It was a lot easier than expected for the Howe Sound Sounders as they advanced to the second round of the Tier 2 football playoffs by demolishing the Westsyde Blue Wave 58-8 in Kamloops on Friday (Nov. 12).
Heading into the first round playoff game, Sounders quarterback Nolan Prevost and running back Cory Constantin admitted that they had no idea what to expect from the Blue Wave but they were surprised by the final score.
"We were on defence for almost the entire first quarter," Prevost said. "Then we got the ball back after a turnover on downs at our eight yard lane. Cory then ran like 86 yards to score and we kept scoring after that. We didn't think we would beat them that bad."
Constantin said the team didn't prepare any differently for Westsyde, instead of focusing on how they can improve themselves.
"We prepared the same way we do for every game but we were more surprised by the outcome and just the amount of points we scored," he said.
A number of Sounders put up some extremely impressive numbers with Constantin leading the way.
Despite playing less than half the game in offence, he picked up 239 yards on the ground off of nine carries and scored four touchdowns. His backfield partner Anthony Wuster also was effective in limited time, scoring one touchdown and picking up 58 yards rushing.
Prevost also contributed, picking up one touchdown himself and rushing for 57 yards. The Sounders' other touchdown was scored by Swo-Wo Gabriel who added 61 yards rushing of his own.
Defensively, the Sounders were strong, not allowing a point until late in the fourth quarter. Wuster and linebacker Jordan Gustelli led the way for the team with eight tackles while Prevost picked up seven.
The strong play of the Sounders impressed many of the fans in attendance at Kelowna, including the head coach of the Canadian Junior Football League's (CJFL) Kamloops Broncos. Prevost and Constantin confirmed that the coach approached Sounders head coach Rob Ryan and expressed interest in both players.
"It's pretty cool that people are starting to recognize us," Constantin said.
The win means the Sounders will get a second round date with their arch-rivals, the Frank Hurt Hornets. The Hornets have beaten Howe Sound twice this season by a score of 35-6 on Oct. 16 and 42-26 on Nov. 6, but the playoffs is called the second season for a reason.
"We just need to stick to what we're supposed to be doing offensively," Constantin said. "I think we want some more passing plays and to work on our inside running game."
"Yeah, just give the ball to Cory," Prevost joked. "Our offensive and defensive lines both played great against Westsyde so we definitely need to keep that up."
The importance of the game, which could be the last in the high school careers for Prevost and Constantin, was not lost on them.
"I'd probably start crying," Prevost said with a grin.
"To beat Frank Hurt would be amazing," Constantin said. "This game would mean even more than winning the league because we really want to beat these guys."
The Sounders will take on Frank Hurt at the UBC Thunderbird Stadium in Vancouver on Saturday (Nov. 20). Kick-off time for the game is scheduled for noon.
