Sunday, November 9, 2014

2014 AA Playoffs Round 1

AA Varsity Round One Playoffs



Week Ten In Review

The season ended with a huge upset of the Mission Roadrunners by the Abbottsford Panthers.  I do not think the Mission program has lost a divisional game since 2009, perhaps earlier.  This was big people.  The East has reached parity officially.  In much the same way, Nanaimo District gave Carson Graham the scare of its 2014 life by opening up with a 48-13 lead during the 3rd quarter.  What followed next was one of the great reversals I have witnessed.   Kind of mind numbing.  Up north, the Interior conference asserted itself as a notch above the Northern division in a series of seeding games. Now, we are on to playoffs.


Gridiron's AA Varsity Top 5

1. Vernon Panthers
2. Abbottsford Panthers
3. Mission Roadrunners
4. John Barsby Bulldogs
5. Ballenas Whalers

GI's Picks

G.W. Graham @ Hugh Boyd:  This game is going to be about defense plain and simple.  Both teams can score quickly, especially with good field position. If the Trojans can keep the Grizzlies to under three scores, they win.  GI's Pick: Boyd by 8

Westsyde @ Ballenas: This year's Westsyde squad has quietly put together the best varsity season the program has enjoyed in twenty years.  Well done!  Ballenas however, is on a roll and has home field. The Whaler running game has had only one setback all year and will likely not suffer another this Saturday.  GI's Pick: Whalers by 18

Robert Bateman @ Mission:  These teams know each other as good as any two groups in the Province.  Mission has been culling the Wolfpack for years and I see no reason for this to discontinue, especially coming off of a divisional loss.  The on field match-ups go in Mission's favour across the board.  GI's Pick: Roadrunners by 24

Carson Graham @ Duchess Park:  The Eagles continue their Jekyl and Hyde season on the road this week.  Duchess has made great strides over the years and will have to bring their A-Game in order to compete.  I like the Carson passing game in this contest with just enough run to give the Condors fits. GI's Pick: Carson by 19

Prince George @ John Barsby:  The Polars have been having a great season.  They now travel about as far as one can travel in-province for a tilt vs the John Barsby Bulldogs in the Dawg's back yard. Bit of a connection here as one of the JB coaches is a PGSS alumni and one of the PGSS coaches is a Bulldog Alumni/former Quarterback.  Football is truly a small family.  Once the meet and greet is over, their is a playoff game to get taken care of.  The Barsby defense is going to be a tough nut to crack and the offense has been held to less than 30 pts. only once this year.  GI's Pick: Barsby by 18

Pitt Meadows @ Seaquam:  The Marauders are the lower seed but they come from a way tougher conference and their style of play will reflect this.  Look for Pitt to get it done with smashmouth running and blocking.  Defensively the SeaHawks will hit a brick wall.  GI's Pick: Pitt by 21

Argyle @ Vernon:  Well folks, this should easily be the best game of the first round.  Argyle plays some great offense on artificial turf and is physically on par with the number 1 ranked Panthers.  This said, the Pipers are on the road and Vernon feels like they have a special year on their hands.  The Panthers need to run the ball effectively to win this game.  That IS the recipe.  Argyle needs to play within themselve and opportunistic when the situations come their way.  GI's Pick: Vernon by 12

Frank Hurt @ Abbottsford:  The Panthers are coming off of the biggest win in program history and enter this game with serious swagger.  Arguably, they have a top two roster in terms of athleticism. Frank Hurt is going to get flattened.  GI's Pick: Abbey by 29 

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