It wasn’t a win, but in the coach’s viewpoint, it wasn’t quite a loss, either.
In the final exhibition test prior to this Friday’s 2016 B.C. High School football regular season opener, the St. Thomas More Knights ran up against a vaunted Vancouver College crew and fell 20-14 in a Catholic school senior AAA showdown.
With the No. 1 Fighting Irish establishing a 10-0 advantage in the opening half, the Knights could have buckled and broke under the strain. Instead, the Burnaby school regrouped and battled back to make it a close game, and a loss to build upon.
“I was happy with the way we finished the game. We didn’t quit and played hard right until the final whistle,” said STM head coach Bernie Kully. “We are a young team and the goal is to get better as we progress through the year. Today, despite the loss, we showed some of that learning and progression.”
Vancouver College, who took over the top-spot in provincial polling two weeks ago with a win over Terry Fox, actually led 17-0 before STM rallied in the fourth quarter.
Quarterback Kolby Buljevic completed 15 of 30 pass attempts for 160 yards, including a pair of touchdown passes to Tyler Eckert and Anthony Prpic. He also completed a two-point convert pass to Devon Hayek.
Eckert finished with 57 yards rushing, while Buljevic scrambled for 30 yards.
Defensively, the Knights were led by Matteo Morreira’s 11 tackles, while Matteo Montagliani and Joel Pielak chipped in six each. Mateo Carteri contributed five tackles and pulled down an interception.
For the No. 5-ranked Knights, the regular season begins Friday with a bang as Fox, a pre-season favourite, comes to Burnaby Lake West (7:30 p.m.). It’ll provide an excellent opportunity for STM to build on a strong fourth quarter.
“We made mistakes and have lots of learning to do,” noted Kully. “Now we start league play where the wins and losses have a bigger meaning to your season.”
