While Gage Ridland, the Prince George Polars' starting fullback/middle linebacker, was receiving the news in hospital that his collarbone was broken in two places after a hard tackle that forced him out of the game, his Polar teammates got down to business proving they are the top football team in the Northern Conference.
In a battle to decide first place Thursday evening at Masich Place Stadium, the Polars came out on top, defeating the Kelly Road Roadrunners 35-14.
Braden Reed and Gavin Murray proved unstoppable as they ran roughshod over the Roadrunners. Reed, the running back, and Murray, the quarterback, accounted for three of the four touchdowns that powered the Polars to their second-straight regular-season crown. Their chemistry kept the Roadrunners on their toes all game.
"Me and Gavin have been playing together since we were little and we've grown up playing against each other, making each other better and we argue sometimes but it's because we're like brothers," said Reed.
"Most of our players are senior, in Grade 12, and we want to make it into the history books and do something no other P.G. team has done and make it into the second round of (provincial) playoffs."
Ridland is scheduled to have surgery today to repair the bone and the rest of his season is now in doubt. Reed hopes to see him back for what will be their last crack at a Tier 2 varsity provincial title.
"Gage is one of our best players, he's just a monster and we feed off his energy and he's a key player on offence and it really hurts to see him go," said Reed. "Hopefully we'll him back in the second or third round of provincials."
The Polars scored on their first two drives to open the game and added two-point converts on each major to take a 16-0 lead. Reed got them started with a 40-yard run into the end zone and QB Murray followed up with an eight-yard touchdown run.
But the Roadrunners had an answer for that as the teams switched sides for the start of the second quarter. Brendan Watts, a Grade 11 provincial all-star linebacker who took over as the Kelly Road's starting quarterback two weeks ago, connected with Josiah Harder for a 40-yard TD strike and Watts found TJ Nyberg in the end zone for the two-point convert, which cut the PGSS lead to 16-8.
The Roadrunners threatened to tie it up and got to the five-yard line on a 19-yard catch for Harder. On fourth and goal, Watts ran it up the gut but was stopped just shy of the goal line.
That big stop set the Polars up for their most impressive drive of the night. Reed got his team out from the shadows of the goalpost with a couple of runs but was having a tough time breaking through the Kelly Road line. Clay Thiessen, Ryan Groom and Kristopher Pringle swarmed Reed a couple times but on a fourth-down gamble he took it to the house, running 76 yards for his second touchdown of the game. Brayden Mitchell took the reverse handoff for another two points and a 24-8 lead.
With about a minute left in the first half, Gage Bernard intercepted a Watts pass and the Polars took over on their own 46-yard line. On the next play, Murray passed the ball to Mark Vohar for a 35-yard gain to the Kelly Road 19-yard line and the Polars worked their no-huddle offence to perfection the rest of the way, running three plays in quick succession with Murray finishing off the drive with a six-yard TD scamper. Mitchell took the handoff for another two points and the Polars led 30-8 at halftime.
"Things started not going our way at the end of the first half, we were making mental mistakes and stuff like that and we really felt that momentum shift, so we kind of got worried things were going to turn, but we came out fighting," said Reed.
"They got us on our heels and we finally started executing near the end of the first. When that one minute was left we kind of put the pressure on ourselves and it forced us to play like we normally play."
A Nyberg interception on the goal line kept the Roadrunners from scoring early in the third quarter and Reed got stuffed a yard from the end zone later in the quarter. Nyberg hauled in a 23-yard catch for a touchdown not long into the fourth quarter but that's as close the Roadrunners could get. Reed capped the scoring with a nine-yard field goal.
The Roadrunners haven't had much of a running game since losing a couple of Grade 12 veterans to suspensions and that thrust Watts into his new role as pivot. The Polars knew the pass was coming virtually every play but still Watts and his strong arm had great success finding his targets.
"It was a big game for us and we came out and tried hard but it just didn't end well," said Watts. "Our pass game is a bit stronger than theirs but they have a good running game and that's just the way it goes. I just came in to quarterback two games ago it's pretty big to get on but it went well and we did alright."
The Polars finished off the regular season to wrap up first place with a perfect 3-0-0 record, while Kelly Road dropped to 1-2-1, second in the Northern Conference. The standings will be decided Saturday afternoon in Vanderhoof, where the fourth-place Vikings (0-2-0) host the College Heights Cougars (0-1-1). Whoever wins that game will play Kelly Road in the semifinal round next Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Masich. The loser will take on PGSS Friday at 5 p.m.
