The Vernon Panthers got one step closer to a provincial championship Friday night — and, other than the opening kickoff, they looked good doing it.
The Panthers took on their Okanagan rivals, the South Kamloops Titans, in the B.C. AA High School Senior Varsity Football quarterfinal Nov. 15, and rolled the Titans by a score of 56-0 at the Greater Vernon Athletics Park.
The Panthers will now take on the College Heights Cougars of Prince George in the semifinals at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver on Saturday, Nov. 23 at 11 a.m. The No. 5-seeded Cougars advanced to the semifinals with a dramatic 22-15 win over the third-ranked Holy Cross Crusaders of Surrey on Friday. The northern squad scored the winning touchdown in the game's final minute.
The Panthers turned in an emphatic performance on a night dedicated to honouring their Grade 12 seniors. The No. 1-ranked Panthers proved why they’re the top seed, bouncing back from an early mistake to roll to the lopsided victory over the No. 9 Titans, who had just come off a dramatic double-overtime win over the Argyle Pipers of North Vancouver a week before, in a wildcard contest.
The game got off to a rocky start for the Panthers as the opening kickoff was recovered by South Kamloops, giving the visitors an early shot at an upset. However, that would be the last misstep for Vernon, who quickly recovered and dominated the rest of the game.
“We had a shaky start, but our guys didn’t panic,” said Panthers head coach Sean Smith. “We settled down, executed the game plan, and took control from there.”
Following the fumble recovery, the Panthers' defence forced a quick four-and-out and giving the offence a chance to respond. Vernon wasted little time, going on a quick three-play, 67-yard drive capped by a 43-yard touchdown reception from Ayden McDonald.
The Panthers would go on to score 49 unanswered points in the first half, effectively putting the game out of reach before the break.
Quarterback Cole Budgen, the Interior Conference Offensive Player of the Year, was spectacular in the first half, completing 13 of 15 passes for 257 yards and five touchdown passes. Seven different Panther receivers caught passes, with Anderson Bicknell leading the charge with 69 yards on three catches. Tailback Keltyn McAreavey had a career night, racking up 119 yards on nine carries, including a 25-yard touchdown run.
“Keltyn had a great game for us — he ran hard and downhill all game long,” Smith said. “I’m really proud of him; it was great to see him step up in such a big playoff game.”
With the lopsided score and league rules dictating running time in the second half, the Panthers saw limited opportunities to add to their tally. But McDonald, who took over at quarterback after the break, called his own number and scampered for a 12-yard touchdown for the only score of the second half.
The Panthers’ defence, which had struggled in their earlier matchup with South Kamloops three weeks ago, was far stingier this time around.
Defensive coordinator Coach Schulz had a solid game plan in place to stop the Titans' run game, which had been effective in their prior meeting. Linebacker Dominic Sebastien was a standout on D, recording two interceptions, while Blake Bell led the team with seven tackles.
“I’m really proud of how the defence responded tonight,” Smith said. “Coach Schulz did a great job adjusting our scheme, and we really shut down their running game.
“We’re excited to be headed to B.C. Place, but we know we’ve got a tough road ahead of us. College Heights is a good team, but we’re starting to come together in all three phases of the game and I have a good feeling that we’ll be ready to go next week.”
In other quarterfinals action, the Windsor Dukes of North Vancouver thoroughly beat the Mount Douglas Rams of Victoria by a score of 43-6, and the Robert Bateman Timberwolves of Abbotsford soundly defeated the John Barsby Bulldogs of Nanaimo 31-6. The Dukes and the Timberwolves will meet in the other semifinal game.
The provincial championship game will take place at B.C. Place Saturday, Nov. 30.
Cat Tracks
• Friday was the sixth shutout victory of the year for VSS...McDonald had three majors, two by ground, one by air...The Panthers have outscored their opponents 562-57 this season.
