The Howe Sound Sounders got to drink a tall, cool glass of revenge juice as they defeated archrival Frank Hurt Hornets 34-16 in high school football action on Saturday (Oct. 15).
The Hornets beat the Sounders twice in the regular season last year and also eliminated them from the playoffs. After Saturday's victory, Sounders free safety Rory Baldwin said it was nice to finally pick up a win against them.
"It for sure feels good to finally beat them," he said. "We had to redeem ourselves against them after last year. We hadn't beaten them since last year's spring tournament."
Howe Sound started slow offensively, trailing 2-0 after the Hornets scored on a safety, but it all changed in the second quarter when Anthony Wuster went off. Wuster rumbled 90 yards for a touchdown and the Sounders got the ball back on the very next play after Frank Hurt fumbled on the ensuing kickoff. The next possession saw Wuster reach the end zone again after quarterback James Kyle connected with him through the air.
Kyle added a touchdown of his own to give Howe Sound a commanding 22-2 lead at the half. Wuster added two more touchdowns in the second half, with the Hornets managing to solve the Sounders' defence in the fourth quarter to a couple of times to reach the 36-14 final score.
Despite the lopsided victory, Baldwin said the afternoon was a challenge defensively.
"This was probably the toughest game I've ever played on defence," he said. "We used so many different formations and we really had to adjust a lot to them."
He said the team also wanted to focus on Hornets quarterback Devoun Hallems, who torched the Sounders last year both through the air and on the ground.
"You really need to get your angles right when you're playing him," he said of Hallems. "We didn't want to over commit at all. We knew we were in tough. He definitely presented a tough challenge for our defence."
It was a total team effort from the defence, with four players getting four tackles or more. Griffin Dare led the way with seven, while Cam Prouten racked up two sacks. The defence also managed to recover three fumbles and shut down the Hornets' passing game, only allowing 21 total yards in the air. The Hornets were good on the ground, picking up 238 yards but only managed to reach the end zone once. James Harney, who had four tackles, was named the team's defensive player of the game.
Offensively the Sounders picked up 334 yards, including 309 yards on the ground. Wuster picked up an impressive 171 yards rushing on seven carries and reached the end zone four times. Quarterback James Kyle, who ran for 51 yards and a touchdown, was named the offensive player of the game.
With the win, the Sounders improve to 2-0 in Tier 2 B.C. High School Football action. Howe Sound will next host the Moscrop Panthers on Saturday (Oct. 22) at 1 p.m.
For more information on B.C. High School football, visit www.bchighschoolfootball.com.
