The Chilliwack midget football Giants took a shorthanded roster to Vancouver Island last weekend, facing the Cowichan Valley Bulldogs with a provincial semi-final spot on the line.
The locals battled hard, but a rule unique to Canadian football left them on the short end of a 22-21 loss.
Cowichan built up an early lead in this one, scoring once on offence, then returning an interception for a major.
The Giants blocked the convert on the second touchdown, and Michael Popvici took the ensuing kickoff to the house to close the gap to 13-7.
Strong runs by Conner Herrmann, Josh Pretty and Filip Horak got the Giants deep into Bulldog territory early in quarter two. Quarterback Klay Larocque finished the drive with a touchdown toss to wideout Robert Begg.
Chilliwack added to their lead in the third quarter, with Conner Herrmann scrambling into the endzone to put the Giants up 21-13.
Cowichan Valley got a key single point on a missed field goal, then tied the game on a punt return TD.
With less than 30 seconds left in the game, the Bulldogs booted the ball into the Chilliwack endzone for a rouge, a single point that ended Chilliwack’s season.