It was a razor thin finish for the Cowichan Peewee Bulldogs and the Nanaimo Seahawks (white) over the weekend, with the Bulldogs ultimately coming out on the losing end of a 40-38 score.
A tough start saw Cowichan fumble twice early — both times resulting in Nanaimo recovering the ball and converting those possessions into touchdowns.
“This was a huge deficit right out the gate to come back from at 14-0, but I am proud of how our team rallied and got it within two points,” said head coach Gino Buscaino. Non-play related concerns also made it difficult for the Bulldogs to focus but their sportmanship shone through in the end.
After getting their fumbles out of the way, the Cowichan offence switched gears, scoring on every possession thereafter. Running back Justin Jack-Thomas was a machine and Cowichan’s biggest force, with four touchdowns.
Cole Tokarek also ran back one major on special teams. Gus Steeves controlled the pace of the offence and passed for one touchdown as well while Kalem Thomas converted touchdowns for eight points.
“Our blocking was on point and much improved,” Buscaino said. “We were getting seals where we needed them. Our starting O-line with Devon Thomas, Carter Freeland, Emmitt Ryder and Kason Randhawa, did a fantastic job up front, as did our receivers Qais Rasul-Jankovics, Keyla Eskelson, Oaklan Bourelle and Brayden Hagel, which got lanes opened up for our backs.”
Cowichan’s defence found it difficult to handle Nanaimo’s high powered offence, however.
“We found it hard to contain the Seahawks on this day,” Buscaino said. “We had a few key players not with us, which opened up opportunities for other players to step into those roles, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough to keep their offence at bay. We will be back, focused on those gaps, and will be ready for our next game against Nanaimo Blue.”