The G.P. Vanier Towhees are winging their way to Vancouver today in preparation for the B.C. High School Football Tier II Varsity championship.
The Towhees surprised the Timberline Wolves 20-16 in the Island final this past weekend to earn the right to play the Frank Hurt Hornets this Saturday in a game for all the marbles. Game time is 10 a.m. at UBC Thunderbird Stadium.
After dropping their first game of the season, Vanier reeled off five straight wins to finish 5-1 and in second place behind the undefeated Wolves (6-0). Third-place Frank Hurt (4-2) defeated fourth-place Howe Sound (3-3) in the other Island semifinal to punch their ticket to the B.C.s.
The Towhees were in Campbell River on Saturday to face the undefeated Wolves. They won – but they certainly did it the hard way. The Courtenay crew was up 14-0 at the end of the first quarter, but a nasty series of penalties resulted in close to 150 yards of total ground lost. Timberline capitalized and led 16-14 at the half.
"Our guys did not need a halftime fireside chat," a Raiders' spokesperson said. "They were angry enough at themselves. We came back after the half and the game did not change score until late in the fourth when we held the Wolves at our goal line for four agonizingly slow downs."
The Towhees started their offensive series on their three with quarterback Liam Pidsosny handing the ball to Cody Fletcher – who promptly proceeded to weave down the sidelines for 97 yards and a major. Pidsosny attempted to carry the ball in for two but was stopped inches shy of the goal line.
The Wolves began their march with three minutes left on the clock and marched all the way down to Vanier's 25-yard line. QB Brody Fusil attempted to pass the ball three times to a receiver in the corner. The ball was tipped twice, with the receiver not able to come up with the rock on the third attempt. A last ditch effort of a running play was stopped well shy of the first down. With 72 seconds left the Towhees took the ball and proceeded to run the clock.
Highlighting the playoff tilt was Fletcher rushing for a massive 302 yards. He caught the ball for 26 yards and had three touchdowns. Pivot Pidsosny completed 1-of-4 passes for 26 yards and rushed for 44 yards with one completed two-point convert early in the game. Fullback Jimmy Brazier had three carries for 31 yards.
"Strictly speaking this was a game of defence with Joey Osidiuk taking the Wolves down 10 times with one sack and one fumble recovery," the Towhee spokesperson said. Clayton Guille recorded nine tackles with one recovered fumble, Brazier was good for nine tackles and the injured Mike Roller had eight. Fletcher contributed seven tackles on defence while rookie Kevin Share snagged a fumble recovery.
QUICK KICKS The Towhees thank their loyal fans that made the trip to Campbell River and gave them the support they needed under the gun ... Vanier rallied from a 22-6 halftime deficit to sting the Hornets 38-30 in their Oct. 19 regular season meeting in Courtenay ... Comox Valley Raiders Youth Football has called an extraordinary general meeting for Dec. 3 at the Best Western Plus The Westerly Hotel to discuss issues facing football in the Valley and determine the direction the organization will take in the future ...
– Vanier Towhees