It was billed as a Clash of the Titans, and the first game of the year for the Samuel Robertson Technical Titans did not disappoint the school’s fans.
The Titans from Maple Ridge, who are provincially ranked fifth in AA for the first time, opened their 2018 season campaign with a 8-0 shutout win over the South Kamloops Titans.
Head coach Mark Bailey was happy with the result, but said his team is far from reaching its potential thus far.
“Our guys are still gelling together as a team, and have had to take on a lot with learning an entirely new offence with the addition of our new assistant head coach/offensive coordinator Gianni Gri,” said Bailey.
“We have a great group of seniors, but also have some great contributors in Grades 9-11. Notably, we have two Grade 10s starting on our offensive line [Evan Kitchener and Tyson Smith].”
He said the Titan defence has most of its starters returning from last season, including last year’s conference all-star middle linebacker Brock Pelwecki.
The offence is led by returning starting Grade 11 quarterback Cody Hogarth, and last year’s Eastern Conference all-star running back Brayden Hamilton.
He said team also has excellent depth at receiver, with captain Kyle Halverson leading the charge.
“I expect us to be competitive all the way through the season, and anything short of a deep playoff run will be a disappointment to our group of guys,” said Bailey.
He added that Friday’s game was a good start and a good measuring stick for how much his team needs to improve and grow as a team.
QB Hogarth threw for more than 150 yards in the air, and rushed for another 50 yards on the ground. Hamilton had over 100 yards cumulative yards in the air and on the ground, and scored the lone Titans touchdown on a six-yard scamper.
The defence was creating chaos all over the field and gave up less than 100 yards against..
“Our guys were all over the ball. From the D line to the linebackers and the secondary,” said Bailey.
SRT will face what Bailey calls the toughest test in the young program’s history, when they play the AAA powerhouse Saint Thomas Moore Knights on Friday night at Burnaby Lakes, with a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.
