Northern BC Provincial Champs

Pens win Northern BC title

The South Peace Penguins won the northern B.C. high school football title 34-19 over the Duchess Park Condors on a snowy field at the Dawson Creek high school Saturday afternoon.

"It is nice. We got beat in a really close game in the semifinals of our league and it is nice to come back home and win the championship and end the year as a champion," said Penguin quarterback Justin Vipond who won his team's MVP of the game award.

The Pens lost to Grande Prairie in the semis of the Mighty Peace Football League, but as they are a B.C. team, they were also eligible to compete for the northern B.C. title.

The Condors were the top team in the Prince George high school league. Because they were short several players they supplemented their ranks with several members of the College Heights and Prince George Secondary School teams.

Still, the difference in team development was obvious. The Penguins dominated the first half and were up 27-7 by the time the teams went into their dressing rooms to warm up from a chilly wind from the southwest. In fact, the Dawson Creek offence was so overwhelmingly potent that the team scored on all its first half possessions except two. One of those was a fumble late in the first half that the Condors recovered, but the Pens picked off a pass on the very next play.

"We played quite well. We were pretty sharp, especially in the first half," said coach Dan Lopatka, who also coached his final game with the Pens as he will be retiring from teaching in the coming months.

"In the second half, that is always the way it has been when we put in the back-ups. When the veterans were in Grade 10 and they were young and the same thing happened. We put them in and the other team is going to score, but overall we are a very good football team and we played very well today."

After the Condor punter missed a snap on their first series of possessions, South Peace recovered the ball deep in the Prince George territory and a play later South Peace running back Sage Dilworth plunged into end zone for a 6-0 lead. DJ Comer booted the point-after.

On the next series of possessions, Vipond kept the ball and plowed into the end from the one-yard-line to make it 13-0. The convert attempt was blocked.

Another five-yard run by Dilworth made it 19-0. Comer made the point after for a 20-0 lead.

Tim Anderson ran 58 yards for the Pens' fourth major and with the convert the Penguins were up 27-0.

The Condors scored their first major on an 85-yard run back to trail 27-7 at the midway point of the match.

They scored again on a 51-yard run that made it 27-13 early in the third quarter. The Pens blocked the convert attempt.

The Pens scored on a run from the Condors five for a 33-13 lead. The point after was good. Duchess Park capped the scoring on a play that originated on their own 15 with a short pass and a long run to make it 34-19. The convert attempt was wide.

 

By Rick Davison - Dawson Creek Daily News