Saturday at 11 a.m., the College Heights Cougars will line up on the field at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver to play their first football game in 22 days.
The Cougars have yet to lose this season. They finished a perfect 4-0 and are 6-0 overall as champions of the Northern Football Conference.
College Heights was set to play the winner of the Nov. 12 Nechako Valley-Shas Ti Kelly Road playoff game in the P.G. Bowl final the following weekend at Masich Place Stadium, but neither of those games were played.
“Unfortunately, our playoffs were "turfed" due to the ice and Masich being shut down,” said Cougars head coach Tommy Heinzelman. “We advanced as the PG Bowl champs as we were the Number 1 team in the regular season.”
Now the Cougars face their toughest test of the season, trying to pull off an upset over the heavily-favoured Robert Bateman Timberwolves of Abbotsford. They are the top-ranked double-A varsity team in B.C. and are ranked No. 3 in Canada.
The T-wolves went 7-0 in winning the Coastal Conference title.
“Bateman has had one game within 27 points this season.. and are 11-0 overall,” said Heinzelman. “They won their quarterfinal match-up last weekend versus Argyle 37-0. They have the provincial MVP at quarterback, Noah Watrin. They also have five other provincial all-stars, including the top lineman, Logan Thiessen, and top running back in the province, Micah Barker. They have only allowed one touchdown in their last six games.”
That doesn’t matter now to the Cougars. Regardless of the outcome of Saturday’s playoff, they’ll wear their colours proudly as PG Bowl champs when they bring the Matt Pearce Memorial Trophy to the field turf at BC Place for a team photo before they take on Robert Bateman.
For the Cougars, who found out away from the field they had been awarded the Northern Conference title, that will be celebration they missed out on in Prince George.
Two Cougars – centre/defensive lineman Connor Sherlock and receiver/safety Taeman Piddocke - were selected provincial all-stars. College Heights also has the top-ranked quarter back in the Northern Conference - Isaac Slavik – and a Northern all-star running back - Matthew Norberg.
Defensive lineman Brecken Fawcett of Nechako Valley in Vanderhoof also made the provincial all-star team.
The other members of the College Heights team are: Keegan Shiels, Zachary Loewen, Decker Passey, Thayne Hatch, Troy Weatherly, Karson Husarski, Aiden Smith, Sam Dawson, Treton Eddy, Jackson Moleski, Trey Tayamomi, Andrew Haseldine, Ethan Lybbert, Oliver Wetmore, Owen Bass, Jacob Desjarlais, Andre Nooski, Connor Clausen, Dray Barclay, Tyrell Shannacappo, Sam Hoar, Ben Duchscherer, Jackson Kolody, Aden Lybbert, Ryder Stoughton, Dillon Piddocke, Caleb Fuller, Caleb Low, Lincoln Andres, Tyler Rohra Jr.
Heinzelman's coaching staff includes Scott Stoughton, Rob Sherlock, Grant Erickson, Westan Shiels and Spencer Rogers.
Vernon will face John Barsby of Nanaimo in the other provincial semifinal at 1:30 p.m. Saturday. Both games will be webcast on BC Secondary School TV.
