SURREY – Sullivan Heights Secondary and Tamanawis Secondary both defied the odds to qualify for the 2014 Senior Boys’ Fraser Valley Championships final, which will be played on Thursday (Nov. 6).
Sullivan defeated Dr. Charles Best in a 2-1 away win on Monday (Nov. 3). Prior to the semifinal, Charles Best had only allowed two goals in nine games.
Stars coach Gary Atwal said this was a “big win†for his boys as Charles Best is arguably the strongest team in the province.
Sullivan finished their division games with a 3-1-1 record, only losing to Elgin Park, who won the division.
Tamanawis had a tougher road to the final entering the tournament ranked 14 of 16 teams.
The ranking meant the Wildcats had to play all of their games on the road, beating Queen Elizabeth 4-3 after penalty kicks in their semifinal.
Paul Rai, coach of the Tamanawis team, said he thought the 14 seed wasn’t justified and they got stronger as the season went on.
The coach said the senior boys' team has now qualified for the provincial championships three years in a row and he attributes that to the players buying into a team mentality rather than one individual standing out.
“If you do that, you get pennants. If you’re by yourself you might get a few wins here or there, but you don’t get a pennant,†Rai said.
Panorama Ridge, Queen Elizabeth and Earl Marriott are the other Surrey teams that qualified for the provincial championships.