The Cowichan Bulldogs had trouble containing the Richmond Raiders in last weekend’s bantam football clash at McAdam Park, and the Raiders left town with a 41-2 victory.
“Richmond just came in and played a little more aggressively,” Cowichan head coach Mike Williams said. “They had a big, strong running back, and defensively, we struggled early getting to the team tackle.”
The Bulldogs are now 0-3, but Williams likes what he has seen from game to game.
“There’s been improvement week over week,” he said. “Hopefully it won’t be a year-long process to get better.”
Kilion VennRyan had a strong outing on both sides of the ball, picking up an interception on defence and a 30-yard pass reception on offence. Quarterback Carson Maertz also had a good game.
“He threw the ball well,” Williams said. “We just have to work on better routes.”
The bantam Bulldogs have a bye this week, and will prepare for a road trip to Vancouver the following weekend.
“We’ll be working on being more disciplined and running better pass routes,” the coach said. “We’re playing with more heart than we did in week one, so there’s progress.”
The midget Cowichan Timbermen also lost last weekend, falling 42-0 on the road against Chilliwack. The game was played on Saturday, which caused problems for the T-Men from the outset as seven players and two assistant coaches were unable to make the trip for work reasons.
“The entire linebacker corps and fullbacks were out,” coach Opie Williams said.
“And we lost two players with minor injuries during the game. It was just one of those days. It was a short bench and had players in positions that they had never played before.”
Chilliwack set the tone early, returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown.
“We were able to move the ball at times, but the short bench and the lack of conditioning showed,” Williams said. “The boys realized the importance of practice attendance to improve ourselves.”
The T-Men have added three new signings to their roster and should have everyone in uniform this Sunday as they open a three-game home-stand against the Comox Raiders at 1:30 p.m.
