The Sardis football Falcons completed their first season with a win and a .500 record, blanking the Eric Hamber Griffins 8-0 to finish 4-4.
The game was played Saturday in Vancouver in some of the heaviest rain that Sardis coach Adam Smith has ever worked in.
The Falcons relied on their ground game to grind out the win, rolling up more than 250 rushing yards.
But every time Sardis got close to the endzone, they found a way to shoot themselves in the foot, and the game was scoreless until the start of the fourth quarter.
“We faced a fourth and six from our own 45 yard line when (special teams coach Suresh Parray signaled in a fake punt,” Smith said. “The direct snap went to Justin Crooks who ran for 20 yards and a first down. Six plays later Nick Butler ran the ball in for his ninth touchdown of the season and capped it off by running in the two-point convert.”
The Sardis defence played another solid game, forcing two turnovers and recording their third shutout of the season.
“We’ve only begun to scratch the surface of where we want to take this program and there is a lot of work left to do if we want to reach those goals,” Smith said. “I am happy about where we are after year one, although the competitor in me is burning as this is the first year I have coached high school football where I am done before the playoffs.
“But the Falcon Tough culture has starting to take place and it is here to stay.”
— The Falcons learned after the game that three players have earned AAA Eastern conference all-star honours.
Butler, quarterback Josh Janssen and Grade 9 safety DJ Stephens got nods.