The Hugh Boyd Trojans’ defensive game plan was to be aggressive and they didn’t let up until they had their biggest win in recent years.
The Trojans smothered the No. 1 Seaquam Seahawks to produce a 14-7 victory on Friday night, in a showdown of unbeaten teams, to control their own destiny for a first place finish in the Western AA Conference. Boyd can now nail down top spot when the Ballenas Whalers visit the West Richmond school on Friday at 5 p.m.
The Seahawks had rolled to the top of the provincial rankings with a high-powered attack, led by the outstanding Grade 11 twin duo of Jalen and Tyson Philpot. Jalen had a chance to showcase his game-breaking ability when he answered Boyd’s opening score by returning the ensuing kickoff 85-yards to paydirt. However, Seaquam would not see the end zone again thanks to a superb effort by the Trojans’ defence.
A wide third quarter field goal attempt was as close as the visitors would get to scoring again. Veteran coach Bill Haddow, who serves as the team’s defensive coordinator, says his unit had to be in attack mode if it was going to slow down the Seahawks.
“The game plan was simple. We were not going to lay back,” said Haddow. “We were going to play our game and make them match our intensity. Man them up and press them. We were not going to play scared.
“All the credit to the kids. That’s as good of a defensive effort that I can remember. (Linebacker) Tariq Lopez was a real man for us today. We trust him and he came up with a number of big plays.”
Lopez also produced the game-winning points when he broke loose for a 45-yard major on the opening possession of the second half. Boyd’s other score came on its initial drive as quarterback Tyler Moxin connected with speedster Zach Jackson for a 40-yard major.
The first half was played in a steady downpour which provided another reason to showcase the Trojans’ expanded running game, behind an outstanding offensive line, that ate up yards and time of possession. Leading rusher Reace Mok had another productive evening and was complimented by the work of Lopez and Moxin who ran the ball more Friday than any other time this season. It’s a further sign of his growing confidence after a major knee injuryand subsquent surgery kept him sidelined for the entire 2015 season.
“It was a big injury and, week-by-week, he is getting more confident and willing to take off,” said head coach Bill Haddow. “That what we expected from him and it’s taken him some time to get the feel of it again.
“I would still like to see us throw a little more consistently and we will get back to work on that.”
For a number of third-year players, there have been no bigger wins in their high school careers. The coaching staff isn’t concerned about a potential letdown with regular season games against Ballenas and John Barsby remaining.
“We have played a lot of good football here recently but, when you beat the No. 1 ranked team, this is a huge win for our program,” added Bruce Haddow. “These guys believe and they got me believing too. This is not the end game for these guys. They will be re-focused in a real hurry and relish taking on the next challenge.”
