The players on this year’s Cowichan Bulldogs bantam football team claimed their fourth consecutive Island championship with a decisive win over the Comox Raiders at McAdam Park last Sunday.
The impressive run includes Island titles at two different age divisions.
“This is a unique group of athletes,” head coach PJ Shea commented. “There is a wide variety of skill sets amongst the players, but everyone has a role. I think that the success of this team is due, in large part, to the absence of personal egos, and the shared commitment to our goal. Our season just gets tougher from here on out, it’ll be very interesting.”
The Bulldogs went through the regular season undefeated, outscoring their opponents 371-6 over eight games, and were heavy favourites going into the Island final. They continued the trend of dominating on both sides of the ball last Sunday with a decisive 47-0 win over the Raiders.
“Showing a strong running and passing game, and establishing an extremely effective defense, we dominated the play of the game from its onset,” Shea said.
The Bulldogs rolled out a new scheme on offence, using a rotating set of backs to move the ball efficiently against the hard-hitting Raiders. Cowichan’s scores came through the air and on the ground, with two touchdown receptions by Jesse Kwasny and one by Gavin Kendrick, and two runs by Sterling Henry and one each by Finn Shea and Jayden Strzok.
The Bulldogs will host the Langley Mustangs in the provincial semifinal at McAdam Park this Sunday starting at 1 p.m.
