For the first three quarters of the game, it looked liked they had it.
On Saturday, the Howe Sound Secondary School鈥檚 football team hosted Kamloops鈥� Vikings in their third exhibition game of the year. Despite handing the team in red 105 yards in penalties and turning over the ball four times, the Sounders were very much in control before the third quarter whistle blew. The home team was a defensive force, only allowing the Vikings 97 yards except for the two winning plays. In the second quarter, a pass from Connor Dawson to Aidan Devlin placed the team on the scoreboard 6-0.聽
But late in the fourth, the game took a dive for the Sounders. The Vikings broke away from the five-yard line, to stomp out a 95-yard touchdown to tie the game.聽
The Sounders fought back, moving the pigskin up the field. With four minutes left, the Vikings sealed their victory with a 52-yard run to place them in the lead 12 to 6.聽
Unlike some communities in which boys strap on their football helmets at the age of seven, the Sounders are constantly introducing students to the sport, coach Jim Errington said.聽
鈥淲e got a lot of people who have never played before,鈥� he said, adding some players are international students who had never seen football live.
With the inexperience comes excitement for the game. That often leads to mistakes as a result of jitters, Errington notes. With time he expects a smoother game.聽
鈥淥ffensively we proved to ourselves we can move the ball. If our offensive line play as one, we will be tough to stop.鈥�
The Sounders have some strong players, new and returning, he added. Luke Underwood landed 11 tackles throughout the game and Dawson has a lot of time on the field under his belt, making him a good leader, Errington said.聽
The Sounders end the exhibition season 0 and 3. Those results don鈥檛 reflect the improvements Errington said he鈥檚 seen on the field.
鈥淭hey鈥檝e gotten better every game,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f we can fix the mental mistakes (penalties) and hang on to the ball, we will go a long way this year.鈥�
The Sounders head to Campbell River Saturday for a league game.聽
