Runaway winners in the Southern Interior Football Conference, the junior bantam Kelowna Lions and atom-division Kelowna Riders have proven to be best in the province as well.
Both undefeated Kelowna Minor Football Association teams completed a perfect 2016 season on Saturday by winning three games en route to their respective nine-man provincial titles.
The Lions, 10-0 in the SIFC going into their provincial tournament against Prince George Axemen and Richmond Raiders, swept two round-robin games and claimed the B.C. Community Football Association championship by edging Prince George 8-7 in the title game.
“We have a great group of players — very dedicated, hard working, smart and focused on giving their best for team success,” said Chuck Liebrock, a Lions line coach and director of coaches in the KMFA. “They are and always will be 2016 junior bantam provincial champions. Watching their development, maturity and character evolve during the season was almost as good as seeing their faces after the provincial games.”
The Lions were on defence first in the “Kansas City Shootout (each team has an opportunity to score from the 20-yard line) and gave up a touchdown and a one-point convert. But the Lions came back with a 20-yard touchdown run by quarterback Nate Beauchemin and a clutch two-point kick by Noah Gross, the provincial tournament’s most valuable player.
Playing two 15-minute halves in the round-robin portion of the one-day event, the Lions defeated the Prince George 24-0 and downed Richmond 32-6.
Gross caught two touchdown passes from Beauchemin in the win over PG, while the latter rushed for the other TD. Gross also intercepted a pass to stop PG’s only sustained drive of the game. Aidan Vint figured predominantly by catching a couple of key passes and making solid tackles on defence.
Beauchemin found the endzone twice against Richmond. Gross and Bronte Gallo added touchdowns while Tariq Brown was an outstanding presence all over the field.
Veteran KMFA coach and volunteer, Kendall Gross, said his team played its best game of season when it counted most it made for a perfect ending to a rewarding season for all involved.
“It’s not often in life you can accomplish something really great with an outstanding group of people. This was one of those times,” said Gross, whose core group had won provincial championships in the atom and peewee division. “It’s been a great season for the players, one they will remember for a long time. All the coaches are so proud to have had the chance to be part of a great team and supportive parents.”
Meanwhile, it was an abrupt end to a perfect season for the atom-division Kelowna Riders, recovering a fumble on the final play of an 8-0 championship win over the Abbotsford Falcons.
Defensive end Markus Landis-Kurath crashed through Falcons’ backfield on the first possession to disrupt a hand-off and cause the fumble. Teammate Gavin Kelly recovered the loose ball for the shootout victory and the BCCFA provincial pennant.
The Riders went on the offence to start the shootout. Fullback Brady Schutz scored quickly, thanks to the solid blocking of Maddux Elson. A two-point conversion by kicker Kyle Smy made in 8-0 for the KMFA representatives and set the stage for the team’s heroics on defence.
"This is a special team,” said Riders’ head coach Lance Kayfish after the thrilling win that improved Riders’ season record to 13-0. “They worked well together and put in the effort, so they deserved a chance to win the provincial championship.
"It was great to see these young players (eight and nine years old) maintaining the focus we've worked on all season long and having success. Championship or not, I know these players have learned a lot about what they are capable of. It was a privilege to coach this group along with outstanding assistant coaches. We had a lot of fun and that's what minor sport is really all about."
Boasting a 10-0 record in the SIFC regular season and playoffs, the Riders opened the three-team nine-man provincial championship with a 22-6 victory over the Prince George Axemen. They followed up by defeating Abbotsford 22-6 for the right to play in the title game.
Individually, Schutz led the way for the Riders with his long gains and multiple touchdowns and was selected as the provincial tournament’s most valuable player.
As has been the case all season, quarterback Quinn Kayfish scrambled and ran for numerous critical first downs and opened up the field with clutch passes. Reid Thompson scored pair of touchdowns while the Riders’ offensive line of Hayden Littlechilds, Jake Nelson, Lochlan Douglas, Zyla Wickert and Elson gave all the offensive backs room to breathe and make plays.
Corners Maddox Bentley and Owin Roy locked down the sidelines against two teams that ran outside very effectively. That allowed the Kelowna linebackers Seb Woychuk, Weston Lewis, Noah Tozer and Liam Gallagher the ability to fill inside holes and get through the line to cause grief for the opposition’s backfield.
“We weren’t sure what to expect in Kamloops, but those two teams were good,” said coach Kayfish. “Abbotsford was well coached and was the best team we played all year. They played a great game and we give them a lot of credit.
“We were nervous going into the shootout but I have to hand it to the players, we surprised even ourselves by ending the match in just three plays."
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