Sunday, September 15, 2013

AA Varsity Week 3

Week Three AA Varsity
Nanaimo District And Spectrum Tangle Under The Friday Night Lights!

 
Week Two Wrap

Well Gang, the pre-season has come to an end in a flurry with several good and very telling games having been played on the weekend.  South Delta chewed up AAA Kelowna as did Carson Graham who worked AAA West Vancouver by three scores.  Mission played pretty close with AAA powerhouse Mouat and the Whalers of Ballenas gave AAA Belmont a close game as well.  Boyd had a statement loss vs Rick Hansen signalling to all that they are going to contend for and in the playoffs this year.  Barsby's defense scored twic en route to a second shutout this season as well. Lastly, it would seem that Holy Cross, Windsor, Nanaimo District, Robert Bateman, Frank Hurt, Abbey and Clarence Fulton are beginning to find their feet. It would seem that the pre-season has provided a good springboard for league play to come.



Scores
Islander Air Show
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 






THURSDAY

College Heights 16 Nechako Valley 7

FRIDAY

Nanaimo District 39 Spectrum 14
Rick Hansen 20 Hugh Boyd 14
W.J. Mouat (AAA) 42 Mission 24
Carson Graham 31 West Vancouver (AAA) 12
John Barsby 61 GW Graham 0
Clarence Fulton 14 Rutland (AAA)14
South Delta 39 Kelowna (AAA) 13
Seaquam 20 Windsor 20
Frank Hurt 34 Langley 8
Abbotsford 48 Howe Sound (Tier 2) 6

SATURDAY








Belmont RB's Had Way Too Much Fun On The Way To The Whaler End-Zone Saturday




















Belmont (AAA) 48 Ballenas 35
Robert Bateman 43 Duchess Park 6
Holy Cross 42 Argyle 20



 
GI's Top Five

1. South Delta Sundevils (2-1)
2. John Barsby Bulldogs (2-1)
3. Mission (1-2)
4. Carson Graham  (3-0)
5. Rick Hansen (2-1)

The Rest Of The Pack


Flying To The Football...Literally!










 











Climbing: Frank Hurt, Fulton, Bateman, Nanaimo District, Ballenas, Holy Cross, Hugh Boyd

Falling: No-One Just Yet
 

 

GI's Week 3 Picks


Whaler Defense Awaits Sentinel!













Thursday, 19 September

PGSS @ Correlieu: Though Correlieu is listed as the home team, they are playing this game under the lights at Massich in the Polars back yard.  PGSS is a bit stronger than some had thought this year and will continue to build in the success it has encountered thus far.  GI's Pick: Polars by 14

Friday, 20 September

Rick Hansen @ Robert Bateman: Lets call this the AA Varsity Game Of The Week.  This tilt will affect playoff seeding out of the East.  Hansen has a definite edge in roster size and a much more balanced offense than their hosts.  I give speed to Bateman however.  The Hurricane coaching staff is well aware of standout running back Ben Cummings and will be dialed in on him defensively and when he returns the ball in the kicking game.  This begs the question, is Bateman balanced enough offensively to take the pressure off of their RB?  I think not.  GI's Pick: Hansen by 8

John Barsby @ Argyle: Argyle showed some offensive life in their loss to Holy Cross.  They are still giving up points by the bushell however and Barsby has been scoring em aplenty over the first three weeks.  This game has turned into a bit of a rivalry between the two schools, especially coming off of last year's thrilling JV quarter-final game.  Make no mistake, the Pipers want this one and will be hosting it in their own back yard.  Getting down to brass tacks, the Barsby Defense has scored two TD's in three weeks and Dawg specials have encountered the end-zone three times as well.  Offensively, they will be starting in good field position all day.  There will be too much pressure on the Arglyle defense Friday afternoon.   GI's Pick: Barsby by 20

Nanaimo District @ Carson Graham: This game was a hard hitting, closely fought affair when it was played in Nanaimo last year.  The 2013 edition on the North Shore could very well be similar.  I think that Carson has the edge in roster size and depth however.  Look for the Eagles to pound the ball and throw with enough balance to keep the Islander defense on its heels.  For their part, the Islanders are capeable of long sustained drives offensively punctuated by the big play via the air.  The kicking game figures to be featured prominently come Friday.  GI's Pick: Carson Graham by 16

Sentinel @ Ballenas: Wow Sentinel, travelling to play Ballenas at their home field is a tough way to play your first game of AA Varsity ball since 2004.  The Whalers will be licking their chops for this one and will rain deep passes on the Spartans from start to finish.  GI's Pick: Whalers by 40 plus.

Valleyview @ Windsor: Kudo's to Valleyview for travelling down to the Lower Mainland for consecutive weeks in search of competition.  This group could very well be the only squad that will be able to challenge Vernon for first place in the Interior.  The Dukes looked a lot better vs Seaquam than they did the week before for sure.  Tough thing for Windsor is that they may be playing without their #1 QB.  This changes the dynamics of the game dramatically.  Look for Coach Schuman to call a more conservative game that features the run much more prominently than it did a week a go.  Practices this week will be all about defense and special teams.  GI's Pick: Windsor by 8

Duchess Park @ College Heights: Duchess has been playing better competition than College Heights this Fall and the speed of their game will be evident when they tangle with cross-town rival College Heights.  Look for the Condors to use their size advantage to lean on their opponents and for big plays via the air to result from a packed box.  GI's Pick: Duchess Park by 19

Vernon @ Westsyde: Vernon has been on a rampage the past three weeks and will amp up their game another notch when they face the Blue Wave.  Look for stifling defense and plenty of combined run-pass yards en route to a convincing victory for the Panthers.  GI's Pick: Vernon by 28

Clarence Fulton @ Salmon Arm:  This will be a very, very close game who's outcome will be determined by the ability of the Maroon defense to stop the run.  It is also just about time for Fulton to get some offensive traction that results in a few more points on the scoreboard.  Salmon Arm has the bigger, more athletic roster in this contest.  If the Golds can pound the rock they win.  Home field advantage also counts.  GI's Pick: Salmon Arm by 1

Kelley Road @ Nechako Valley:  Though a bunch of plucky gamers, Nechako Valley is rebuilding and they simply do not win any of the physical match-ups in this game.  The Roadrunners will be healthy and should run the ball effectively throughout the contest.  The rest is all commentary.  GI's Pick: Roadrunners by 21

G.W. Graham @ Abbottsford: I like this one as it is a divisional match-up that could very well determine who the last seed entering the playoffs is come November.  Yes, it is that important.   Solid roster match-ups in most positions.  Both teams have been working towards finding their personality and style of play that will carry them into the season henceforth.  Graham has challenged itself with a mix of US, AAA and solid AA competition in an attempt to forge itself upon that crucible.  Abbey has taken a lesser road.  I think that the Graham offense will score plenty of points come Friday and the defense will clean-up its linebacker play enough to tangle with the Abbey backfield.  GI's Pick: Graham by 11

Hugh Boyd @ Notre Dame (AAA): One team I have been watching with a growing sense of interest this year is the Hugh Boyd Trojans.  To be honest, I did not think they were very tough at the start of the year.  Watching them play however, I have to admit that I was mistaken.  This game vs Notre Dame will go miles towards preparing the Trojans for the divisional contests ahead.  Notre Dame is coming off of a frustrating loss to Mt. Boucherie and is looking for some redemption.  Playing an AA squad and not losing is also foremost in this program's collective mind.  I think the game will be close but Boyd is not ready yet to win this type of contest.  GI's Pick: Notre Dame by 11

Mission @ Pitt Meadows: The Roadrunners are primed for the AA season and kick-off league play on the road vs Pitt.  This game will be over by mid 2nd quarter at the latest and on running time early in the second half.  It is not that Pitt is a bad team or poorly coached.  Mission is just that fast and polished.  Also, why would the short benched Roadrunners want to prolong the chance of injury by letting the game stay relatively close?  They will score fast, score early and score often.   GI's Pick: Mission by 36

Saturday, 21 September

Holy Cross @ Seaquam: Big divisional fight here folks!  Three weeks ago, I'd have given this game to Seaquam in a relative cake walk.  No more.  It is easy to see that HC is improving by leaps and bounds week to week.  Seaquam has also gotten better, but not as dramatically.  If this one gets close, and I think it will be close, the Crusaders will win.  GI's Pick: HC by 3

Frank Hurt @ South Delta:  "The last thing that goes through a bug's mind when he hits a car windshield on the highway is his hind-parts" or so the story goes.  This is what I thought about this game three or four weeks ago looking at the schedule.  Well, I don't think now that it will be nearly as bad for the Hornets when they tee-up against the number one ranked Sundevils.  What I do think we will see however, is a very organized and well oiled Sundevil machine methodically going about its business against a scrappy, but less cohesive Hornet squad. Also, I predict lots of flags in the air and on the field as well.  GI's Pick: Sundevils by 26
 

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