STM Knights keys to victory

St. Thomas More's humbling 54-7 loss to Mt. Douglas in the semifinal of the provincial varsity football championship has a positive side to it.

"For our boys, it's a wake-up call," said STM junior varsity head coach Dave Ruzycki.

The JV Knights have the opportunity to erase one of the more painful playoff memories the school has had to endure since Holy Cross knocked off the varsity Knights 49-19 in the 2007 AAA final.

STM will face the twotime defending junior champion Mt. Douglas Rams in the final of the AAA JV final at B.C. Place on Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 12: 30 p.m.

"The advantage (Mt. Douglas) has is they have one of the biggest teams in the league. They have a big line, some very good receivers, an incredible back and a tall boy at quarterback. They seem to have all the pieces in place," said Ruzycki.

"For us, I don't believe there is another team in British Columbia that is faster than we are," Ruzycki added.

The JV Knights boast four runners from last year's provincial track and field team, including 100metre finalist Malcom Lee, 200-m finalist Rashaun Rivers, Jordan Mckenzie and Massimo Pozzolo.

The Knights also have a level of leadership rarely seen at the JV level.

Five members of the current STM squad, Lee, Kevin Marshall, Jalen Jana, Shane Noel and starting quarterback Chase Malcolm shared in a Canadian age group touch football title at the most recent national championships.

When the coaches are not present, the boys lead the team in practice, a collective quality Ruzycki is immensely proud of.

To date, that quality has taken the junior Knights on an unbeaten road to the finals, including a 376 victory over a peaking Centennial team in the driving rain last week.

In that game, Jana rushed for three touchdowns, while Malcolm ran in another score on a 65yard play.

"The thing we have going for us is, we're in the (B.C. Place) dome," said Ruzycki. "We have dry Astroturf - ideal conditions. It will come down to our speed and skill against their size."

STM has the advantage of beating Mt. Douglas 217 in an exhibition matchup during the preseason back in September.

The Knights then had to run a guantlet of solid school programs in Terry Fox, Lord Tweedsmuir, W.J. Mouat and Centennial to win their conference.

Mt. Doug had a relatively easier time of it, wrapping up the Western Conference, including a rather routine 34-6 win over conference runner-up Vancouver College in league play.

However, Ruzycki is taking nothing for granted. The likable high school instructor has the stigma of being known as B.C. high school football's Marv Levy.

Levy coached the Montreal Allouettes to two Grey Cups but could not translate that to Super Bowls when he went to Buffalo to coach the Bills.

Levy guided the Bills to six conference titles in his 17-year NFL career, including 12 seasons in Buffalo, but lost in the Super Bowl four straight times from 1990 to 1993.

Ruzycki shared in a varsity provincial championship as an assistant to K.C. Steele in 2003, the last time the Knights have won a major title.

The JVs last won the cup in 2005, while the Grade 8 Knights were provincial winners back in 2007.

But Ruzycki said it's not all about winning for him. If given the opportunity to win a title but not have the respect of his players, he said he'd trade it in a heartbeat.

"I honestly coach for the love of coaching and the relationships with the kids," he said.

Prior to the big game, Ruzycki plans to have a little pre-game levity with the boys, holding a mock gag awards dinner to take some of the pressure off the kids.

"The idea is to lighten up, enjoy the moment and then get out and play," Ruzycki said.

The Grade 8 Knights also play on championship Saturday.