Rutland Voodoos win third straight, go for four on Friday

Quarterback/free safety Jhavoun Blake of the Rutland Voodoos is showing signs of being one of the top all-around high school football players in the province.

Running for 209 yards and four touchdowns while making five tackles and returning kicks for 79 yards, the Rutland Secondary School Grade 11 student-athlete led the Voodoos to a 40-20 win over the West Vancouver Highlanders on Saturday in West Van.

It was the third straight win without a defeat for the Voodoos in the AAA Pacific Division of the B.C. Secondary Schools Football Association. Earlier, the Voodoos defeated Spectrum of Victoria 50-0 in their season opener and followed up with a 27-17 win over Nanaimo District.

Prince Manongdo was also a key figure on defence for RSS, getting through for six sacks and two other tackles while senior linebacker, Chase Schumacher, finished with six takedowns.

Schumacher contributed significantly to the Voodoos’ offence as well, carrying the ball eight times for 39 yards and scoring two TDs.

The Voodoos will be out to make it four consecutive wins on Friday (4 p.m.) when they play host to the Eric Hamber Griffins of Vancouver who fell 35-0 to West Vancouver in their season opener and are 1-2 going into this weekend’s action.

Meanwhile, in other AAA high school football play on the weekend, the Eastern Conference Kelowna Owls fell 41-0 to the BCSSFA’s No. 2-ranked Terry Fox Ravens of Port Coquitlam in their regular-season opener on Friday at the Apple Bowl.

And the Mt. Boucherie Bears of West Kelowna also lost 41-0 to the No. 5-ranked St. Thomas More Knights of Burnaby on Friday in Burnaby.

The Owls are back in action on Friday when they visit Abbotsford to take on the Panthers, who came out on the short end of a 29-8 decision to the Mission Roadrunners in their first regular-season game.

Mt. Boucherie is at home at the Apple Bowl on Friday, playing host to Mission beginning at 6:30 p.m.