Nanaimo District Secondary School Islanders rode a series of early turnovers by their opponent to a provincial Tier 2 varsity football championship.
Up against the Howe Sound Sounders in Burnaby Friday, the Islanders posted a 28-21 win for the school’s first ever football title.
Nanaimo coach Nate Stevenson called it a tough game with early Howe Sound turnovers allowing ND to establish the lead.
“That was crucial,” he said in a press release. “Once we got up we could play conservative football on offense and allow our defence to do what they did all year, slow opponents down and make them earn each yard.”
The Islanders running game banged out 349 yards and four touchdowns on 35 carries. Dustin Wall finished with 177 yards rushing while Jacob Cheng had 109 yards and two touchdowns.
Stevenson said the Sounders never quit and it was a test for his players to keep Howe Sound contained.
“They just kept coming back and back and not going away,” he said. “The game was open until that final big run allowed us to kill the clock.”
The Islanders’s football program started in 2001 at the AA junior varsity level. It moved to Tier 2 play three years ago, reaching the semifinals in its first two years.
NDSS moves back to AA competition for the 2012 season.
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