The Heritage Park Highlanders have won the Fraser Valley AA championship a fourth time, and are now ranked fifth in the province heading into the B.C. championships.
Coach Jivan Dhaliwal said it was a slow start to the season, with three straight losses. But the team caught their stride and have now won seven in a row.
“As coaches, we are proud of what the boys have accomplished. They did a lot of soul searching after the 0-3 start, and have proven that good teams will always find a way to win,” he said.
HPSS beat the GW Graham Grizzlies May 16 to earn the Fraser Valley banner, in a hard-fought contest where the local boys won 12-10.
The game was won on the last play of the game with Nathan Sawchuck kicking a 30-metre drop-kick after a grueling back and forth contest between the two teams, said Dhaliwal. In addition to Sawchuck, strong performances were also displayed by Kiefor Zefflie, Holden Wilkerson, Stevie Aldcroft, and Parry Nigah.
The week before in the Fraser Valley semi-finals, Heritage Park again scored on the last play of the game, with Mitch Neil scoring a try on a 20 metre run against DW Poppy to send the game into overtime. In overtime, Graham Rennison kicked a 30-metre penalty kick to lift the Highlanders to victory.
This Saturday, the team is travelling to the Okanagan to play Vernon Secondary in the first round of the B.C.’s. Rounds two, three and four will be the following week at Exhibition Park in Abbotsford.
