Like the Jeffersons, the number-four-ranked STM Knights will be moving on up the high school football rankings after a 32-28 upset road win over the number-two-ranked W.J. Mouat Hawks on Friday night in Abbotsford.
The Knights were trailing 28-18 with only two-and-a-half minutes left when Jalen Jana ran a kickoff all the way to the Hawks' three-yard-line.
A couple plays later, battering ram Elliott Nelson, in his first game back from injury this season, ran in his second touchdown of the game for STM and after Chase Malcolm found Kevin Marshall for the two-point conversation, the Knights were down only two points.
Marshall would be decisive in the next play, as well, recovering the onside kick that gave the Knights possession once again.
And with under a minute left and the Knights facing third-and 20, Malcolm found his favourite target, Gio Trasolini, for a 43-yard game-winning touchdown.
"It was awesome," said Knights head coach Bernie Kully. "Being able to come back like that, I'm so happy for our kids and what this means going forward."
The Knights will definitely be moving up, as number-three ranked Vancouver College lost to number-one ranked Mt. Douglas. Vancouver College does hold a victory over STM earlier this year, but the Fighting Irish lost to Mouat last week.
The team's ranking isn't a huge concern for Kully, as his biggest triumph was getting Nelson back in the lineup after a lower-body injury sideline him for the first month of the season.
"Elliott, he's a difference maker," said Kully. "He changes the whole complexion of our offence and it's deflating for the other team because when they see him in our lineup, they know he's going to be a load. ... The sense I got from our early games was when he wasn't in our lineup, teams would get a sense of relief. Now that he's in for us, he's a huge factor."
Trasolini also had two touchdowns, his second coming on a 46-yard interception return, while Marshall hauled in a 50-yard pass from Malcolm for another score. Malcolm passed for 213 yards and two scores, and also had an interception return for a touchdown.
Kully said Malcolm was looking to rebound after a five-interception loss to Mt. Douglas last week.
"He was hungry and determined in practice," said Kully. "He wanted to get better and worked really hard."
Nelson finished with eight tackles and a fumble recovery to lead the Knights' defence, which held provincial rushing leader Maleek Irons to only 75 rushing yards.
"We did a lot of film work on him," said Kully. "We tried to see what (Mouat) did out of different formations and we had a game plan to try and keep him in check. ... I'm very proud of how our defence played."
Irons had a chance to play hero on Mouat's final drive, but Malcolm Lee was able to stop Irons from going the distance, before Drew Belgrave ended the game with an interception.
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