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Sun Devils get their rematch

South Delta faces New West in AAA semifinal after getting past Lord Tweedsmuir
football
South Delta’s Billy Matwichyna battles through several Lord Tweedsmuir defenders following one of several catches the Grade 12 receiver made during the Sun Devils’ 25-17 quarterfinal win last Saturday at BC Place.

Revenge is a dish best served cold and the South Delta Sun Devils are hoping to serve that dish to New Westminster on a silver platter tomorrow night at BC Place.

Following a 63-16 drubbing at the hands of the Hyacks in their final league game earlier this month, the Sun Devils were hoping the stars would align in the Subway Bowl playoffs and they would get another crack at the No. 1 ranked team.

Thanks to a 25-17 quarterfinal win over the Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers last weekend, and New West’s 19-14 win over Mt. Douglas, South Delta gets that chance at 5 p.m. tomorrow.

“That result was a rallying cry,” said Sun Devils head coach Ray Moon. “We know we didn’t play well and then some of the things that happened on the field got under our skin to the point that there is no way we are going to take this. We want a shot at them again.”

Moon said he felt they had a solid game plan in place for that Nov. 3 contest, but the team didn’t execute and as a result got destroyed.

“We will tear every single frame of New West’s entire year apart and come out with a better game plan and come out on fire. I know the kids want it and want it bad. That’s all the kids have been talking about the past three weeks,” Moon said.

In the quarterfinal win over Tweedsmuir, South Delta jumped out to a fast start.

Quarterback Michael Calvert hit Ben McDonald for a two-yard score capping a 65-yard opening drive. Following a missed two-pointer, SDSS went up 6-0.

The Sun Devils went up 12-0 four minutes into the second quarter when Calvert hit Morgan Wolsey for an 11-yard strike. The TD was set up by a Wolsey interception.

Again South Delta failed on the two-pointer.

The Panthers answered with an 80-yard scoring drive of their own to cut the lead to 12-7, but the South Delta offence stifled any of the Panthers’ momentum with a long scoring drive on their next possession.

The key play was a 37-yard leaping catch by receiver Billy Matwichyna that set the Sun Devils up inside the 10-yard line. Calvert punched it from there and with a Doug Jameson conversion, South Delta went up 19-7.

Following a South Delta interception, Andrew Kraft rumbled in from 20 yards and the Sun Devils headed for the locker room seemingly in control up 25-7 at the half.

The second half was a different story though, as AAA rushing leader Derek Best shook off a first half leg injury and quarterback Walter Dingwall gained traction through the air.

He hit Jaden Simon for a 25-yard score early in the third and suddenly it was 25-14.

The Panthers picked things up defensively, keeping the Sun Devils off the scoreboard the entire second half.

“We received some news at halftime that there was a question mark about one of our players [Ben McDonald], so that kind of caught us off guard, so we had to make adjustments,” added Moon.

McDonald, who is the starting quarterback for the junior varsity team, was ruled ineligible for the remainder of the game as he played two nights earlier in the Sun Devils playoff win over Notre Dame.

A 35-yard field goal early in the fourth cut the lead even further to 25-17, setting up a tense final eight minutes.

After South Delta missed a 36-yard field goal try with 1:38 left, the Panthers took over for one final drive.

Tweedsmuir got to the South Delta 20-yard line, but the victory was sealed after Jacob Kirk picked off Dingwall in the end zone.

“The defence, we were flat for a couple, but after that they came through in the fourth quarter,” said Moon. “Kraft, Kirk, Wolsey — they are all fighters.”

End zone…

• The B.C. Secondary Schools Football Association announced its AAA all-stars Sunday night. Calvert was named offensive MVP, while St. Thomas More’s Sam Steele was named defensive MVP. Seaquam’s Tyson Philpot was named provincial MVP.

• Saturday’s second AAA semifinal (7:30 p.m.) will pit STM against the reigning provincial champion Terry Fox Ravens. STM beat Notre Dame 32-13 last Saturday, while the Ravens edged Seaquam 27-21 in the other two quarterfinal games.