It was a rough start but a promising finish to Friday's home opener for the W.J. Mouat Hawks.
The Hawks defence allowed touchdowns on its first two drives and fell behind 20-0 in the first quarter and 34-0 after the first half.
But the Hawks didn't give up, battling in the second half and losing by a final score of 52-22.
Mouat head coach Travis Bell said he liked the way his team refused to give up.
"Obviously that's not the start we were looking for but I thought it showed some great character in our team," he said. "I love the way we kept battling. Right now Terry Fox is at a different level than we are but we're leaving here with a pretty good feeling in our stomach."
Hawks quarterback Shawn Lal picked up the team's offence in the second half, connecting with Coleton Barker on a passing touchdown and putting together some good offensive drives. Dion Pellerin scored both an offensive and defensive touchdown, catching a pass for 60 yard and stripping the kick returner at the end of the game to score a defensive major.
Mouat falls to zero wins and two losses in AAA action this season. They next travel to Kelowna for a game on Oct. 10 and return home under the Friday Night Lights on Oct. 16.
In AA exhibition action on Friday, the Abbotsford Panthers beat Windsor Secondary 35-6. The Panthers open the season in Mission on Oct. 10.
Saturday sees the Robert Bateman Timberwolves travel to Surrey to battle Holy Cross. For a full wrap-up of all the games, read Wednesday's edition of the Abbotsford News.