After coming up empty in their three previous games this season, the Clarence Fulton Maroons made the seven-hour trek to Prince George seeking a path to victory.
They found what they were after Saturday on the turf at Masich Place Stadium, scoring on their first possession when Quin Williamson punched the ball in from four yards out.
That was an indication it was going to be a long afternoon on the football field for the short-staffed Kelly Road Roadrunners, who went down in defeat 33-7 to the Maroons in their B.C. Secondary Schools Football Association exhibition game.
The Vernon-based Maroons rank as a mid-pack team in the five-team Interior Conference and head coach Mike Scheller liked what he saw out of his group Saturday. There wasn’t much to dislike.
“We’re a pretty decent team and haven’t had good start to the season, this has definitely been our best game of the year,” said Scheller. “We’ve played some good competition and we’re definitely on the upswing.
“It’s a super facility here, it’s a great honour coming to play here, the Prince George teams are always great about traveling all over the province so we wanted to return the favour.”
Fulton led 26-0 at halftime. Williamson scored two majors in the opening half, his second on a 19-yard run. Hayden Catt also found the end zone on a 37-yard pass from quarterback Evan Trottier. Seth Pallister scored on a 10-yard run late in the first half and junior team running back Dayton Inginhall added a third-quarter touchdown run from 12 yards out.
The Maroons were fortified by several call-ups from the junior varsity team and brought 25 players to Prince George. That meant could rest most of their players with each change in possession, a luxury the Roadrunners, with just 16 players available, did not have.
TJ Nyberg was called into service to take the snaps for Kelly Road, with first-string quarterback Josiah Harder and second-string Curtis Zagalia both suspended for an off-field incident. Fulton ripped holes in the offensive line and Nyberg was on the run constantly trying to avoid getting swarmed and performed admirably, but all that scrambling eventually took a toll. He got sandwiched by two tacklers at midfield late in the third quarter and had to leave the game.
“It wasn’t the biggest hit but it was pretty good, I passed out apparently,” said Nyberg. “I was supposed to be the one catching, not the one throwing, but I think everybody stepped up.”
Nyberg also plays on defence, at cornerback or safety, and by the end of the game the Roadrunners had just three healthy spares.
“The second half is always hard if you’re playing both sides of the ball, but I think we held up pretty well,” Nyberg said. “There’s always room for improvement.
"That’s a good team, their division down south is really tough. The football is very serious. This was just a little road bump. Nothing comes easy, even though we have some experience. I’ve played with some of these guys since Grade 8 but it doesn’t matter how long we’ve been together. Everybody has to come together and work hard, too.”
The Roadrunners didn’t have much to cheer about until the early stages of the fourth quarter, when Brendan Watts, a provincial all-star linebacker who also plays at running back, took a handoff and scampered 22 yards for a major – breaking the goose egg for Kelly Road. Samuel Maganda, called into service as placekicker with Harder suspended and Parent unavailable, nailed the convert.
Roadrunners head coach Ryan Bellamy wasn’t using the lack of numbers as an excuse for the lopsided result but admitted it hurt missing so many of his key players. Already thin at quarterback, the Roadrunners’ two top receivers were injured two weekends ago in Kamloops - Logan Devauld (broken wrist) and Brayden Richards (concussion). Starting running backs Jordan Parent and Colton Fors both had work commitments and couldn’t play Saturday. All six play defence as well and their absence left Kelly Road vulnerable.
“We ran into some numbers problems today but we’ll deal with it and be ready to go (this) week,” said Bellamy. “(The Maroons) came up here ready to play, they brought a good squad and it was nice to have them here. They had a couple big licks hanged on them but you can tell they’ve been seasoned well.
“Missing a couple quarterbacks is challenging but it’s what the team needed to deal with after our trip. It’s good experience for the guys who are here and we’re going to grow and get better from here.”
Bellamy was reluctant to use his junior varsity players and risk injury in an exhibition game against bigger and older senior veterans, knowing they have a junior varsity game Wednesday night at Masich (7 p.m.) against the College Heights Cougars which could move either team into first place in the North Division.
In the double-A varsity exhibition that followed Thursday at Masich, the College Heights Cougars topped the Salmon Arm Golds 18-12.
The Cougars scored on their second possession, a 20-yard quarterback sneak from Oak Adams. Dawson Day hauled in a short pass from Adams to make it a 12-0 game in the third quarter and just before the quarter ended Golds quarterback Chase Henning found the end zone on a short run.
Austin Adams started the fourth quarter with an 80-yard kickoff return to gave College Heights an 18-6 lead and Henning brought Salmon Arm to within a touchdown, scoring from 10 yards out.
Each team brought 21 players to the field. The Cougars had 10 Grade 10 players in the lineup, while the Golds utilized seven from their junior varsity squad.
The Roadrunners will now prepare for their next Northern Conference league game Thursday at 8:30 p.m. against the D.P. Todd Trojans at Masich, preceded at 6 by the College Heights Prince George Polars game. The defending Northern Conference-champion Polars played their first regular season game Saturday in Vanderhoof, defeating the Nechako Valley Vikings 34-6.
