Monday, August 2, 2010

Gridiron's AA Varsity Pre-Season Predictions and Top 10

2010

OK Gang, its August and this means it is time for the removal of the cover of GI's 2010 pre-season crystal ball.  This year's AA Varsity league is tougher than ever and watching the chapter that is 2010 get written is going to be fun, fun, fun!  There are going to be some great games at Empire Field this November!

Ranking the Conferences along with projected order of finish.

#1. Coastal Conference: Brutally tough 1-6!  Pinetree is in for a shocker.  Projected order of finish:
  1. Sands
  2. Seaquam
  3. South Delta
  4. John Barsby
  5. Hugh Boyd
  6. Ballenas
  7. Pinetree
#2. Mainland Conference: The top five are going to be intensely competitive and Langley could upset.  Abbottsford is everyone's little brother at the top of the valley.
  1. Windsor
  2. Handsworth
  3. Mission
  4. Pitt Meadows
  5. Rick Hansen
  6. Langley
  7. Abbottsford Collegiate
#3. Interior Conference: The top three teams will dominate.  Going into the playoffs, the #1 seed will be competitive against a lower seed from down south.  Fulton and Norkam are going to enjoy "up" years.  The Bighorns will be mounted on everyone's living room wall.
  1. Clarence Fulton
  2. Norkam
  3. Okanagen Mission
  4. Valleyview
  5. Kalamalka
  6. Invermere
#4. Northern Conference: Show me a Northern Conference team that can win a first-round playoff game and El Norte gets moved up from the crawl space to the basement.

  1. Dutchess Park
  2. Kelley Road
  3. College Heights
  4. Nechako Valley
  5. Correlieu
  6. Prince George

 GI's Top 10
  1. Windsor: If you believe that players pick-up where you left off the year before, you gotta love Windsor's math on this one.  This was a team that started 21 g. 10/11's in last year's final.  Coach Schuman brings this battle tested wealth of talent back on the field in 2010.  Technically unmatched, this crew is the team to beat this season.  What is going to be fun is how the Dukes flex their playbook.  Historically, when the Dukes abound with veteren talent, the offense gets very creative.  Some advice for AA DC's, stock-up on the Tylenol. 
  2. Sands: The smashmouth Scorpions lost in overtime to the Dukes last year in the Semi's.  This group of players has largely been together since their AAA days in 07/08 and will be gunning to pound opponents into submission week after week.  This is a very big team at all positions and there is speed at key positions to accompany the size.  Opposing defense would be well advised to drag some concrete meridean dividers off the highway into C-Gap in order to gain an outside chance of slowing things down. Teams that cannot move the ball over the top or around the Scorpion D are going to need another half-hour post-game to look for lost molars and such.
  3. Seaquam: Go back and look at the archived varsity seasons on the BCHS website.  One thing that will stand-out is the fact that since 2006, Seaquam has been the most consistent team on the plus-side of the win-loss column in AA ball.  The SeaHawks have done so by ground and by air depending on the season.  This year look for lots of balance and a good mix of shotgun and under-center schemes offensively.  Defensively, it is likely we will see more blitzing than in years past.  This squad will get off to a good start and will play upper crust divisional opponents with realistic thoughts of victory in mind.  Look for a stunner vs Sands by way of a spread air and ground attack.  
  4. Handsworth: This is a definite "up-year" for the Royals.  A very good roster core returns and the 10's who have moved-up are athletic and battle tested.  The Royals will start slow in exhibition play and then gain strength as the season unfolds.  I would liken the Royal defense to a large constrictor snake that tightens its coils as the struggle continues.  Come playoff time, the Royals will keep every game close and a mistake free offense will take opportunistic shots at unwary defenders.  This is a sleeper pick for the championship tilt.
  5. Mission: This year's Roadrunner squad has lots of size, lots of speed, lots of talent and lots of experience.  The offensive numbers are going to be very big by mid-season and body for body, the team as a whole matches up with anyone in the division. There have been a lot of near-misses and disappointments for this program since 2005 and a breakthrough post-season is tangibly close.  This squad will compete for the divisional crown and will be tough to play at Empire shold they get to that surface late in the season.  Keep an eye on em!
  6. South Delta: The 2009 implosion must have been devastating for this squad.  There has to be a hunger for redemption in the hearts of those who return.  This will be a physically gifted group of players with outstanding coaching.  The SunDevils will be coming in a bit under the radar but not for too long.  Look for a very balanced attack offensively that is predicated on airing the ball out a bit more than last season.  This will be accomplished with a wide variety of formations designed to isolate defenders and cover for soft spots on the offense.  Defensively, there will be a lot of base heat and team pursuit from this group and a couple statistical ball hawks will emerge from the secondary.  Opponents should heed the trick-play!
  7. John Barsby: Nanaimo's Barsby Bulldogs have been making steady improvements since 2007 and will be in every game they play this season.  The offensive and defensive lines are battle tested and veteren groups.  The big question mark will be how the incoming class of g. 11 players adapts to varsity play as the senior game at AA is light years tougher than the regional JV conference.  Special teams will be a difference maker for Barsby week-in and week-out.  Opponents should look at some old tape and be on guard for some perplexing wrinkles to accompany.  Much like Handsworth, this could be a sleeper pick for late round playoff action.
  8. Pitt Meadows: The Marauders are below the horizon for now.  Short term memories will not serve opposing squads well.  Look back a couple years at JV and remember that this was one of the teams in the championship game of 08.  With a solid year of varsity play under their belt, this group will be mentally equipped for all that the league can throw at them this year.  With a couple breaks and the momentum of consecutive wins, these guys could catch fire and then who knows?
  9. Hugh Boyd: This program has been too good for too long to write-off as anything but a playoff contender year-in and year-out.  The roster is filled with talent and experience and the coaching staff has a history of consistently fielding winners.  The Trojans will have to win vs Island opponents/Pinetree and knock-off at least one of the neighboring Sands, Seaquam or South Delta programs to make the playoffs.  This is entirely possible.   
  10. Rick Hansen: Never count these guys out.  A gob of talent graduated this past June but Hurricane Fans should not lose heart.  This is big AA school with a very established program feeding the varsity squad.  The coaching staff is superb and when one takes a good look at the historical performance of this group, they consistently get better as the season unfolds.  The coaches will use their talent well and this team will be in the thick of most games they play.  The trick for Hansen in a very, very tough division is to keep the score close as deep into the game as possible and then get opportunistic.  I don't see a steamroller here but I do see a team that if it gets into the playoffs, will have done so by earning it and will have a savy confidence that is worth post-season W's.
Honourable Mention: Ballenas, Langley


The Interior and the North are notable by their absence.  Again, show us some 1st round victories this year and we can begin the ranking discussion.




9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Gunna be a good year for AA ball.

Anonymous said...

I Like the pre-season predictions, probobly a little off in the North.

Prince George - Should have a dynamic offence with a mobile QB and good RB group.

Nechako Valley - Alot of core players moving up from their community Bantam team that won BCCFA 9-man provincials last year.

Dutchess Park - A dangerous pass game with alot of young returning players from last season including their whole OL

Kelly Road - A strong group of athletes coming in to replace the players that graduated from last seasons championship team but roster depth and strong D will win them a few games

College Heights - will be in the mix of things should be a gritty team that will suprise a couple teams

Correlieu - re-building after losing alot of their size and talent from last season

Anonymous said...

Hate to break it to ya.. But no one cares about the teams up north.. There only good for practicing trick plays against..

Anonymous said...

I am sure that is the case of how some narrow sighted people feel about it but the Northern teams have to start somewhere. Such a shame that so many don't care about any of the other divisions outside of Vancouver because there are some very decent players in the Okanagan, Kootneys and in the North despite not having all the accesability to high end football that the Vancouver Area has.

Anonymous said...

All they need it dedication and determination. What advantages do we have? We build talent on a large piece of grass with two big metal forks in it.. I'm sure you have those up north.

Anonymous said...

the interior schools are tiny compared to the coast aa schools. numbers alone dictate alot of the results.

Anonymous said...

Heard that seaquam is again going to boycott sands yet again. Can anyone clear this up?

Anonymous said...

Seaquam will not boycott sands. And about the numbers.. Sands only has 17 players on there senior roster. So you cant even bring numbers into it. Sands only has 680 kids in total gr 8-12 and they seem to do fine..

Anonymous said...
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