The Handsworth Royals relied on a devastating one-two punch while the Carson Graham Eagles suffered some self-inflicted damage in another slugfest of a Buchanan Bowl played Saturday at Carson.
Handsworth quarterback Sam Tholl hooked up with receiver Dane Hopkins seven times for 201 yards and three touchdowns as the Royals raced out to a big lead and then hung on for a 33-28 win. Tholl ended the game with 327 total passing yards while adding a rushing touchdown.
“Our passing game was clicking,” said Handsworth head coach Jay Prepchuk. “He’s throwing bombs. They’re deep passes.”
Carson Graham head coach Brian Brady also tipped his hat to the Handsworth QB.
“He made some great reads and put the ball where it needed to go,” said Brady. “I thought our guys were in the right position a lot of the time but he just put the ball just out of our reach by an inch or two. I was pretty impressed by the way he did it.”
This was the 30th edition of the annual grudge match between the two North Vancouver neighbours, played in front of a typically raucous Buchanan Bowl crowd.
“It was a great event,” said Prepchuk. “I think it’s one of the pinnacle events on the North Shore every year and it’s just nice to be part of the whole thing. And it’s even nicer to win.”
The Eagles, meanwhile, made life hard for themselves by racking up 190 yards in penalties during the game and committing five turnovers. They kept battling, though, and even had a chance to win it in the final minutes after trailing 26-14 at halftime.
“Carson is a good team – they don’t give up,” said Prepchuk. “I was proud of our kids for hanging in there because the momentum certainly did swing at the end of the third quarter into the fourth quarter. We actually just hung on to win. It was exciting for the fans, it was exciting for everybody to see. I’m glad that it was a good show – I wasn’t too happy at the time that Carson was coming back on us, but that’s what happens when two good teams play against each other. You’re going to get a close game, and that’s exactly what we had.”
A last-ditch Eagles drive for the winning touchdown ended when they turned the ball over on downs in the Handsworth half in the final minute.
“It was disappointing because I thought we played well,” said Brady. “I thought we played really well in the second half – a lot closer to our potential. If we play the way we did in the second half, I think we’ll do very well this year. If we do what we did in the first half with turnovers and penalties, we’re going to make it really tough on ourselves. We’re just a lot better team than I think we showed in the first half.”
The Eagle were led by running back Max Goodman who rushed for 118 yards on 18 carries, scoring on touchdown runs of 12 and 10 yards while also adding an interception on defence.
“He ran the ball really well,” Brady said of Goodman, who lined up at receiver last season but has moved back to his natural position for his Grade 12 year. “He’s really taken a leadership role. He’s a guy we look to when we need a push, or just need a big play in a big moment.”
Carson quarterback Sterling Storey, who rushed for 77 yards in the Buchanan Bowl, is also stepping into a leadership role, said Brady. Last season he didn’t see much action as the backup to star QB Tyler Nylander, but this year Storey is the main man for the Eagles.
“I can’t say enough things about the kid’s leadership,” said Brady. “He’s unbelievable. He’s taken a leadership role, he put the work in in the offseason and what he’s doing and how his attitude has been will hopefully be reflected in success.”
Other key Eagles this season included linemen Ross Mojgani and Siomon Cole – who are back for their Grade 12 years after playing every offensive snap last year – defensive end Quentin James and linebackers Tyler Wong and Wyatt Gilson.
All of the Eagles, however, will need to rein in their emotions so that penalties and turnovers don’t derail their season like they derailed their Buchanan Bowl bid.
“If we play to the edge but just don’t take that step over the edge, I think we’ll be the aggressive team that we need to be to do well,” said Brady.
Several members of last year’s Carson Graham team that won the AA provincial title are back this season, but they’ve returned to a major challenge as the Eagles have been bumped up to AAA this year. It’s not just that they’re in AAA, but they’ve landed in a hornet’s nest known as the Western Conference that contains No. 1-ranked Vancouver College, No. 3 New West, No. 4 Mount Douglas as well as South Delta and Notre Dame, two more teams listed as honourable mentions in the AAA rankings.
“All those schools are the class of the country, let alone the province,” said Brady. “But there’s no place we’d rather be playing. … I think it’s going to make us better as a team. It’s really going to push us to our limits and challenge us as players and individuals and as a coaching staff. It’ll really be a true testament to how much we can commit to it and how much we can challenge the team.”
They may be hanging out in a tougher neighbourhood this season, but the Eagles still carry that championship swagger with them, said Brady.
“That experience from last year is invaluable,” he said “I think we’re ahead of where we were last year, offensively and defensively. I think we have a lot of talent.”
The Eagles begin regular season play Friday with a road game against New Westminster. They’ll be back at home Sept. 30 for a 3:45 p.m. kickoff against South Delta.
The Royals will be back in action Sept. 30 at 3:45 p.m. when they’ll host Holy Cross in an exhibition matchup.
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In other senior North Shore football action the AA Windsor Dukes knocked off the AAA West Vancouver Highlanders 43-0 at Windsor on Friday. The Highlanders will host Langley in an exhibition matchup Saturday starting at 1:30 p.m., while Windsor will travel to Surrey to take on Frank Hurt in their regular season opener Friday.
The Argyle Pipers fell 33-12 in a road matchup in Delta on Saturday against AA No. 1 Seaquam secondary. The Pipers will cross the border this weekend to take on Cashmere High School in Cashmere, Wash.