The Sardis football Falcons landed two players on the AAA Pacific Conference all-star team.
Speedy receiver D.J. Stephens got the call on offence after catching 38 passes for 755 yards and 12 touchdowns.
“He’s top three in B.C. high school football in those three categories,” said Sardis head coach Adam Smith.
Only in Grade 10, Stephens was an all-star at defensive back last season.
“To become an all-star again at a different position shows how good of a player he is,” Smith said. “D.J. has a bright future and we are very excited to have him for two more years.
“The best thing about D.J. is not even to do with football, but how big of a heart he has. He is an amazing kid and it has been a privilege getting to know him more.”
Tackling machine Aidan Saunders got an all-star nod on the defensive side.
The linebacker recorded 61 stops, fifth best in all of AAA B.C. high school football.
He added one quarterback sack and three interceptions.
Even more impressive, he did so playing most of the season with a cast on his arm after breaking his thumb.
“Aidan’s football knowledge is second to nobody,” Smith noted. “He sees the game so well, it allows him to rarely be out of position and that is why he makes so many plays for us.
“Aidan also is only in Grade 10 too, so I can’t wait to see how much better he gets.He is one of the most coachable kids I have ever had the pleasure to coach. He always listens and most impressively understands and always gives useful feedback that makes us better as a team.”
The Falcons wrapped up their second season last Friday with a 14-6 home field win over Eric Hamber.
Sardis finished 3-3, good for third place in the Pacific Conference behind Rutland (6-0) and the Mt. Boucherie Bears (3-3).
In addition to the Eric Hamber win, they also beat West Vancouver (24-12) and Sullivan Heights (50-0) and will have several key players returning in 2020.
“I was very impressed with the team, as we improved on what we accomplished last season,” Smith said. “With that said, we came up short of our goal of making the playoffs and that leaves us hopefully more motivated this off-season.
“We had a chance to be 7-1 this year but a few self inflicted wounds cost us two games. Moving forward we know the areas we have to improve on to avoid throwing a game or two away next year.”
