Jennifer Schroeder
Special to the Langley Advance
The Bears dug deep and fought hard to take the win over the Meadow Ridge Knights on Saturday.
From the starting kickoff it was obvious both junior bantam teams showed up to win as the play was filled with hard hits and strong drives.
Mathieu Gale put on a great show right out the gate with a strong drive down the left side of the field that put the Bears in a great position.
Within a few downs, Mathieu put the Bears on the score board giving them the lead and ensuring the Knights would have to respond.
Despite the Knights’ determination and multiple advances for the next two quarters, the Bears consistently stopped them in their tracks with some key tackles and an outstanding team effort.
This tight game became incredibly intense as the Meadow Ridge boys saw their first touchdown instantly neutralized by a Bears’ touchdown.
After more intense play, the game was stuck in a 14-14 tie.
But, as the clock ran into the last three minutes of the fourth quarter, the Bears managed to grind out one last touchdown giving them the lead as the game drew to a close.
It was a 22-14 victory for the visiting Bears.
Atom
North Langley Atom Bears showed a lot of heart despite falling to last season’s champion Abbotsford Falcons.
The offence was lead by Jackson Brhelle (#3) and Colten Lifton (#35) scoring the two touchdowns for the Bears.
The Bears had a strong defensive showing with Dain Onyanabo (#99) causing disruptions all game with a goal-stopping tackle by Noah Hollingsworth ( #7).
This team showed great improvement on both sides of the football and are looking ahead to next week’s game in Mission.
Peewee
North Langley Peewee Bears bounced back from a tough loss in week one to shut out the Abbotsford Black Falcons 37-0 on a wet field on Saturday.
The Bears defence was outstanding, with Brody Hunter (#86), Jesse Davison (#70), Lucca Patterson (#67), and Talon Schroeder (#64) leading the way.
Rowen Engele (#36), Aiden McMurtry (#44), and Patterson all had sacks.
The Bears offence was on fire.
Ben Evans (#11) opened the game with a 65-yard kick return touchdown and the Bears didn’t slow down.
Evans added another running touchdown in the game.
The Bears had six touchdowns on the day, including two from Damon Bernemann (#9) and one each from Lachlan MacInnes (#81) and Lucas Kinch (#30).
The Bears look forward to continuing the winning streak next week in Mission.
Bantams
Bantams had a bye this week.
North Langley Kodiaks football team took to the road this week to play the Westside Warriors in Vancouver.
The Kodiaks dominated early and often in this game with Ethan Bernardin and Caleb Nelson scoring twice, while other touchdowns were added by Luke Chalk and Jacob Ronald – the latter’s being a fumble recovery in the end zone after a botched punt attempt by Westside.
The Kodiaks defence was dominant not allowing any scoring by the Warriors in a 40-0 win.
The Kodiaks defence line wreaked havoc all day not allowing Westside any chance to get a rhythm going.
These two teams meet again Saturday, Sept. 16 at McLeod Athletic Park in Langley.
