The junior bantam Cowichan Bulldogs proved last Saturday that they can compete in any weather.
In their spring football season opener the week before, the Bulldogs won in hot, sunny weather. In their home opener last Saturday, the Bulldogs defeated the Oceanside Lions 46-8.
Once again, the Bulldogs scored on the opening kickoff as Dillon Wilson returned the ball to the opposing end zone for the second game in a row.
“It’s kind of funny how teams defer the ball on the opening kickoffs,” Cowichan coach Ted Harris commented. “We will take the ball all day long!”
After a quick three-and-out on the first Oceanside possession, the Bulldogs got another touchdown from Wilson, and then the Cowichan running backs started running wild. Davin Reithaug scored next, with a convert by Nico Harris. Wilson finished the day with three touchdowns, and Reithaug and Harris had two apiece, with three converts by Harris.
Standouts on defence included Rylan Rowe with a quarterback sack in the first half, and Mason Martindale and Devon Tidder with backfield tackles that pinned the Lions deep in their own end and led to Cowichan touchdowns. Quarterback Ben Wilson played well in his position, making smooth handoffs on a day when wet weather was a factor.
“Our team is picking up momentum now,” coach Harris said. “We had some very good reviews from the Oceanside coaching staff regarding our sportsmanship towards their team and about the size and power of our squad.
“You will find us at or very near the top of our league in seven weeks from now. We are a big and well skilled team with a ton of depth and talent. From a scoring perspective we do well as we have a multitude of passing and running plays which we execute well.”
The junior bantam Bulldogs will be back on the road this weekend, visiting the Nanaimo Redmen at Pioneer Park on Sunday.
The atom Bulldogs got some late-game heroics from cornerback Mica Kendrick as they defeated the Saanich Wolverines at Copley Park.
Saanich led 13-12 with a minute left on the clock, and appeared set to score on a sweep to the outside from their own 35-yard line. Kendrick, however, stripped the ball from the Wolverines’ back, scooped up the fumble, and ran all the way down for the game-winning score.
It was a close and hard-fought game up to that point, with both teams making some big defensive plays. Quarterback Cruiz Heemskerk led the Cowichan offence, scoring one touchdown himself and handing off to running back Dylan Balfour for the other.
The atom Bulldogs have one more road game before their own home opener as they head to Langford this Sunday to face the Westshore Spartans.
