Week 2

2016 AA Varsity Week 2

Week One Round-Up

Seaquam got all over Langley in a game that blew wide open for the new number one.  Abbottsford didn't skip a beat from last year's Eastern dominance in its victory over AAA Mission.  Barsby got into a physical contest with AAA Mt. Douglas, ultimately coming up short but with encouraging play.  Vernon started slow and finished with a bang versus Robert Bateman and Holy Cross had a great second half against a tough Windsor squad.  Elsewhere, PGSS served notice up north that it is the team to beat, Hugh Boyd got out of the blocks with a bang vs AAA Earl Marriot and Nanaimo District got a solid W vs a plucky Spectrum squad.  G.W. Graham found itself over-matched versus a surprisingly strong AAA Handsworth squad that seems to be looking to regain form it has not seen since the mid-to late 2000's.

Week One Scores

Mt. Douglas 35 John Barsby 18
Nanaimo District 28 Spectrum 0
Prince George 39 D.P. Todd 0
Vernon 27 Robert Bateman 7
Abbottsford 34 Mission 12
Seaquam 47 Langley 14
Hugh Boyd 48 Earl Marriot 12
Handsworth 19 G.W. Graham 6
Holy Cross 41 Windsor 24
Argyle 27 Frank Hurt 7

Gridiron's Top Five

1. Seaquam SeaHawks
2. Abbottsford Panthers
3. John Barsby Bulldogs
4. Vernon Panthers
5. Holy Cross Crusaders

Honourable Mention

G.W. Graham Grizzlies, Langley Saints, Windsor Dukes, Hugh Boyd Trojans, Ballenas Whalers

GI's Picks

Friday, 16 September

Abbottsford @ Centennial (AAA): Abbey looks very good and continues a triple A pre-season with a game at Centennial this Friday.  Look for the air show to continue with the Panthers and for the defense to play tough up front versus the run.  GI's Pick: Panthers by 14

South Kamloops @ Hugh Boyd: The Trojans are coming off of a big win and are putting together the foundation for a very good season.  The visiting Titans have a long travel day before the kick-off so they may be a bit "bus legged" at the start.  I like the Trojan running game in this contest.  GI's Pick: Trojans by 12

Earl Marriot (AAA) @ Nanaimo: Great match-up for both teams.  Marriot got gashed pretty good by the run last week.  Nanaimo District runs and throws well with plenty of speed on defense.  If the Islanders can defend the deep ball, this one goes their way.  GI's Pick: Islanders by 10

Robert Bateman @ Mission (AAA): A good local tilt in the Valley!  Both teams are coming off of tough losses and are looking to get in the win column.  Mission has the preponderance of athletes in this one and has dominated the series over the years.  GI's Pick: Roadrunners by 14

Valleyview @ Eric Hamber: Another good match-up.  The visitors will run the ball hard and this game will be determined by the defensive play of each squad.  GI's Pick: Valleyview by 7

West Vancouver (AAA) @ Windsor: I was a bit taken aback by the score of the game last week between Windsor and Holy Cross.  The Dukes will be better this week, that is how they roll as a program.  West Van is playing some pretty good ball right now and will have a size advantage at the LOS.  This one will be very tight.  GI's Pick: Dukes by 1

Holy Cross @ Notre Dame (AAA): A big rivalry game here in the Catholic School Community. The Crusaders have been making strides as a program the past couple years as have the Jugglers.  Notre Dame is quite simply deeper and more talented however.  GI's Pick: Jugglers by 14

D.P. Todd @ Correllieu:  The resurrected Trojan program heads in to one of its easier games on this year's schedule with a valuable week 1 tilt against a dominant PGSS squad under its belt.  This one will be back and forth all game long.  When you are starting a program, it is the little victories along the way that count as much or more as the final score.  Getting on the scoreboard will be one of em for D.P. Todd.  Celebrate it! GI's Pick: Correllieu by 4

Langley @ Westsyde: This will be a BIG rebound game for Langley as they travel up North to play the Blue Wave.  There will be a huge chip on their shoulder after week one.  GI's Pick: Langley by 18 plus.

Duchess Park @ College Heights: Duchess played great ball at JV last season.  This year's varsity will reflect that as the Condors are a sure bet to roll come game day.  GI's Pick: Duchess by 19

Clarence Fulton @ Omak (WA): This is the Maroon's annual "team builder" to Washington State.  It is usually a 40 pt. drubbing that does in its way, propel the visitors towards bigger and better things down the road.  GI's Pick: Omak by 38

New West (AAA) @ G.W. Graham: At the start of the season I'd have hi-lited this tilt as one to see! Seasons are funny things however.  Graham got pretty chewed up health wise the past two weeks and will limp in to New Westminster on Friday.  The Hyacks are a contender for all of the AAA marbles this year.  GI's Pick: New Westminster by 24

Frank Hurt @ Pitt Meadows: Good game here!  Pitt is tough and scrappy across the roster.  Hurt is on the rise and gained some confidence playing AAA Argyle last week.  The Hornets have a deeper roster and will wear down the hosts as the game plays out.  GI's Pick: Frank Hurt by 9

Ballenas @ Belmont: These teams know each other very well, having run a "joint practice" at the end of the first week of pre-season workouts.  Belmont is for the first time in years, decisively deeper than the visitors.  The Whalers are balanced offensively and match-up pretty good on the LOS. Speed however goes to Belmont and that will be the kicker.  GI's Pick: Belmont by 17

Saturday, 17 September 

Vernon @ John Barsby: This could shape-up to being one of the best games of the weekend as the Panthers pay a visit to The Island to complete a home and home series.  Vernon did a great job throwing the ball in its week one victory vs Bateman.  Barsby ran hard and consistently vs Mt. Douglas in it's season opener.  Defensively however, Vernon did a much better job of defending the run than the Bulldogs.  This leaves room for an upset if Barsby doesn't get things fixed this week. GI's Pick: Barsby by 2 in a squeaker

Argyle (AAA) @ Seaquam: The SeaHawks are a far different squad for Argyle to face than were the Frank Hurt Hornets.  This game will be well played early by both teams with Seaquam pulling away by mid 2nd quarter.  GI's Pick: SeaHawks by 15

Prince George @ Nechako Valley: PGSS is on the road and facing a possible upset game from the host Vikings of Vanderhoof.  The Polar coaches better be all over their squad this week at practice in terms of not underestimating a well coached opponent on an up year.  GI's Pick: Polars by 9