The Robert Bateman Timberwolves varsity football team keeps rolling, and another dominant win has head coach David Mills comparing this year’s team to the 2018 squad that went all the way to the AA final.
Bateman hosted the Holy Cross Crusaders on Friday (Oct. 8) afternoon and controlled the game from the opening whistle to earn a 41-8 win.
.@BatemanFootball (3-0) making quite the entrance for today’s game against Holy Cross (0-3) @BCHSFB kickoff soon #Abbotsford pic.twitter.com/dL0Hd9y1j0
— Ben Lypka (@BenLypka) October 8, 2021
The Timberwolves scored on their first two drives, with quarterback Nolan Watrin connecting with Braden Tuchscherer and AJ Nguyen for majors. Watrin then ran in a touchdown himself and went on to grab an interception on defence that eventually led to another touchdown pass to Nguyen.
Bateman led 27-0 at half, and running back Micah Barker and wide receiver Drew Brown added touchdowns in the second half to earn the win. Holy Cross got on the board late when James Fuchs spoiled the Timberwolves shutout attempt.
Mills said the 2021 team reminds him of the 2018 team, but this year’s team could be better.
“There are a lot of similarities I see with the quarterbacks and running backs we have from those teams,” he said. “They’re really good. I was happy with everything we did today.”
He said both the 2018 and 2021 Bateman teams had a lot of smart players, but the 2021 team may be a little more aggressive especially defensively.
Bateman improves to a perfect 4-0 with the win, and it sets up a big game next week in Langley as the Timberwolves travel to MacLeod Stadium to take on the Thunderbirds. Heading into Friday, Langley was ranked first in AA and Bateman was ranked second, with both teams undefeated.
“They’ve got some big guys, they have some run, they have some good receivers – they’re really good,” Mills said of Langley. “They’ve won pretty convincingly in both of their games so I think it should be a pretty good game.”
That game is set for Friday, Oct. 15 at 7 p.m.
Over at Panther Field, the rebuilding pains continue to hit the Abbotsford Panthers. The Kelowna Owls blanked Abbotsford 42-0 on Friday (Oct. 8) afternoon and were led by running back Jack Nyrose, who collected four touchdowns and 119 yards rushing. The Panthers drop to 0-3 on the season, while Kelowna goes to 1-2.
The Panthers next take on the Terry Fox Ravens (2-0) in Coquitlam on Friday, Oct. 15.
Next stop on the #FridaySportsTrain is @mouatfootball hosting @GrahamGrizzlies. Von Pitzel reception here from Caden Martens (even though Graham protests). Graham up 12-0 in 2Q pic.twitter.com/ioTHVPq6r3
— Ben Lypka (@BenLypka) October 9, 2021
Meanwhile, the W.J. Mouat Hawks turnovers finally caught up to them on Friday (Oct. 8) evening, as they fell 40-0 to the G.W. Graham Grizzlies.
The Grizzlies led 19-0 at halftime, and were buoyed by a pair of touchdowns from running back Samuel Mannes. Carter Dallas caught a touchdown grab to open the second half and then Gage O’Neill rushed the ball about 70 yards for another major. Graham quarterback Lucas Feaver added a late touchdown.
Grizzlies defensive end Vinny Branauer was a monster defensively with five sacks.
A number of interceptions and turnovers in general killed any offensive momentum the Hawks generated.
Despite the loss, Hawks head coach Andrew Harder said he was pleased with his team’s efforts, specifically on the defensive side of the ball.
“I’m proud of us, they’re a good football team and well coached,” he said. “Proud of our D, but we just have to take better care of the ball. Tonight we tackled better than we have this year, but if you’re turning the ball over six times you’re not going to win many football games.”
Defensive back Ercy Avul led the Hawks defensively with eight tackles and a sack, while safety Hrithik Kandola had six tackles and an interception.
Mouat drops to 2-1 with the loss, while the Grizzlies improve to 3-0.
The Hawks next head to Surrey to take on another strong team in the 2-1 Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers on Friday (Oct. 15) afternoon. The Grizzlies next host the Mission Roadrunners at Exhibition Stadium on Friday (Oct. 15) night.
For more visit, bchighschoolfootball.com.
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Bateman’s AJ Nguyen runs in a touchdown on Friday. (Ben Lypka/Abbotsford News)
Bateman’s Taejshon Carter eats up yardage during the Timberwolves win on Friday. (Ben Lypka/Abbotsford News)
The Abbotsford Panthers struggled to generate much offence against the Kelowna Owls on Friday (Oct. 8). (John Morrow/Abbotsford News)
The Mouat defence attempts to slow down Graham’s Tyson George-Kelly on Friday (Oct. 8) night. (Ben Lypka/Abbotsford News)
