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Seahawks don’t quit in road loss

Seaquam loses in Abbotsford, Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers win at home

Overmatched by a larger opponent in the Fraser Valley last week, the Seaquam Seahawks are going to overlook the final score and take a never-say-die attitude into their first regular season game.

The Seahawks lost to B.C. High School Football Association (BCHSFA) Senior AA rival Rick Hansen Hurricanes 36-21 last Friday night in Abbotsford. But Seaquam coach Jerry Mullis was still impressed with the effort from his players.

“Rick Hansen is huge,” said Mulliss. “They are big, experienced, talented and physical.

“But I will say this, we didn’t lose the game as much as we just got beat physically. Our kids never quit and I’m proud of them for that.”

The Seahawks had several outstanding individual efforts. Running back Mark Lego had  237 yards rushing on 23 carries, scoring two touchdowns and catching a pass for the third Seaquam major.

Linebackers Jay Singh, Tony Kee and Keegan Lensink were dominant on defense, with Kee making 11 tackles while forcing two fumbles and recovering one. Lensink had 10 tackles and a fumble recovery while Singh finished with nine tackles.

The Hurricanes size created problems for Seaquam quarterback Adam Dobie, who was sacked four times for a loss of 41 yards. He still completed 11 of 23 passes for 142 yards and a touchdown.

“Adam showed me tonight how tough he is,” said Mulliss. “He got hit a lot tonight by some big guys but he kept getting up.”

The Seahawks will host the South Delta Sun Devils in their first game of their Southern Conference schedule. The Sun Devils have won the annual matchup for the last three years, and have already jumped to a 2-0 (won-loss) start in league play.

Kickoff Saturday is at 1:30 p.m. at Seaquam Secondary.

- The Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers accomplished something high school teams have never had the chance to do in the past – win a non-conference game that counts in the league standings.

The Panthers, in the five-team Senior AAA Eastern Division this season, hammered the visiting New Westminster Hyacks of the Western Conference 48-7 Friday afternoon in Cloverdale.

The BCHSFA made a decision to schedule cross-over games between opponents from the two Lower Mainland conferences. It gives the Panthers six league games and three exhibition games, as opposed to five exhibition contests and four league games if the cross-over contests didn’t count in the standings.

“It doesn’t make sense to play more exhibition games than regular season games,” said Panthers head coach Kurt Thornton, explaining the rationale for the scheduling decision.

The Panthers used the big play to overwhelm New Westminster. Jamel Lyles scored first on a 67-yard touchdown run, and Taylor Anderson followed up with a 47-yard pass reception for another major score.

Quarterback Connor McKay ran 50 yards for a third score, then threw a 55-yard pass to Cody Faulkner for a 27-0 Panthers lead.

The Hyacks scored on a long run, and had an opportunity to gain some momentum. That opportunity was dashed when Joe Carter of Lord Tweedsmuir returned the kickoff 80 yards to the end zone.

Short runs for two touchdowns by McKay completed the scoring.

Ryan Godard and Nick Andrews led the defense, each with seven tackles.

The Panthers host the Terry Fox Ravens tomorrow (Friday) at 3:30 p.m. at Lord Tweedsmiur Secondary. The Ravens also won their first regular season game, a 13-7 victory over the Notre Dame Jugglers.