The Robert Bateman Timberwolves pounded out another victory on Friday (Nov. 5) and have now clinched a home playoff date later this month.
The Timberwolves hosted the third-ranked Carson Graham Eagles on Friday, and on a wet and muddy Bateman Field they allowed running back Micah Barker to take over.
Bateman rode the running back to a big 46-12 win over the Eagles.
Barker collected 252 yards rushing and scored one touchdown on the ground and one touchdown on a screen pass from quarterback Nolan Watrin. His numbers would have likely been less impressive without the efforts of Bateman’s offensive line, who created a lot of space for the Bateman offence.
.@BatemanFootball running back Micah Barker grinds for yards against Carson Graham in wet and muddy @BCHSFB action pic.twitter.com/MO0F4VB7Tu
— Ben Lypka (@BenLypka) November 5, 2021
“They did a great job for us,” head coach David Mills said of his o-line. “You knew today was going to be a sloppy, heavy kind of game. We didn’t want to be too cute and stick to basic stuff that worked.”
Bateman’s passing attack was also solid, with Watrin throwing for 127 yards and four touchdowns. Wide receiver Nolan Dochuk caught two and Braden Tuchscherer caught one.
Bateman led 21-6 after the half and the Eagles did score on a pick-six in the third quarter to make the game a little more interesting, but the Timberwolves offence kept rolling. Bateman also got a pair of interceptions from A.J. Nguyen in the second half to keep the Eagles at bay.
“It was a very good effort for us overall,” Mills said. “We came out strong, had a bit of a lapse there at the end of the second and took some penalties but we bounced back strong.”
For the grads 🐺🏈#SeniorDay @BCHSFB @BCSchoolSports @htsumura pic.twitter.com/tWTMiv39EK
— Bateman Football (@BatemanFootball) November 6, 2021
Bateman moved to 6-1 this season after the victory.
The win clinches second place in the AA’s Coastal Division for Bateman, and it also means the team will have the opportunity to host a playoff date on Friday, Nov. 19. The Timberwolves will host the third place team in the Coastal, which is likely to be the John Barsby Bulldogs. The two teams met on Oct. 1 in Nanaimo and Bateman picked up a 35-16 win.
Mills confirmed to The News that Bateman will be booking Abbotsford Senior Secondary School’s Panther Field for the playoff game because playoffs can only be played on turf.
Also heading to the playoffs will be the W.J. Mouat Hawks, but they enter the postseason on a bit of stumble after losing 62-10 to the Kelwona Owls in Kelowna on Friday.
After opening the season with two wins, the Hawks have lost five straight to close out the season.
The Hawks allowed two punt return touchdowns and were burned by Owls running back Jack Nyrose, who collected 162 yards and two touchdowns.
Despite the loss, Mouat has qualified for the playoffs and take on the Mount Douglas Royals in Victoria on Friday (Nov. 12). Mount Douglas enters the game at 5-2 and they finished third in the AAA’s West Division. Mouat finished 2-5, good for sixth in the East Division.
The two teams have rarely played each other over the year, with the last time being on Nov. 24, 2012 when the Royals defeated the Hawks 41-15 in the AAA semifinal at UBC.
Mouat and Mount Douglas kick-off at 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 12.
Abby 12 Mission 6 @BCHSFB
— Pantherfootball (@AbbyPanthers) November 6, 2021
Meanwhile, the Abbotsford Panthers ended the season on a high note by defeating the Mission Roadrunners 12-6 at Panther Field on Friday.
The Panthers leapfrogged Mission to finish seventh in the East and avoid a winless season.
