The Duchess Park Condors have been waiting for this day all season.
Ever since the Prince George Polars knocked them out of the high school football playoffs a year ago.
Now 4-0 atop the Northern Football Conference standings, the Condors and their shutdown defence have been perfect so far. In fact, they have not surrendered a single point, outscoring their opponents 110-0 this season.
"I'm a little worried, since we haven't been scored on, that if we do get scored on, it's going to be a big deal for everybody, but I'm hoping not," said Condors receiver/safety Montell Lindgren. "It's been a great year, a big surprise to me, a big surprise for most of these guys
"We play as a team and we don't argue," he said. "We watch other teams and everyone is breaking apart and arguing and we don't do that. Everyone on our team knows what they're doing and that's what helps us. We have heart and we want to win and we shut everybody out."
But they have yet to face the Polars, their archrivals, and that is a cause for concern for Lindgren as he prepares for tonight's clash with the Polars (6 p.m., Masich Place Stadium), the defending league champions.
"PGSS beat us the last two years and beat us in the playoffs and there's a lot of trash-talking going on right now over the Internet so it would be really good to show them," said Lindgren. "We're No. 1 right now and we want to keep it."
While their defence has been stellar, the Condors' offence revolves around Grade 9 quarterback Rylan Matters. Despite his rookie status, he's currently the top-ranked double-A varsity QB in the B.C. High School Football Association with a 63.2 per cent completion rate with six passing touchdowns and 495 yards gained. PGSS veteran Tyson Plain, at 66.7 per cent, is the only pivot in the conference with a better completion rate than Matters.
Lindgren has been the favourite target for Matters, hauling in 24 catches for a league-leading 317 yards and four touchdowns. Lindgren knows what Matters is going through as a rookie quarterback, having filled the same role for Duchess Park as a Grade 9 player two seasons ago.
"Rylan is only in Grade 9 and I think he's going to be a phenom when he grows up," said Lindgren. "When I was back in Grade 9 I had a lot of pressure on me because we were a big rookie crew and we didn't have much talent. Now, we have a big line and he has time in the pocket and that helps him out."
Unlike two seasons ago, there's no shortage of bodies on the field for Duchess. The Condors have a mix of veterans like Josh Hughson, Dhalathan Kandasamy, Adam Alexander, Devin Simpson, Mike Hook and Keegan Johnson, and junior varsity players like Joel Bundock, T.J. Koiriakos, and Brogan Cruze, pulling double-duty with the varsity team.
"I've been on this team since Grade 9 and the first practice I went to we had six players, and we have 30 players here today," said Condors middle linebacker Brendan Moreau. "We have a lot of experience this year. Coach Mike [Rositano] has come in and made this program better and better every year."
The Polars rank fourth in the Northern Conference, tied with Kelly Road with a 2-2 record.
Stopping Brady LeComte will be the key for the Condors, Although he's only five-foot-four, he packs 180 pounds under all that equipment and has explosive speed that allows him to bowl over tacklers. LeComte has averaged 150 yards rushing per game and has six touchdowns and 451 yards in only three games.
"I think everyone's a little bit antsy to play PGSS after last year's small win over us in the playoffs and it will be nice to get back in it," said Moreau, who has six QB sacks. "We have a lot more experience this year and a lot of dedicated players and we're just well-rounded. We have a big D-line and a big O-line and we haven't gotten many penalties."
The second-place Nechako Valley Vikings (3-1) play the winless Correlieu Clan (0-4) today at 5 p.m. at Masich Place.
