The recent dump of snow in the Lower Mainland put the deep freeze on the Howe Sound Sounders' season, as the team failed to beat the Frank Hurt Hornets in their second-round playoff game at UBC Thunderbird Stadium on Saturday (Nov. 20).
The Sounders fell to the Hornets for the third time this season, losing 17-0 as the team's offence just couldn't get anything going all afternoon.
"We came out flat," said Sounders running back Cory Constantin. "We were missing a bunch of players, including some linemen and our offence just didn't flow."
Quarterback Nolan Prevost enjoyed playing in the snow but admitted that the offence wasn't firing on all cylinders.
"We had a lot of first downs but we couldn't score when we got into the red zone," he said.
Turnovers and field positioning were huge factors in the game and the Sounders ended up on the low end of both. The team turned the ball over twice on fumbles and twice on downs. They also took some costly penalties, which nullified two significant runs by Constantin.
The first half saw the Hornets take advantage of advantageous field positioning and score two touchdowns. The Sounders' defence was solid all day long and held the Hornets to only a field goal in the second half.
"I thought the defence played really good," Prevost said. "We held them to two touchdowns and then only a field goal in the second half."
"They mostly scored because they had good field positioning," Constantin added.
Despite the lack of scoring, Constantin still put up 84 yards on 18 carries. Running back Anthony Wuster also delivered on the ground, picking up 41 yards. Constantin also led the way for the Sounders defensively, picking up nine tackles. Linebacker Jordan Gusteli added eight tackles, while Adam Lavigne picked up a sack. Prevost snagged the team's only interception.
Despite the Sounders' season concluding, the boys felt it was a great season.
"I think it was just as successful as last year," Prevost said. "We had a lot of new players and we came together to win a playoff game."
"We played harder teams this year and still played well," added Constantin. "I think it was a really good year."
The loss will mark the end of an era for the Sounders, as both Constantin and Prevost will be graduating, but both believe the program has a bright future. The duo listed Jordan Gusteli, Josh Watts, James Harney and Swo-Wo Gabriel as young guys who can step up next year. The team will also have Wuster, who the boys thought might shift to the quarterback position next year.
Constantin and Prevost helped usher in a successful winning attitude for the Sounders, as they were a part of last year's undefeated regular season team and led this year's team to a playoff win. Prevost said he will always look back on his playing days with fond memories.
"The bus rides were a lot of fun," he said. "And during stretching we would always make fun of someone, usually something about their mom."
Both boys hope to continue playing football next year, at either the junior pro or college level. They also wanted to thank all the people that supported the team over the years, as well as head coach Rob Ryan for all he's taught them.
For more information on local high school football, visit www.bchighschoolfootball.com.
