Sunday, November 2, 2014

AA Varsity Week Ten

Week Ten

Week Nine In Review


#1 Vernon and Clarence Fulton tangled for 1st Place in the Interior on Saturday

Week Nine was decisive in the West with Barsby taking care of business on the road vs Carson and then getting help from arch-rival Ballenas to secure first place in the division.  Ballenas played big vs Argyle at home on Saturday and secured the number two seed out of the West.  Carson Graham has to win next Friday on the road in Nanaimo to secure the number 3 seed while Argyle must be content to have its fate decided by the Eagles.  Windsor may get in to the tourney as well with a big win over Sentinel, but ultimately, the league executive will have to choose between the Dukes and the #5 Eastern team, the Robert Bateman Timberwolves for the final playoff seed.  In the Interior, it was smooth sailing for Vernon as they finish number one.  Hugh Boyd, the emerging provincial dark horse clobbered another divisional foe to finish undefeated out of the South. 

Taking a long look at the 2014 season, it is immediately striking as to just how much parity is out there.  It would appear that there are at least seven to eight teams that have an equal shot at the Subway Bowl!  Parity is the word at the AA varsity level this year with no clear pair of juggernauts apparent.  Not a bad thing!!  So we step into the great adventure to come and this reminds me of a Joe Campbell thought:

"Follow your bliss.
The heroic life is living the individual adventure.
There is no security
in following the call to adventure.

Nothing is exciting
if you know
what the outcome is going to be."
Joseph Campbell in A Joseph Campbell Companion: Reflections on the Art of Living

Scores

Thursday

John Barsby 30 Carson Graham 28

Frank Hurt 7 Moscrop 0

Friday

Windsor 41 Nanaimo District 34 (OT)

Hugh Boyd 34 Holy Cross 3

G.W. Graham 38 Robert Bateman 22

South Kamloops 32 Valleyview 0

Saturday

Ballenas 48 Argyle 12

Vernon 29 Clarence Fulton 0

Abbottsford 51 Rick Hansen 7

Mission 15 Samuel Roberts 0

GI's AA Top 5

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

Honourable Mention

Abbottsford Panthers, Duchess Park Condors, Pitt Meadows Marauders, Hugh Boyd Trojans


GI's Week 10 Picks

Carson Graham @ Nanaimo District: The Eagles finish up the regular season on the road, on grass, in Nanaimo against a quality Islander squad who are playing together one last time as Sr.'s on their home dirt.  If the Islanders can take care of their pass coverage early on, this game could entertain! GI's Pick: Carson by 16

Mission @ Abbottsford: Huge and meaningful game out in the Valley.  At stake, first place in the East! If Mission wins, they win the conference outright and Abbey falls to third place.  If Abbey wins, they are in a three way tie with Mission and Pitt.  Pitt having beaten Abbey early in the season.  Things will then go to a score differential between the three teams in head-to head.  My calculus has Abbey needing to win by 21.  (I may be off on this however.) Mission will have had an extra-week of prep headed into this one and they will need it.  These teams have been rivals playing tough and big games against one another since they were wee little JV's with the Roadrunners maintaining the upper hand across the years.  If they are not careful, this could be their divisional Waterloo.  The best single player on the field wears a Mission uniform. Roster depth goes to the Panthers.  Toughness and "want to", well that is a toss-up. Would love to be on hand in person to watch this one.  I admire those who get to see it!  GI's Pick: Mission by 1 in an epic squeaker.

Robert Bateman @ Rick Hansen: Last game of the season for these two squads.  Lots of pride on the line and the swan song game for two accomplished groups of Grade 12 players.  Bateman has been playing a more consistent game of ball throughout the season and I see no reason for this to change. GI's Pick: Timberwolves by 19

Windsor @ Sentinel: Windsor is coming off of a big, big win on Friday and will finish the regular season adding to their momentum  as they tangle with their old rival the Sentinel Spartans.  Look for plenty of offense in this one for the Dukes.  GI's Pick: Windsor by 18 plus.

Vernon vs Duchess Park:  The number 1 and 2 seed North of Hope gets determined by this game. Both teams are rich in playoff experience and have a fine group of athletes.  Both are undefeated in league play as well.  The offenses are balanced and there is much size up front.  Weather is going to be a big factor.  I always double down on teams with a good running game in November outdoor tilts. Vernon may have an edge here, but not as big as some folks think.  Defensively, the Panthers have been posting bigger numbers.  This is where the contest will be won.  GI's Pick: Vernon by 10

Prince George vs Westsyde:  Lots on the line here as this game determines Interior/North 3/4 seed into the playoffs.  The Polars are big, strong and love sledgehammer football.  Not a bad recipe for November and outdoors!  Westsyde will roll in with a more dynamic attack on the offensive side.  This game will be about defense and creating turnovers.  If the weather turns nasty, the kicking game looms large. GI's Pick: Polars by 3

Projected AA Varsity Playoff Draw


       Round #1
      Nov. 14 & 15
Host Highest Seed

Top Half

SOUTH #1 HughBoyd
 vs
East #4
GW Graham
West #2
Ballenas
vs
Int/Nor #3
PGSS/Westsyde
East #1
Mission
  vs
E/W #5
Windsor/Bateman
West #3
Carson Graham
  vs
Int/Nor #2
Duchess Park/Vernon

Bottom Half
WEST #1
Barsby
  vs
Int/Nor #4
PGSS/Westsyde
SOUTH #2
Seaquam
  vs
East #3
Abbottsford
Int/Nor #1
Vernon/Duchess
  vs
West #4
Argyle
South #3
Frank Hurt
  vs
East #2
Pitt Meadows


GI's AA JV Top Five

1. Abbottsford Panthers
2. Holy Cross Crusaders
3. G.W. Graham Grizzlies
4. Ballenas Whalers
5. John Barsby Bulldogs/Duchess Park Condors

1 comment:

Unknown said...

No game speculation on vernon vs duchess park