Coach Nate Stevenson said it’s every kid’s dream to play in a snowstorm.
The Nanaimo District Islanders did that and now they have a chance to make another dream come true.
The NDSS Islanders won what might have been the biggest game in the history of the school’s football program on Friday at Merle Logan Field, a 34-14 victory over the Timberline Wolves.
It means ND will play for B.C.’s Tier 2 varsity championship this coming weekend.
“We’re as far as we’ve ever been as a team and this program, so there’s been a lot of hard work and sweat from other [NDSS] teams to get us to this point,” said Stevenson.
Friday’s semifinal win will serve the Isles well. NDSS had to prevail in a game that they led just 6-0 after a snowy first half. Coaches and team leaders kept the Islanders focused.
“We told the players, keep your heads in the game, keep the intensity up, keep trying, keep working hard and the runs will pop,” said Brody Uddenberg, who scored two touchdowns.
Harb Thach scored the game’s first major on a fumble recovery. In the second half, ND kept pounding away, with Jacob Cheng and Dustin Wall also scoring TDs.
NDSS will face the Howe Sound Sounders on Friday (Nov. 25) in the Bob Ackles Cup Tier 2 varsity provincial final. The game will be played at 1:45 p.m. at Merle Logan Field.
“It feels awesome to get this far,” Uddenberg said. “We deserve it.”
GRID BITS … Look for more on NDSS football in the next issue of the News Bulletin.
sports@nanaimobulletin.com