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Knights display heart, character in B.C. semifinal

In a game seeded with emotion and purpose, the St. Thomas More Knights left everything they had on the B.C. Place turf Saturday. Although they fell 28-21 to the Terry Fox Ravens in the B.C.

In a game seeded with emotion and purpose, the St. Thomas More Knights left everything they had on the B.C. Place turf Saturday.

Although they fell 28-21 to the Terry Fox Ravens in the B.C. Subway Bowl semifinal, the Knights proved to be a team of character and heart in an emotional championship-calibre season. Their only loss of the season was their last one, but they did it while battling to the end.

With offensive powerhouse Tyler Eckert limited to defensive duties after missing nearly three weeks of practice and games due to an illness, and provincial Defensive MVP Sam Steele knocked from the game in the second quarter with concussion-like symptoms, it’s any wonder the Ravens didn’t win in a romp.

Instead, they had to fend off a furious second-half rally by STM and needed a standout effort from quarterback Jevaun Jacobsen to advance to B.C. AAA final on Saturday (7 p.m. at BC Place) against the New Westminster Hyacks.

“I think it was their never-quit attitude that impressed me most,” STM coach Steve De Lazzari said of his own players, who carried a heavy heart over the last half of the season following the death of long-time coach Bernie Kully. “Even right down to the last defensive stand, when the huddle broke it was still ‘One-two-three Kully!’ They were playing for something bigger than themselves, and that’s why it was so emotional for them at the end.”

De Lazzari took on the head coaching duties last spring after Kully was diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus, and he credits the players for coming together and withstanding a lot of tough opponents after the devastating news last September, four games into the season.

Although they defeated Notre Dame 10 days ago without the services of Eckert – who averaged 132 yards a game rushing this season, scoring 13 times – the Knights found it difficult to gain much traction against Fox, who opened the scoring early in the first quarter on a Jacobsen touchdown.

A pair of turnovers – an interception by Michael Simone inside the 20-yard line, and a fumble recovery by Jonah Fridfinnson – didn’t produce any points as the Ravens’ young but large defensive line hemmed in STM’s running game.

“They didn’t break. They wilted a little bit but didn’t break,” remarked Fox co-coach Tom Kudaba of his defence.

When Steele was pulled from the game after Fox’s Cade Cote rambled 84 yards to make it 14-0, STM found itself in unfamiliar territory.

Steele, the B.C. Most Valuable Defensive Player of the Year, had been called over to the sidelines moments earlier after slowly getting up from a hard hit. Following Cote’s TD, a Knights trainer walked him to the dressing room for concussion testing, and he didn’t return.

“You can’t take chances with (head injuries),” said De Lazzari. “I think he would have kept going out there, that’s the kind of player and person he is.”

On the first possession of the second half, the Knights got to the one-yard line off a Doug Flutie-esque pass from Dario Ciccone, who finished the drive with a one-yard push.

It didn’t stay 14-7 long, however, as Jacobsen – who slid over to the running back position after teammate Jaden Severy injured a hamstring – responded with his second major with four minutes remaining in the third quarter.

Ciccone would get the Knights to within seven again, two minutes into the final quarter, by punching across a three-yard TD after a long pass set the table.

But Jacobsen took it into the end zone on second-and-goal at the one to quell STM’s momentum.

While STM’s David Osho made it a one-TD contest again with 2:25 left in the game, a Knights comeback just wasn’t in the cards. Terry Fox, meanwhile, took advantage of the Knights’ injuries and showed the kind of football IQ that had garnered them the pre-season No. 1 ranking.

“We made maybe a few mistakes on defence, maybe two, three plays the whole game, and we did a pretty good job aside from that,” said Kudaba. “They were obviously shorthanded without Eckert at full health. They were also without Steele for the most part, and that kind of hurt them on defence. They played with a lot of emotion – give credit to them.”

Unfortunately, some of Fox’s younger players sparked a melee after the game by taunting Knights fans, but De Lazzari said, while it was extremely disappointing to see he appreciated the Ravens coaches and captains approaching them to apologize once the teams had decompressed a bit in their dressing rooms.

It was a moment no one wanted to end the season on.

“There was so much raw emotions, but our boys handled it the way I’d have wanted it,” said the Knights coach.

He said, entering the game with the understanding Eckert wasn’t able to contribute on both sides of the ball, plus the calibre of opponent across the way, had people hedging their bets.

“I was cautiously optimistic but just knowing the weapons (Fox) had and what we could do, I thought we could beat them without (Eckert). Once the game began, I was thinking this was going to be really, really tough.”

Although next year is a long way’s off, the team will have a solid core, led by Ciccone and Steele, from which to start its next stage. However, a large number of players, including the likes of Eckert and fellow provincial all-star, linebacker Mateo Carteri – as well as conference all-stars defensive back Jonah Fridfinnson, receiver David Osho and lineman Sajjun Shokar.

“It is a very special group,” added De Lazzari. “To go from a team no one had on their radar, unranked and then win all of our (regular season) games to being (ranked) second in the province. To face what they’ve faced and achieve what they achieved – I’m extremely proud of them.”