With his team in desperate need of a win, Rick Hansen Hurricanes running back Jordon Gmur carried his team – and on occasion, Pitt Meadows tacklers – on his back.
Gmur had a massive day, rushing for 228 yards and four TDs on 20 carries in his team's 35-21 victory over Pitt Meadows on Friday. The win was crucial for Hansen (1-2), as it boosted them ahead of Pitt Meadows (0-3) in the race for the fourth and final playoff spot in the AA Eastern Conference.
"He's just a real physical player," Hurricanes coach Paul Gill said of Gmur. "He's the kind of kid who doesn't go down on that first contact. You've really got to gang-tackle him."
The Marauders had a tough time tackling any of the Hansen runners – in addition to Gmur's big game, quarterback Harpreet Dhaliwal rushed for 147 yards on 14 carries, and Sukh Dhaliwal took a kickoff back 85 yards for a major. Gill lauded the play of the offensive line, led by Arsh Gill, for its terrific downfield blocking.
MARKIN'S LATE TD LIFTS HAWKS
A late rushing touchdown from quarterback Daniel Markin – his second of the game – lifted the No. 2-ranked W.J. Mouat Hawks to a 20-15 victory over No. 5 Lord Tweedsmuir of Surrey in AAA high school football action on Friday.
Tweedsmuir had claimed a 15-14 lead with seven minutes remaining, but the Hawks marched down the field and capped the drive with a one-yard TD plunge from Markin with just over three minutes left.
Mouat's attempt at a two-point convert failed, but the defence stopped Tweedsmuir's potential game-winning drive at midfield.
"We came off the Terry Fox win (33-0 last week), and maybe we were a little flat coming out on Friday," Mouat coach Denis Kelly said. "They (Tweedsmuir) are a good, solid team, and they made us come back to win it. But it was a good drive to end the game, and our defence played well throughout."
Mouat's Devin Logan rushed for 160 yards and a TD on 25 carries, while linebacker Jake Heathcote led the defence with six solo tackles.
PANTHERS, T-WOLVES RESCHEDULE
The officiating crew for Friday's game between Abbotsford Collegiate and Robert Bateman did not show up, so the game was rescheduled to Monday at 3 p.m. at Bateman Secondary.
WEEKEND SLATE
All four of Abbotsford's senior football teams are at home later this week.
Abby Collegiate kicks things off with a Thursday date with Pitt Meadows (7 p.m., Rotary Stadium).
On Friday, Hansen hosts Holy Cross of Surrey in a non-conference game (3 p.m., Hansen Secondary), Bateman takes on AA No. 2-ranked Mission Secondary (7 p.m., Rotary Stadium), and Mouat faces Centennial of Coquitlam (7:30 p.m., Mouat Field).