The Cowichan Bulldogs will play for the Island bantam football title this Sunday when they play host to the Comox Raiders at McAdam Park starting at noon.
Last year, the Bulldogs won the Island final by a single point, playing spoiler to a Raiders team that dominated them during the regular season. This year, Cowichan swept their two games against Comox by a combined score of 121-0, but they know the playoffs are different.
“This year the roles, going into the final, are reversed, so we are very much aware that the same thing can happen to us if we take this game lightly,” Cowichan coach PJ Shea said. “We finally have everyone back and healthy. We expect Comox to put up an incredible fight.”
The junior bantam Bulldogs played in their Island semifinal last Sunday, falling 24-6 to the Victoria Spartans at Westhills Stadium.
“It was a very close game, coming right down to the fourth quarter,” coach Opie Williams reported.
The Spartans led 6-0 at halftime, and the teams traded touchdowns early in the second half to make it 12-6, which is where it stayed until the fourth quarter. Victoria went up 18-6, then added one more on the last play of the game.
”It was a hard-fought battle,” Williams said. “We just ran out of gas and injuries were an issue for us. Fumbles didn’t favour us in this game and turnovers gave the Spartans short field to work with.”
The coach was pleased with the year as a whole.
“We had a great season and the boys improved so much,” he said. “It was exciting to see with the number of rookies we had on the team.
“I would like to thank all the coaching and support staff for all their help this year. The parents were very supportive of this fall and thank them for all their hard work.”