Recovering from a first half that could have been devastating, the midget Cowichan Bulldogs played a much better second half against a “much bigger, stronger and faster” North Langley Bears team on Saturday.
Missing a third of their team, the Bulldogs travelled to the Mainland on Saturday to face the Bears. Because most Vancouver Mainland Football League games are played on Sundays, several players and coaches were unavailable due to work commitments, and the Bulldogs went over with just 24 players dressed out of a roster of 35.
They were up against a team that held the edge in nearly every category, including size and experience: the Bears have the league maximum number of 18-year-olds, while the Bulldogs are especially young this season.
“Some of those kids looked like they were 23,” Cowichan coach Mike Williams said.
Williams conceded that North Langley was a superior team, particularly with so many Cowichan players having to stay home.
“We were up against a better team,” he said “Plain and simple.”
The Bears won 56-0, but scored only once in the second half after taking a 49-0 lead in the first half.
“I was very happy with how we came out in the second half,” Williams said, noting that North Langley’s only touchdown in the second half came when the Cowichan punt team fumbled the snap and the Bears recovered the ball and ran it in.
Dane Quayle, Tyson Duffe and Dakota Cullum were among the Cowichan players who ended up playing on both sides of the ball due to the shortage of players on Saturday.
“I commend the guys for not losing mental focus,” he added. “They were challenged, and I was happy with how they responded.”
The lopsided result wasn’t nearly as important to Williams as the improvements his team made in several aspects.
“We came together as a team his week,” he said. “We had a good week of practice.”
The Bulldogs also came out of Saturday’s game relatively unscathed injury-wise. The team lost “three or four” players during the game, but none of them are expected to be out longterm. A handful of other injured players should be back in action this Sunday when Cowichan plays host to the Victoria Spartans on Sunday at 12:30 p.m.
Unlike the Bears, the Spartans are similar in size and skill to the Bulldogs, and Cowichan won the season opener between the teams by a 42-12 final score.
“I’m confident we can pick it back up,” Williams said.
kevin.rothbauer@cowichanvalleycitizen.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
