It took four hours to decide it, but the Prince George Polars are P.G. Bowl champions.
They knocked off the Nechako Valley Vikings of Vanderhoof 26-19 in overtime Friday night at Masich Place Stadium to claim the B.C. High School Football Association Northern Conference double-A varsity title.
Quarterback Tyson Plain ended a six-year championship drought for PGSS when he took the ball and scrambled 15 yards into the end zone for the only points the Polars needed, despite a thrilling fourth quarter comeback from the Vikings.
The Polar defence came up big on the Vikings' overtime possession, tackling running back Bubba Lyle for a five-yard loss that left them in a third-down situation 15 yards away from the goal line.
On that play, Polars defensive tackle Colton Smeds collided head-to-head with a Vikings player and with a suspected neck injury had to be hauled off the field on a stretcher. The Vikings had one more try for the end zone but were stopped short, touching off the Polars' celebration.
Each team scored a touchdown in the second half to necessitate overtime.
Polars receiver Jordan Olexyn had three Vikings covering him downfield but somehow managed to extend his fingertips out and hauled in a Plain pass for a 66-yard pass-and-run that put the Polars ahead 19-12, six minutes into the third quarter.
The Polars dodged a bullet with eight minutes left in the game when an apparent Nechako Valley touchdown on a five-yard run from Owen Rodgers was called back on a holding penalty. The Vikings threatened again on the same drive but the PGSS defence came up big, aided by a sack from Sawyer Edwards on quarterback Riley Wallace for a 13-yard loss.
Then with less than four minutes remaining, Ben Rodts ran back a punt 65 yards to the PGSS 10, and Rodgers punched it in two plays later from nine yards out. Justin Alessandrini tied it 19-19 with the convert.
The Polars had a chance to end it in regulation time when Brady LeComte took a pass 34 yards to the 19-yard line setting up a 26-yard field goal attempt from Smeds which was blocked.
Both teams will move on to provincial double-A varsity playoffs. The Polars will travel to Kamloops next Saturday, while the Vikings will play in Vancouver.
Both teams had trouble establishing the run in the early going and neither field conditions nor weather could be blamed on a cool but otherwise perfect November night for football.
The Polars came out for the start of the game looking nervous and paid the price. They were pinned back deep in their own end, with Plain back to punt, when Vikings linebacker Royce Gairdner pounced, tackling Plain on the two-yard line. Three plays later, Wallace barged his way across the goal line.
PGSS worked the ball to midfield and with 1:52 left in the first quarter, Plain reeled back and fired a strike to Mark Elson, who had to stretch out to make the catch but kept his balance and ran 50 yards for the touchdown. Smeds was good on the convert and the Polars had a 7-6 lead.
With five minutes left in the second quarter, the Vikings stuffed the Polars' run and took over on downs, leading to a 70-yard run for Alessandrini. Ryan Gill tackled him out of bounds at the two yard line, and on the next play Cam Brown pounded it in for the major.
Later on in the second quarter, Olexyn crossed into Viking territory with a 15-yard catch and Elson gained another 17 yards through the air that became a 30-yard gain when the Vikings were flagged for a horse-collar tackle that brought the ball to the Vikings' 17. The PGSS drive appeared to be stalled, but on a fourth-and-five gamble, Plain found Olexyn wide-open in the end zone to give the Polars a 13-12 lead.
