The Sooke Pre-Atom Seahawks gave an honest effort, but couldn’t overcome a last-minute plot change that turned the expected nine-man contest into a 12-man affair. The coaching staff scrambled to transfer two weeks of practice into a new system, but the Westshore Warriors managed a 19-0 win, on April 27 in Langford.
Despite the difficult situation, the Seahawk players fought hard the entire game. The defense was lead by Gabe Nelson’s solid tackling. James Mullen continued his excellent play, getting into the backfield for a couple of tackles-for-loss.
Malaki Allen, playing in his first game, had a couple of carries, including one he was just an ankle tackle away from a big gain. Also contributing with some hard running was Wesley Cornwall-Johnsen, who got his first ever carries. And first-year centre Tagish Page played well with no fumbled snaps.
In the first quarter, it looked like the Seahawks were going to answer the Warriors’ first score, but a long touchdown run by quarterback Connor Keys was called back for a block from behind after Keys had pulled away from his pursuers. Keys couldn’t play the second half after he sprained his finger, adding an additional obstacle to the Seahawks’ day.
The Seahawks look forward to a rematch with the Warriors in the final week of the regular season. Sooke’s next game is against the Saanich Wolverines at 11:00 a.m. May 4 at Copley Field in Saanich.
Submitted by Nathan Lowther
