The Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers closed out the 2024 regular season in high school varsity football with another win.
The Panthers played the Seaquam Seahawks under the lights at John Oliver Park Nov. 1, outscoring the Delta squad 5 touchdowns to 1, winning the game 35-6.
“We did a good job battling the elements and a tough Seaquam team,” said head coach Mike Carter.
He noted that despite the Seahawks finishing the season 1-5, they are a much better team than their record indicates.
“Offensively we were balanced and able to move the ball effectively, led by QB Chase Thurston and aided by the combined run game of Jerin Harinen and Brody Muller,” Carter said. “Defensively we were able to keep Seaquam's rushing attack to a minimum, which was the goal going into this week.”
As for how it played out on the gridiron, Lord Tweedsmuir scored on the first drive of the game and played more than 59-plus minutes of shutout football as the Seahawks only managed to score one TD as time expired.
On the opening drive of the game, the Panthers' Jerin Harinen rushed for 35 yards on the third play from scrimmage to move the ball down the field. Thurston then capped off the drive with a 9-yard toss to Tristan Dominguez for a touchdown.
After forcing a punt, Harinen again moved the ball downfield for Tweedy. First he rushed for nine yards and then followed that up with a 47-yard dash to get the ball down to Seaquam’s 18-yard line. Thurston then handed off to Brody Muller who carried the ball the final 18 for a TD.
On the next drive, the Panthers forced a fumble and Harinen, now playing defensive back, recovered the ball deep in Seaquam territory.
On LT’s third offensive drive of the game, this time on a short field, Thurston completed another passing TD—a 10-yard score to Logan Wager—to put the Panthers up 21-0.
After forcing another punt, the Panthers drove the ball down to the Seahawks three-yard line. Thurston and Jack Roberts connected on completions of 9, 14, and 25 yards to get the ball down to the three, but the Panthers turned the ball over on downs.
In the second half, Lord Tweedsmuir got on the board again, going up 28-0, when Thurston connected with Logan Ginther for a nine-yard touchdown pass. The drive was “aided by a completion from Thurston to Logan Ginther for 33 yards and back to back rushes of 16 and 13,” said Carter.
Thurston added a 19-yard TD pass to Tristan Ford to round out Tweedy’s scoring, making the game 35-0.
Seaquam's running back Lucas Gautier scored a touchdown of his own as time expired in the fourth quarter. The Seahawks missed the convert to make the final score 35-6.
Key Stats: Thurston 13 of 22 for 192-yards passing and four touchdowns; Roberts, five catches for 100 yards; Harinen 12 carries for 130 yards rushing; Finn Meberg, 11 tackles; Tyler Jones, eight tackles
Carter noted he was very happy with the team’s season and satisfied with their 5-1 regular season record and 3-0 exhibition record. He said both coaching staff and players are looking forward to competing in the playoffs.
"I'm proud of the commitment and the effort our players and coaches have put in thus far as the regular season closes,” Carter added.
With the win, the Panthers end the regular season 5-1 (5-0 in their division) and ranked 4th overall. They will face 13-ranked Mt. Boucherie Bears in the opening round of the playoffs Nov. 8 at Cloverdale Athletic Park. The Panthers steamrolled the Bears 40-6 in exhibition play back in September. Kickoff for the playoff game is tentatively set for 2 p.m.
