GW Graham’s double-header home opener was a case of good news/bad news.
Good news.
The junior crew dominated the visiting Mission Roadrunners, improving to 2-0 with a 52-6 win.
Bad news.
Playing the first senior game in Chilliwack in 30 years, the big Grizzlies were blanked 23-0 by the Rick Hansen Hurricanes.
The juniors got things started Friday night with a 5 p.m. kickoff on the newly-turfed Exhibition Stadium. They were on the board with a touchdown less than three minutes in.
A fumble recovery set GWG up at the Mission 22 yard line. Billy Hanson plowed into the endzone six plays later, bulling in from the one.
GWG went up 12-0 two minutes later on an 18 yard TD run by Hanson, who got the lion’s share of carries at running back.
Starting tailback Tristan Davis left the game after the first series and did not return.
The Grizzlies went up 18-0 late in the first quarter, with quarterback Jordan Breuker rolling left and finding Baker Douglas on a six yard scoring strike.
Mission got their lone major early in the second quarter, on a 61 yard scamper by running back Joeda Cannon.
But the Grizzlies hit ‘em back four plays later, with Emerson Smith fighting off double coverage to bring down a Breuker pass in the back of the endzone.
Breuker threw touchdown passes to Noah Dubosoff and Smith again to put his team up 38-6 at halftime.
The second half was played with a running block. On GWG’s first play, Hanson took a handoff and went off right tackle for 65 yards and a major. The final Grizzlies score was a 20 yard run by Smith, who broke four or five tackles on his way to the endzone.
The Roadrunners strung together a 12 play drive late in the fourth quarter that ended with a GWG stop on fourth and one.
On the senior side, the Hurricanes rolled to a relatively easy shutout win, getting all but one touchdown in the first half.
The GWG offence had its moments, with Brett Westad chewing up yards at running back and Jake Creasey hauling in passes from quarterbacks Josh Pretty and Branden McCormick. But the Grizzlies struggled to string plays together, and stalled when they got into the red-zone.
Down 7-0 midway through the first quarter, the Grizzlies put together a nine play drive that got them down to the Hurricane six yard line.
But GWG was stuffed on a fourth-and-two and never got that close again.
Austin Creasey had one big play for the Grizzly defence, nabbing an interception.
The senior squad hits the road this week, taking on the Robert Bateman Timberwolves on Friday.
The junior Grizzlies visit the Timberwolves on Thursday.