
G/DL Kyle Hart


Key JV players:

No JV Program


Schedule:

Exhibition
Sat, Sep. 3 Salmon Arm Golds Kalamalka Vernon - TBA
Sat, Sep. 10 South Delta Sun Devils Salmon Arm Golds Salmon Arm - 11:00A
Fri, Sep. 23 Salmon Arm Golds Mt. Boucherie Apple Bowl Kelowna 7:30P

Regular
Sat, Oct. 8 Kelowna Owls Salmon Arm Golds Salmon Arm - 1:00P
Sat, Oct. 15 Mt. Boucherie Salmon Arm Golds Salmon Arm - 1:30P
Fri, Oct. 21 Salmon Arm Golds Rutland Voodoo Apple Bowl Kelowna 5:00P
*A game in late Oct vs South Kamloops likely...

The 04/05 season marked a return for the Salmon Arm Golds to BC High School Football after a 1 year hiatus. Previous years saw the Golds competing in AA where the team had mixed success (2-3 in 02/03 and 9-0 in 01/02). Veteran coach Rob Neid must've seen something in his new team to enter the Golds into the AAA level this time. With a squad of mostly new players and rookies, the Golds limped to a 1-3 season. Their lone victory was a shocking 20-14 win over a more talented and experienced Kelowna team. Offensive leaders included QB Brett Coldwell, RB Scott Jensen, and RB Faron Lincoln among others. Defensive leaders included LB Brian Bepple, DL Kyle Hart, and DB Ryan Penner among others.

The Golds were blessed with neither much skill nor experience last year. Although the team will be more experienced for 05/06, don't expect the skill factor to improve significantly. The Golds will graduate a contingent including key players in Captain RB/LB Brian Bepple and starting QB Brett Coldwell. The Golds relied on the pass more than the run so the loss of Coldwell is significant. The team will either need to switch to a more run oriented offense or one of the backs/receivers will need to step up and start as QB. Either way, the Golds will struggle out of the gate adjusting to a new offensive scheme. As the Golds do not have a JV Program, expect another wave of new players. Missed tackles, turnovers, penalties will be plentiful early in the season. The only returning player of note is RB/LB Scott Jensen. Jensen will the lead the team in most categories and will probably be named as a Conference All-Star.

The Golds will be outmatched and outplayed by their opponents throughout the season again. Staying in games will be a challenge, the first game of the regular season vs Kelowna is the only game the Golds have an outside chance of winning. It is an unfortunate situation, if the Golds would've played down in AA, they would be much more competitive. This would in turn encourage more players to return and generate enough success to introduce a JV program. With gradual improvement, the Golds could then make a much more successful jump to AAA.


Prognosis: 0-4 (only Kelowna game is winnable)
Key Games: Week 4, Kelowna vs SA
Top Offensive Players: RB Scott Jensen, RB Faron Lincoln
Top Defensive Players: DL Scott Jensen