AAA Mid-season Review

Vancouver College Fighting Irish

The Fighting Irish remain as favorites as we head into the remaining half of the Football season. Easy wins over ranked teams STM and Centennial are proof that the Irish have what it takes to not only make a repeat trip to the Subway Bowl, but are widely expected to win it all. The strength and core of the team is a formidable O-line and D-line. The O-line has manhandled their opponents allowing RB Oscar Tapia to tap-dance his way into the endzone 8 times in 5 games and allowing plenty of time for Junior QB Michal Martinka to find his receivers. The O-line is getting all the attention, but the D-line is the true star of this team shutting out STM and nullifying Centennial’s speed. The Irish D-line is fast and physical that gets great penetration on every play creating all kinds of havoc in the opposing backfield. The 2005 edition of the Irish expect to win out the regular season and seal the deal with a Championship, something they have been unable to do since 1994 despite reaching the finals 4 times since.

WJ Mouat Hawks

The Hawks have exploded into the 2005 season and remain as the only undefeated team in all of AAA Football. The Hawks have more than just won all their games, they've annihilated all 5 opponents scoring a total of 205 points in the process. For the Hawks, it’s all about balance on offense. RB Bobby Rau, QB Austin Teer, and R Matt Chapdelaine are in the Top 5 in each of their respective statistical categories for rushing, passing, and receiving yards and TDs. In 2004, the Defense was the sore spot so the focus this year has been on stopping the big plays and taking advantage of their opponent’s mistakes. For the most part, it’s worked so far this season. The Hawks are expected to go undefeated through the remainder of the regular season and have a record of Championship football success. But one has to wonder if the Hawks will be battle tested come playoff time having faced weaker opponents throughout the season.

Centennial Centaurs

So maybe the Province #1 ranking to start the season in August was a little premature. Losses to a surprisingly good Bellingham team from Washington State and Vancouver College have brought the Centaurs back to reality. Despite what people will say, the Centaurs were not entirely ready to have the spotlight shone so brightly on them just yet. Following the 2 disappointing losses, the Centaurs bounced back in a big way with wins over highly ranked Lethbridge of Alberta, defending Champions Rick Hansen, and Pinetree, 2 of those wins coming by way of shutout. The offensive backfield of QB Quincy Hurst, RB Zack Denton, and R/RB AJ Miko is the fastest in the province. With their combined speed, the big play threat is constant and deadly. Defensively, the Centaurs are anchored by LB Bruce Anderson, the Ray Lewis of AAA football, an absolute monster that you’ll be hearing about for many years to come. The addition of DE Paul Samra has been a huge boost for the Centaurs leading the league in sacks and his booming punts. The Centaurs have not had much playoff success in the past, something that is expected to change in 2005 with all the right pieces in place.

Contenders

The St. Thomas More Knights looked shaky at best in their opening game vs Vancouver College. Turnovers, and mistakes plagued the Knights through the first few games but the Knights seem to have worked out the bugs and appear ready for primetime once again. The Knights should easily capture 2nd in the Central Conference and could upset a team or two on route to the Finals.

Newcomer, New West Hyacks have blasted onto the AAA scene in a big way so far in 2005. Not much was expected from this group to start the season but the Hyacks are certainly turning heads in football circles. QB Ben Davies and R Marc Moore lead the league in their respective categories. If the Hyacks can clean up the execution, a Championship run is within reach. Crucial turnovers and mental mistakes at opportune moments could cost them though.

Rounding out the rest of the contenders include the Notre Dame Jugglers who have all the pieces in place to make a run this year. The team is young and will only get better week after week. Salmon Arm has surprised many and continues to rocket up the rankings, the Golds are expected to top the Okanagan Conference. Timberline, North Delta and Mt Boucherie should make the playoffs and there could be a Cinderella story developing from one of them.

Disappointments

Talk of the downfall of the Rick Hansen Hurricanes has been all the rage on the Smack talk on the Bulletin Boards. As I’ve said before, the Hurricanes chose not to get their JV standouts any reps at Varsity last year while they made their Historic Championship run. From a development perspective that hurt them this year as the Juniors are finding it difficult to adjust. The players are faster and hit harder. Could go winless the whole season, but expect the Hurricanes to come back strong next year.

Don’t know where to begin with the South Delta Sun Devils. We all knew their size up front was going to be a problem this year. But what has killed the Sun Devils has been the re-engineering of Josh Parks from RB to QB. It’s been very difficult to watch for Sun Devils fans. Forget a repeat run to the semis, a win would be cause for celebration.

Handsworth and Terry Fox have not performed to pre-season expectations. The Royals lost too many weapons while the Ravens have had turnover problems and trouble converting their redzone opportunities.