With rumblings that pressure is mounting for the provincial champion South Delta Sun Devils to move up to the AAA level of B.C. High School Football next year, what happened out in Langley on Sunday won't help their cause to stay put.
The Sun Devils' main source for talent capped an outstanding post-season run by capturing B.C. Minor Football's Bantam provincial championship with a convincing 37-0 victory over the Abbotsford Falcons.
The dominating performance came just 24 hours after the Sun Devils won their provincial title at B.C. Place Stadium - reflecting the current strength and depth of the 14-to-17-year-olds playing football locally.
While the Devils went unbeaten this season, the Rams put behind a slow start to become the class of B.C.
A pair of impressive road victories in the Vancouver Mainland Football League playoffs against opponents they had previously lost to - North Surrey and Langley - set the stage for the provincial final against the Valley Community League champions from Abbotsford.
The South Delta defence picked up where it left off from the VMFL playoffs with another superb outing to not only blank its opponent but produce a pair of touchdowns on turnovers.
The Rams scored a pair of majors in the opening quarter then turned back a couple of Abbotsford scoring threats in the second quarter to take a 15-0 lead into halftime. They added three more touchdowns in the second half to close out the memorable season.
The result was part of a four-game sweep by VMFL champions which typically dominant the provincial finals, being a much larger league. Still the Rams' coaching staff was taking no chances.
"We did our typical thing as coaches and went out and scouted (the Valley final)," said South Delta head coach Jeff von ende.
"We knew they would be running 75 percent of the time but their were some things they held back and used against us.
"They had a good surge for part of the time in the first half and made a lot of yards. Our guys just stepped up and played like they have all season."
The Rams roster features: #2 Cody Morgenthaler, #6 Kyle Chace, #9 Lucas Kirk, #10 Christos Goulas, #13 Ian Tavemer, #15 Gordon Cooper, #33 Michael Mann, #27 Michael Cummins, #29 Noah Anderson, #30 Ryan Littlewood, #32 Jack McDonald, #33 Hunter Clennan, #34 Alex Larocque, #7 Colin Peterson, #38 Blake Gau, #42 Evan Khara, #44 Ryan von Ende, #47 Landon Martin, #49 Mitchell McMann, #50 Spencer Fair, #51 Jacob Hampton, #52 Charlie Moore, #55 Aresni Dolynnyy, #56 Garrison Dolfo-Smith, #58 Kyle Geere, #60 Aaron Hooymans, #61 Wyatt Bates, #67 Teegan Johnson, #69 Matt Ward, #87 Thomas Frankin, #89 Max Youngson.
The coaching staff also includes: Gary Cooper, Dave Johnson, Dean Larocque, John Mann and Bruce McDonald.
End Zone... The Rams will be well-represented in the annual Starbowl all-star game which takes place in April and sees all-stars from the Vancouver Mainland Football League facing the Valley Community Football League.
Lucas Kirk, Michael Mann, Jack McDonald, Blake Gau, Ryan von Ende and Thomas Franklin have all been selected to play.
