The three-peat is complete. The Mount Douglas Rams hung on for a 32-27 win over the Terry Fox Ravens in the Subway Bowl at B.C. Place on Saturday and are the first program to win back-to-back-to-back AAA B.C. High School Football championships since the Richmond Colts did it from 1996 to 98.
It was a close game which the Ravens nearly stole.
A late interception by who-else, 2012 and 2013 B.C. Player of the Year Marcus Davis, ended the Ravens’ final drive of the game. Until the ball was in Davis’ hands, the Ravens were looking unstoppable in a game-ending drive. Had the Ravens won it would have been in dramatic fashion as they played from behind all night.
Instead, the Rams’ finish 9-0 in the B.C. High School Football regular season and playoffs, and go down in history as one of the only teams to win three straight B.C. titles.
“As soon as Marcus intercepted it we knew there was a chance (to win), but there was enough time on the clock that … something could still go wrong,” said quarterback Ashton MacKinnon. The QB used his 6-foot-7 to score a one-yard touchdown earlier in the game.
MacKinnon took a knee on successive downs, including a moot five-yard penalty for delay of game by the Rams, as the clock ran out on the Ravens.
“Once we got the first down on runs by Davis and Julian Luis (and MacKinnon), we got the clock down to 50 seconds, we knew had enough downs left to kill the clock. I was still calm but the feeling something could happen was still there. I just knew in a matter of moments I could be through the roof.”
The game opened with the Rams springing early on Terry Fox’s offence by sacking quarterback Conner McKee hard on the first two plays. Davis then struck for a 23-yard touchdown run to open the scoring 6-0.
MacKinnon carried the ball in from the Raven’s one-yard line for the Rams’ second touchdown of the game.
But the Ravens weren’t ready to quit and scored with six minutes left in the second quarter for a half time score of 12-7 in the Rams’ favour.
Mount Douglas then scored first in the third quarter to make it 19-7 before Ravens running back Jericho Mendez punched in a touchdown to make it 19-14.
Still in the third, Davis ran in his third touchdown to put the Rams up 32-20.
Defence ruled the fourth quarter after Terry Fox’s Kyle Deugau ran in a TD two minutes in to make it 32-27. That was it for the scoring though it was a heart-stopping finale.
At one point in the fourth the Ravens stuffed Davis’ one-yard rushing attempt at fourth-and-goal, pushing him back a few yards in the process.
So it was with momentum in their favour and just enough time to cover the 95 yards between them and the Rams’ goal line, that the Ravens took over on their own five yard line. They quickly struck on a series of passes to bring the ball into the midfield. Despite looking dangerous the Ravens’ final drive ended when Davis intercepted a miss-pass with about two minutes left.
Davis was named the Subway Bowl MVP as he totaled 161 yards on 27 carries, the most he was used all season. Davis scored three touchdowns and gained 56 yards in pass receptions.
The Rams finished 9-0 in the regular season and playoffs, and go down in history as one of only three teams to win three-straight B.C. titles.
Home away from home: The Rams held the honour as the home team for the contest, which is a bit of a stretch compared to the Ravens, who are only a 20-minute drive away. But then it’s also logical in that no team is as at home in the AAA Subway Bowl these days as the Rams.
– With files from the Tri-City News
