Vancouver College takes down Terry Fox in B.C. provincial football championship
By Brent Mattson
The B.C. Catholic

VANCOUVER--The Vancouver College Fighting Irish scored a huge 28-15 victory over Port Coquitlam's Terry Fox Ravens Dec. 4, clinching their third Triple-A high school provincial varsity football championship. It's their first title since 1994.

After years of disappointments and setbacks, the team and their fans at Empire Field were excited to be back on top. Included in the excitement was Christian Covington, who was named the league's Defensive Player of the Year at the end of the game.

"This was not only for us, this was for the future of Vancouver College; this was for the past alumni who made it to the finals and never (won) it," Covington said.

The Ravens took the lead early in the game with a touchdown, but that turned out to be the only action they could get on the scoreboard until the waning moments of the fourth quarter.

Vancouver College took over the momentum by scoring a tying touchdown with 30 seconds left in the first quarter, and taking the lead early in the second.

One of the night's most exciting moments came in the second quarter when College's Adam Konar leapt sideways to intercept a Ravens' pass, leading to a touchdown for the Irish to close the half.

Konar lit up the field again in the third quarter after running in his third touchdown of the night. With his high-scoring performance and two interceptions, it was no surprise when Konar was named MVP of the game.

The Ravens got one back in the final minute of play when Jared Soll received a long-bomb pass and rambled across the goal line for a touchdown. But it wasn't enough to hold off the inevitable Fighting Irish victory. The players began celebrating on the sidelines long before the clock ran out.

College head coach Todd Burnett said that despite a good coaching strategy, his team could not have been successful without the positive response he and the rest of the coaching staff had got from the players.

"This was dedication from these boys. We ask a lot of them in terms of the weightlifting and the film study, and they were very passionate and allowed us to push them," he said. "You don't do this without special kids."