The Mission Roadrunners offence continues to caused headaches for teams in the AAA’s Eastern conference, and that trend continued on Saturday at Roadrunner Field.
Mission controlled the line of scrimmage and bulldozed their way to a 36-13 win over the Kelowna Owls to improve to 4-1 in regular season action.
The first half saw both teams slug it out defensively, with Roadrunners quarterback Jackson Trask putting Mission up 8-7 after one. The second quarter saw the war of attrition continue, but great time management by the Roadrunners saw Trask connect with wide receiver Tyson Bongo on a 30-yard major to put Mission up 16-7 at the half.
The offence plowed its way to touchdowns from running back Keegan Royal and Trask again to build to the 36-13 win.
“We go into each game with a game plan and when it works it feels good,” said Roadrunners head coach Danny Jakobs. “We wanted to push them around and I thought we controlled the line of scrimmage for the part. In the second half we made a few adjustments and it worked out well so we’re quite pleased.”
The Roadrunners offensive line was a black and green wave on Saturday, overwhelming and confusing the Owls defence. Jakobs said that’s exactly the way his team needs to play.
“It’s all about getting as many guys to the point of attack as you can,” he said. “Some of our plays have nine guys blocking and it’s frustrating for a defence because you can be there but you either can’t find the ball or just can’t get to it.”
Mix those aggressive rushing plays with the deep threat of a star receiver like Bongo and it becomes a recipe for success for the Roadrunners.
That recipe will be put to the test on Friday when the undefeated Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers (5-0) from Surrey come to Mission. The first-place showdown kicks off at 3 p.m., and Jakobs said he wants his team to be ready.
“Our goal is to win the conference and we can still do that with a win,” he said. “I have a ton of respect for the Tweedsmuir program but we’re just going to have to see what happens on Friday.”
Mission has qualified for the playoffs, but could earn a first-round playoff bye if they win the East. The first round of the playoffs occurs on Nov. 9, with the quarter-finals kicking off on Nov. 16.
For more on the game, read the print edition of the Mission City Record.
