The Meadows Ridge Knights community football association started a new season last weekend, with four teams in Langley, and the bantams on Vancouver Island.
With the COVID-19 pandemic stopping sports, it was the first time they had played a full contact football game since the fall of 2019, although the association did host a Knights of the Round Table Tournament in August.
The flag team won, the atoms won 30-6, pee wees lost 13-0, junior bantams lost 36-16, and the bantams lost 38-33.
• The atom team beat the Langley Bears, as the Knights started the game with a long 13 play drive ending in a rushing touchdown. The Knights offence finished with another three passing touchdowns, while the defence held the Bears to only one rushing touchdown in the first quarter.
https://www.facebook.com/543786874/videos/898291391066968/
• The Knights pee wees showed a lot of promise on offence, but were stalled by untimely penalties. The defence was holding its own, and limited the Bears offence to only a six-point lead at half time. The Knights turned to a passing game in the second half, with Weston Banning and Owen Mcdougall making multiple receptions. The running game was led by Adam Frizzell. On defence, both Reid Dixon and Owen McDougall stepped up with interceptions for the Knights, but in the end it was not enough, as they fell 13-0.
• The junior bantams had a back-and-forth offensive battle. Quarterback Chayse Foston completed seven of 10 passes and threw for 162 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. Jacob Trudeau hauled in two TD passes of 45 and 51 yards from Foston, and caught another three passes to finish with 138 receiving yards on the day. The Knights trailed 28-16 at half.
In the second half, the Knights defense forced three fumbles and the Knights did a better job at controlling the clock, but it wasn’t enough to make a comeback, as the Langley defence played a consistently defensively sound game.
Foston led the Knights on defense with eight tackles.
• The bantams lost to the Comox Raiders by a last-minute touchdown, by a score of 38-33.
Izzy Gema had three touchdowns, an Ziad Lossing scored two, but their way into the end zone was cleared by an offensive line who “played lights out,” according to the coaching staff. Brennan Olund, Wyatt Smith, James Laudner, Andrew vickers, and Ava Sanderson, made big plays while battling through injuries.
On the defensive side of the ball, there were key plays made by Tyler Sanderson, Westyn Strange, Bennett Lashley, and Noah Jackart.
The Knights will open at home this Saturday at Samuel Robertson Technical. The action starts at 8:30 a.m. with the flag team, atoms play at 10 a.m., pee wees at 11:45 a.m., and junior bantams at 1:30 p.m.
READ ALSO: Noah Trulsen charity game seeking participants
READ ALSO: Junior hockey returns to Maple Ridge’s Cam Neely Arena
Have a story tip? Email: editor@mapleridgenews.com
