The opening drive against the Robert Batemen Timberwolves went beyond expectations for the Duchess Park Condors.
But that last yard into the end zone was a killer.
"We marched the ball right down to the goal line and fumbled it," said Condors head coach Mike Rositano, whose team lost 43-6 to the T-wolves Saturday in Abbotsford.
"It was a miscue between [quarterback] Rylan Matters and [fullback] Joel Bundock, and [the Blazers] recovered on their one-yard line and turned around a scored on a 99-yard run."
The T-wolves are ranked eighth in the province among double-A varsity teams but Rositano said the lopsided score skewed the real story of how well his team played. Fumbles were a big factor. The Condors coughed up the ball four times within the 20-yard stripe.
Tailback T.J. Kyriakos picked up 153 yards on 22 carries to lead the Condors' ground attack. Duchess Park quarterback Rylan Matters went eight-for-10, passing for 130 yards. Hunter Freud picked up 82 yards rushing for the Condors, who are still without the services of speedy tailback Daniel Stratton, out with a hamstring injury.
Duchess Park, which opened play in the B.C. High School Football Northern Conference last week with a 43-7 win over Correlieu, will be back in action this Friday at 5 p.m. at Masich Place Stadium against the College Heights Cougars (1-0). The Cougars kicked off their season Thursday with a 16-7 win over Nechako Valley. Correlieu meets the Prince George Polars at 7 p.m. on Friday, also at Masich Place Stadium.
