G.W. Graham’s junior varsity football crew is through to the next round of playoffs.
The Grizzlies beat the St. Thomas More Knights 44-37 in a wildcard game last Thursday (Nov. 10) and they head to Vancouver College Fighting Irish this Thursday (Nov. 17) for 1 p.m. kickoff at O’Hagan Field.
“We knew we had a group that could get it done at this level,” said G.W. Graham head coach Matt Greenfield. “We have known it all year. Heading into the top 8 in the province is just another step in the process, one we are all looking forward to.”
While the teams eventually combined for 81 points, the first half was dominated by D.
The Grizzlies defence didn’t allow the Knights to get a first down until their last drive of the half, giving the G.W. Graham offence time to warm up. Quarterback Michael Blair threw a touchdown toss to running back Denver Adam and scrambled for another score. Ayden Radke kicked a field goal and the Grizzlies had 16 points on the board at the break.
With their seasons on the line, both teams put everything on the line in the second half.
Adam and Noah Johnson each had running majors. Entering the game in the fourth quarter, quarterback Rylan Parks threw touchdown passes to Johnson and Charlie Larson.
The Grizzlies defence stepped up in big moments. Larson had an interception. Linebacker Tyson Jones recovered a fumble and defensive end Evan Tiessen had a quarterback sack. Strong safety Logan Murphy came up with a hugely important tackle for a loss.
- G.W. Graham’s senior squad finally returns to action after two weeks off. The final regular season game was a forfeit win over Sardis and they had a bye through the first round of the playoffs. They host the South Delta Sun Devils Friday (Nov. 18) at Exhibition Stadium, with a 7 p.m. start.
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