The Robert Bateman Timberwolves senior varsity football team opened the regular season with an exclamation mark, routing the Sullivan Heights Stars 49-0 in Abbotsford on Friday (Sept. 27).
Jackson Kliewer got the party started early, as rushed for a 63-yard touchdown on the game's opening play. Bateman's defence had an interception in the first quarter, but the Timberwolves failed to capitalize on that turnover and it was 7-0 after one.
A long Bateman drive to open the second quarter saw the team fail to score points in the red zone, but a Sullivan Heights fumble gave the Timberwolves excellent field position and a Cade Handy rushing touchdown made it 14-0.
Bateman’s @CadeHandy147498 runs in the touchdown, point after no good. 13-0 Bateman with 5:47 left pic.twitter.com/j2rA8XPxHC
— Ben Lypka (@BenLypka) September 27, 2024
Timberwolves quarterback Luke Hall and wide receiver Brady Doucette then connected on a 35-yard pass to put Bateman up 21-0. Bateman's next drive saw Handy catch a short out and go 28 yard and the Timberwolves were up 27-0.
Handy then grabbed Bateman's second interception on the next Sullivan Heights drive and it eventually turned into another Doucette touchdown. The first half closed with Bateman leading 35-0.
The second half saw Dante Meyer catch a touchdown and Handy running for a 24-yard major to reach the 49-0 score.
🟢🟢🟢@BCHSFB @chatfootball pic.twitter.com/Yp5R7hUlYt
— Bateman Football (@BatemanFootball) September 28, 2024
Timberwolves head coach David Mills said he liked his team's performance, but there are still improvements to make.
"It was good, I wouldn't say we played great – we still had way too many penalties," he said. "That is something we will have to clean up. Our offence kind of struggled a bit early, we had the one big play to start but then threw a pick. After that we got going a bit."
Mills said defensively the team was solid and limited Sullivan Height's chances to move the ball forward. The regular season win comes after a preseason that saw uncharacteristically lose three of four games. Mills said the schedule was designed to take on some of the top teams in the AAA conference. Bateman competes in the AA conference.
"We wanted to play strong teams," he said. "Mouat is very good this year, Tweedsmuir is good, Centennial is good. We had two punts blocked in those games and you just can't make those mistakes against those kinds of teams."
He said he believes that Bateman will be in the mix for a top spot this season. BC School Sports did rank the team at second in the AA conference, but those early rankings are often based on the previous season.
"I would expect us to be in the top four this season," he said. "Vernon is very good, Windsor is very good – so it's going to be a challenge."
Mills said Handy and Doucette are two players he expects to lean on significantly this season.
"Cade is a leader for us," he said. "He helps set the tone on defence. Brady just played offence for us today [first game back following an injury], but he's an important part of the team too."
Bateman next heads to Chilliwack to take on the Sardis Falcons on Friday (Oct. 4). Sardis opened with a 55-0 win over Earl Marriott on Sept. 20.
@BCHSFB @BenLypka @BCHSFB
— W.J. Mouat Hawks Football (@mouatfootball) September 28, 2024
Mouat - 21
South Delta - 31
Meanwhile in Tsawwassen, the W.J. Mouat Hawks opened the AAA regular season with a 31-21 loss to the South Delta Sun Devils on Saturday (Sept. 28).
Hawks running back Joel Muller ran for 102 yards rushing and wide receiver Max Pratt caught eight passes for 173 yards and two touchdowns. Mouat quarterback Elijah Black threw for 250 yards and two touchdowns, but also threw three interceptions. Isaiah Black led the way defensively with three tackles and one sack.
The Hawks next host the Kelowna Owls for the team's home opener at Rotary Stadium on Friday at 7 p.m.
AA Varsity: Abbotsford AAA 6 at Holy Cross AA 21 https://t.co/w4eOkRvYs2
— BC HS Football (@BCHSFB) September 27, 2024
Over in Surrey, the Abbotsford Panthers dropped to 0-2 with a 21-6 loss to the Holy Cross Crusaders on Friday.
The Panthers next hit the road and take on Sullivan Heights on Friday. They return home for a 'Battle of Abbotsford' game against Bateman on Oct. 18.
For more on the teams, visit bchighschoolfootball.com.
