A run up the charts against the province's best isn't something a one-man band can do on the B.C. AAA senior football circuit.
The New Westminster Hyacks can attest to that.
While there were four players voted onto the Western Conference all-star team, it could have easily been four more.
The No. 1-ranked Hyacks have two players on offence and two players selected on defence, for a regular season run that saw them romp 7-0, outscoring the competition by 175 points.
Standout senior Sammy Sidhu was named as linebacker, while Yanni Angelopolous was picked as defensive lineman.
On offence, offensive lineman Isaiah James was chosen, joining wide receiver Sebastien Reid.
"Isaiah and Yanni are excellent on both sides of the line for us," remarked New West head coach Farhan Lalji. "They are heart-and-soul kind of players and really athletic for their size."
James, at six-feet tall and 220 pounds, utilizes surprising speed and strength in opening holes for the team's running backs. Angelopolous is a formidable force along the trench when it comes to stopping the oncoming rush.
Sidhu, over seven games, totalled 49 tackles and provided plenty of leadership as one of the team's captains.
"(Sidhu) is as impactful a player as there is in the province, in terms of two-way performance," added Lalji. "He's very good at reading blocks and on defence has great instincts."
Because of the team's depth at running back, the Grade 12 sparkplug only carried the ball 67 times over seven games, but garnered 751 yards.
Reid, meanwhile, joined the team this season and showed off his elite kick-off returning skills in his first game, scoring twice. It didn't take long for the opposition to learn where not to kick it.
As a receiver on a run-oriented team, the Surrey native may not have had the touches or as many balls thrown his way, but he made them count. In seven regular season games he made 15 catches for 400 yards. He turned three into touchdowns.
"He is such an explosive element to our lineup," said Lalji. "Every time he has the ball he finds a way to get to open space. He's a virtual highlight reel."
The coach was a little disappointed that others didn't receive their dues, especially members of New West's defence.
"Offensively I wouldn't quibble, but I thought there were some names that should have been there (on defence)," said Lalji. "We nominated (Kinsale) Philip. ... He's been trending all season as an outside linebacker and I think his 12 tackles and two quarterback sacks (against South Delta last week) shows that."
Philip posted 40 regular season tackles to tie for eighth overall in B.C. Other names that were deserving of being on the final list were Severino Asaba, Anthony Dillman, Evan Nolli and Lucas Sabau.
"I thought defensively we were pretty damn good all season long, at every element of defence," Lalji added. "Just the amount of turnovers we generated was outstanding."
He noted he was not casting shade at any of the names that were chosen, only disappointed that having won out in the toughest conference in the province didn't result in a little more recognition for his players.
"Hopefully guys will use it as motivation," he said. "Frankly, when it was announced the guys didn't care. They know what's ahead of us (in the playoffs) is the important stuff."
