The local football players at the Red River Cup this month in Winnipeg didn’t just get gold, they gained something from the experience.
B.C.’s U16 squad defeated Winnipeg West 34-21 on Saturday in Winnipeg to take gold.
B.C. was up against an undefeated opponent in the final, but got off to a hot start with three defensive scores to build a lead.
“Team B.C. came to play,” said Nanaimo’s Sean Roden, the squad’s coach, in a press release. “It was by far our best game of the tournament. The boys clearly wanted it and came with high intensity and when we do that we have good results.”
Nanaimo’s Glenn Cook, defensive coordinator of the U16 Team B.C. squad, said the local players – Brandon White, Carson Vos and Cory Fletcher – all played well and he said White was one of the best defensive backs at the tourney.
The team “opened some eyes” to B.C. football, said Cook, and he credited the players.
“We showed up there, we’d never practised together … and we ended up winning the whole thing,” he said. “It shows that the kids were ready to go and they were open to learning.”
